The Faux Painting Made Easy guide is for the everyday person who wants to have extraordinary rooms in their home.  Faux Painting is definately the thing to do for texture, depths and the oohs and ahhs of neighbors, family and friends.  I will cover a few different techniques in this guide that I have personally tried. 

THE WOOLIE: 

 Now we all have seen the commercials for the Woolie.  What an incredible tool this is.  You can purchase a Woolie at any Home Depot or Lowes or right here on eBay.(see links below)  They last forever if you wash them out as soon as you are finished with them.  I have had mine for over 2 years.  With the Woolie you dont have to be perfect.  The messier the better. This is great for first timers not great for perfectionist.   Steps for using the Woolie.

1. Pick your paints. You will need at least two colors that compliment eachother.  Now I said you need at least two colors.  You can add as many as you want.  Thats right if you want 10 different colors go for it.  I used 5 different colors to paint my eBay packing and shipping room.  You dont need a lot of paint either.  For a normal size spare bedroom I would only buy a pint of each color.  However many colors of paints you buy you will need to buy the same amount of containers to pour the paint into.
2. Buy the Woolie from either Home Depot, Lowes, Ace any hardware store and I believe I have even seen it in Wal-Mart or right here on eBay.
3. The Woolie comes with 1-Large Woolie, 1-Small Woolie, 1-Large Paint Brush, and one videotape. (not dvd)
4. Watch the video!  Make sure that you watch it.  Especially the perfectionist that are going to try this.  Listen close when she says the messier the better.
5. Tape off all of your trim molding. Cover your carpets and tape the edges to the tape on your trim molding.  Tape off the ceiling.  This is the tedious part.  It takes a while to do this but make sure everything that you dont want paint on is covered.
6. Gather all of your paints and containers together.  You are going to water down the paint.  Pour some of the paint into a container then add 1 cup of water at a time.  Do not make the paint too thin. 
7. Now get ready for the fun!
8. Take the Big Paint Brush and dip it into your first color.  Make a mark on the wall let the paint drip. Dip paint brush (same paint brush) into the 2nd color put in on the wall next to the first mark.  Continue to do this with all of the colors.
9. After all of the colors that you have chosen are on the wall and dripping.  Grab the Woolie.
10. With the Woolie you will learn that there are many different ways to pat a wall.  If you are looking for the Adobe, or Southwest look. This is the one that I did.  All you need to do is take the woolie and start patting out the paint.  Continue patting all of the colors together until it is the look or texture that you desire. 
11. If there is a section that seems to light just add some of your darker colors over it.  If it is to dark add some light paint.  Then pat it out with the woolie again.
12. I cant tell you how long to pat because it is all about what you like. 
13. Below is a picture of the room that I did. 
14. The most important thing to remember is this.  HAVE FUN!!!  Dont take it to seriously get messy with it and it will turn out great!

 RAGGING OFF

I just did this method a few months ago in my office.  I love it.  This method is alot simpler than the Woolie method and takes a lot less time.  Only catch to it is you can only use 2 colors that I am aware of. 

1. Decide on the look of the room.  I wanted a serious but welcoming look to my office.
2. Pick your base color.  The base color needs to be lighter than the top color. 
3. Once your base color is chosen pick a color that is a shade to 2 shades darker.  Or if you are brave you can go even darker.
4. Tell the paint person that you would like this darker color in a glaze.  They do make precolored glazes. To save money you can buy the darker color in just a regular waterbased paint and then buy a clear  waterbased glaze.  You then mix a little bit of glaze into the paint until it is the tint that you are looking for.
5. You will need to purchase a regular paint roller, a rag roller ( this is a roller that looks like a towel has been wrapped around it) a paint tray and a container to mix if you are mixing the glaze yourself.
6. Follow all of the steps in step 5 of The Woolie.  Tape off everything that you do not want paint on.
7. You will first paint the base color.  This is quite simple.  You just use the regular roller and paint the entire room.
8. Once the base coat has dried prepare your glaze.
9. You will then take the paint tray with your glaze, the regular roller and the rag roller to the room
10. Paint on the glaze in a 4ft x 4 ft section with the regular roller (the same as you did the base coat)
11. After the glaze is on the wall take the rag roller and roll over the section that you just put the glaze on. (Do this quickly! Do not let the glaze dry)
12. I cant tell you how long to roll it is up to you.  This is what creates the depth and texture to the room.  So you do as much or as little as you want for the desired effect.
13. You continue step 10,11 & 12 for the whole room.
14. If there is a section that is to light add more glaze and go over it again.
15. Remember to change hands and the way you roll often.  If you roll down once then go across the next time or sideways.  You want to change direction as many times as you can to create the depth.
16. Most importantly Have Fun!
17. Below are  pictures of the office that I painted. (Thats Rockie and The Bandit in the truck)

RAGGING ON

Ragging on is even simpler than Ragging Off.  You will still need to purchase a base coat color and a top coat color.  You can do the top coat in a glaze or you can just use the paint. You can pick any colors that compliment each other.  You can make either color the base coat.  All of this depends on the effect that you are looking for.

1. After purchasing your 2 colors, you will need to buy a regular roller, a rag roller, a paint tray. If you choose to use the glaze and to mix it your self you will need to buy the clear glaze and a mixing container.
2. Tape off all items you do not wish to get paint on.
3. Paint the base coat with the regular roller. Paint the entire room
4. Once the room has dried take your second coat and the rag roller and paint the room
5. You use the rag roller as if it were a regular roller.  Change directions often ie. up,down, sideways, slanted.
6. Keep going over a section until it becomes the desired look or effect that you want.

SPONGING

Sponging is one of the more tedious faux paintings.  You will feel it in your arms and back the next day.  It is not hard to do though.

1. Pick your base coat
2. Pick as many different colors as you want as a sponge coat.  I personally have only used 1 color.  I have seen it with as many as 5 different colors.  Once again it is all up to you and what you want to create.
3. You will need to purchase a regular roller,paint tray now here is the tricky part.  You can purchase the sea sponge or you can use a bunch of other things.  I have used Wal-Mart Plastic bags, towels, trash bags.  Anything really that you can crinkle up can be used.  Or you can purchase the sea sponge.  Once again it is up to you how you want it to look. You will need to purchase a sponge for every color that you have chosen or have a different Wal-Mart bag for each color.
4. Tape off the room. 
5. Paint your base coat with the the regular roller. Paint the entire room.
6. Gather all your colors together.  Grab either your sponge or what ever you have decided on using to do the sponging with.
7. Dab your sponge into the first color of paint.  You can put a little or alot depends on what you want.
8. You then dab the sponge onto the wall.  Work in small areas.  Keep daubing until it has the effect that you want. 
9. If you have chosen more than one color do the same thing for the next color.  You can put it over the first dabbed on color AFTER the first dabbed on color has dried.  If you want the colors more blended put it on while the first dabbed on color is wet.
10. You continue to dab.  Do Not Rub (unless this is the effect you want) By daubing I mean hold the sponge in your hand place against wall and bring straight back. Do this until the desired effect is achieved.

FAUX PAINTING FURNITURE

This was fun!!  I bought a old used dining room table with metal chairs.  When I finished painting, it looked like a mahogany dinning room set.  You will need to have somewhere that you can spray paint.  You will also need an indoor area that you can stain in.  A garage or basement or any room in the house.  Make sure if it is a room in the house you cover the floor with a tarp and you have ventilation.

1. Go to your local hardware store to the paint section.
2. Purchase American Accents Box Kit.  It is usually in the Spray Paint Aisle however it might be in the faux section.  Depends on the store.  You will need to decide how much you need to buy.  The kit contains 1-Can of spray paint, 1-can of stain,1-plastic piece of paper(saran-wrap),1-sponge brush. The sponge brush falls apart so purchase a regular sponge brush to apply the stain with.  The plastic wrap that is provided is great for smaller projects if you are doing a bigger project get WalMart bags.  They work great and everyone has a stash somewhere.
3. Take what ever you are painting and spray paint it. Let the first coat dry and then do a second and third coat.  Make sure it is covered evenly with no runs in it.
4. Once the spray painting is done.  Move your project to an area that can be closed off .  When I say closed off I mean shut the door so no dust can get in.  I made the mistake of leaving the garage door open and I had dirt stuck in my stain. Not good.
5. Apply the stain using the sponge paint brush that you purchased. Only do a little section at a time.
6. Once that section is done take the plastic wrap or Wal-Mart bag and crinkle it up.  Just wad it up into a ball the more wrinkles the better.
7. Straighten out the wadded up plastic.  Dont make it smooth just flat
8. Lay the plastic on top of the stain and rub it down with your hands.
9. Pull the plastic off. Don't let it slide off try to pull it straight up and off.
10. Repeat the steps above for the rest of your project by overlapping the areas.
11. Once all of this is done and dry you can choose if you would like to varnish it or leave it the way it is.

I hope that you enjoyed this Guide and find it useful.  As I said through out.  Have Fun!  Always remember it is what you like.  Go for it you can do it!

Great Place to look for the painting tools  Make sure you check out the link above for great prices on painting tools listed on eBay. Books on Faux Painting. It also has tools that you can purchase to Faux Paint

Thanks for taking the time to read my Guide. Debbie J