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If you have a question about painting anything, how to own a faux painting business, or about one of my books or videos – please email me at:
debra@thatpainterlady.com
Interior Paint Ideas for your home. Debra Conrad THAT Painter Lady answers your questions about decorating, style and painting your home.
How-To Video – Paint Faux Granite
How-To Video – Paint Faux Brick
How-To Video – Paint Faux Wood
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{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
“Where have you been all my life”????? !! This is a wonderful site, and for someone like me, who is always concocting and mixing my own mistakes and brilliant new hues, it’s like having discovered a pot of gold in the back yard!!! THANK YOU.
Hi. We are getting close to the painting phase of our addition. The addition is 33 X 15, with souther exposure, the room is kind of split into 2 parts with a kitchen extension and eat-in area on one side separated from the rest of the family room by access steps to a new finished basement.
Our house is 115 years old, we had fiber cement siding put on to replicate a wood finish on the outside. We would like the addition to be an extension of our house as much as possible versus a big add-on.
What color(s) do you recommend for such a large space?
I want to faux paint my fiberglass shower. We just moved in to this smaller, European style home [love most of it], but unlike our other home, this newer home has the shower in-set instead of tile/granite. Before we invest any more serious money in this house, I would like to try the faux marble, granite, or some other look in the master shower. Have you ever painted a shower “stall” that isn’t tile? I think it can be done, anything’s possible, right? Thanks in advance for your response.
JD
i am going to do a mural in the kitchen.its a landscape scene mostly trees some foreground.i have done quite a few landscapes over the years (oil) but have not done this type of project.the lanscape im doing is actually from a frescoe . the colors are very washed out and suttle the question is : im not doing the frescoe procedure but i want to achieve the washed out look and feel any tips? thank you
I just sent you an email requesting pictures of the space. It is difficult for me to make color suggestions without seeing the actual room that you are referring to. Thanks so much, DEBRA
I just sent you an email asking if you were planning on using waterbased paints. DEBRA
I’ve got off-white kitchen cabinets and would like to obtain the look above – which is a pickled finish I believe – how do I do that? Do I paint stain on and rub it off?
I currently own a 1915 Craftsmanesque house, I have the beautiful mahognay arch with stained glass doors and the wide baseboards.
I know I have lath and plaster walls but currently they are covered with at least three if not four layers of wall papaer. One layer I konw is flocked because I can see the embossed design on some walls.
My question is this, I want to do Venetian Plaster, what is the best way to remove this many layers without damaging the plaster underneath?
Oh, and the ceiling is wallpapered as well! I live in Colorado so humidity is not an issue with our arid temp.
Is there an easy way to determine how much paper is actually on the walls without destroying them? I am the fourth owner and besides us and the last ones, the other owners have passed on or moved away. The last owner said the paper was there when he owned it and he painted over the paper int he dining room-and the ceilings as well-they are papered too!
I am in white and cream paper hell and want to desperately add color and personality to my walls this Spring. I am asking this now so I can start saving up for the supplies as the plaster is about 32 to 35$ a gallon depending on who I go with. I am leaning towards Sherwin Williams as I love their paint. My husband is a Baer paint fan whic h is ok however you look at it. I wanted to go with Armor Faux or Faux Armor but can’t find it locally anymore.
Any tips or suggestions?
Painting fiberglass can be done… but it’s done on boats and special car parts. It would need special paint and equipment. Not worth the money in my eyes. And I could not even tell you where to start, because I do not have experience with painting fiberglass. Sorry.
DEBRA
OK, if you plan on using waterbased paint, then I would suggest using a matte medium to mix with your paint in order to make it more movable and thinned out. You can also mix your colors with a bit of white to make them lighter. I often use acrylic craft paint that comes in the 2oz containers. You can purchase almost any color and at alleviates the need for all the mixing. These are just a few muralist tricks. You can also use a bit of glaze and dip your brush in water in order to give your paint a more washed out look. I hope this helps. Good luck with your painting! I would love to see pictures when you are done! DEBRA
Pickling is done over bare wood, not on an already painted surface. You would use a picking stain on the wood brush on and brush off.
Hi, I have something on my kitchen walls called z-brick. It was there when we bought the house. The rest of the walls in the house are plaster. I painted the z brick last time I painted the kitchen but I still hate it. My husband does not want me to try to remove it because he is afraid of what we will find underneath. I have even considered plastering over the whole wall but that would be quite an undertaking. Can you give me any ideas? Thanks Susan
Hi Susan… Z brick used to be all the rage… now it’s just a dust collector. :0)
I would try pulling the zbrick off the wall before plastering over it. Pick a spot down low and try to pry some off. If it makes a mess
glue it back on.
But I’ll bet it won’t be that hard to repair the wall after you pull it off. A nice joint compound skimcoat then prime and paint. You will be
so happy with the results
my sewing room is in the loft/attic and need to paint. It is 12×12 or 14×14 with 2 rows of track lighting. I need some ideas
Hi! Your website is a great source of ideas and inspiration. I visit it regularly. I am looking for ideas on painting recessed niches, arches and shelves and cant seem to connect to the link you provided. Is there another way I can find the article??
Please help!
Hello Debra.
Thanks very much for all the tips and usefull informations you are givin us. keep on the good work
I would like to ask you do you have any idea how to achive this marble effect on a round column.?
what materials do i use and how to.
thanks very much and i wish you hapy new year with happiness and health.http://www.purple-art.gr/?apo?i?h?h-?ap?apou,31.
I have 2 grey wood lamps with a crackled finish and, I would like to change the color on them, to match the color scheme in my room. However, I have no clue where to begin and, what techniques or tools I should use for this project. Can you provide some suggestions
If you like the crackle look then I would spray paint the desired color and then when it dries I’d wipe a stain over the top to tone it down. If you don’t want the crackle to show then you’ll have to fill it with some sort of joint compound. when that dries, sand it down and prime the whole thing and now you have a clean canvas to start on. Hope that helps! Good luck! ~Debra
I have a client that wants me to paint her paneled living room. What advice can you give me about painting over paneling?
I do have advice… click right here for full instructions about painting over paneling
Help me pleeaassse! We have a music room that is painted all black. We are in the process of getting the house ready to put on the market. The kids removed all the posters and touched up all the areas with “black craft paint” and it looks terrible! The two paint finishes are very different and the wall looks all splotched! It was originally done in a satin or eggshell finish and the craft paint looks like it is a matte finish. I’ve never used glaze before, but my thought is to just rag roll a clear glaze over all the walls instead of repainting the whole room. It’s a huge room! Please tell me I don’t have to repaint….
Hi Lorelei…
You are on the right track. I would suggest getting one of those special rollers from the big box hardware store or a specialty paint store. They come with rollers
that are sponge or rags… Don’t get the ones from a craft store – they charge way to much.
Use a Polycrylic for the “glaze” instead of glaze. It’s by minwax – you will find it in the hardware stores with the wood sealers.
It’s perfect for this project and you are going to love the results.
debra
What type of product would you use to add an inset area into a laminate wood floor? I would like a nautical inset for under the kitchen table. The floor is not laid yet so could leave an opening for the inset. Thought about 1/4″ plywood which I would paint and clearcoat. Think that will work?
I am decortaing my staircase. I have decided to glaze the walls as it is a high traffic area. I am trying to find the right product but am not having much luck. Can you please tell me what is the best option as all i want is plain walls (not patterned) not too shiny but a strong product.
Sabrina
I just stripped and faux my Honey Oak stair spindles and banister to a dark mahogany using a salmon mauve color base and brown glazes.
I came out looking a little one note, flat and with a burgandy hue. Can I glaze over the polyeurathane top coat my lovely husband sprayed on it, with a gold glaze? Will that make it look less dark, flat and help tone down the burgandy hue?
I would rather not strip it again and start all over…
Many Many thanks,
Rose
Hi Rose –
I replied here:
Painting Faux Mahogany
Hope it is helpful – let me know
debra
Hi Sabrina… What a great idea. The staircase will be so much easier to keep clean if you use a good quality glaze. Not all glazes are created equal and to have one that is scrub-able you will need to spend some bucks. I have a great idea for you… and it doesn’t require purchasing High Dollar Glazes…
You can read about it here
How To Seal Faux Finishes
Good Morning Debra
Thanks for all the nice tips, and thats all for free…..amazing
Could u please tell me how to make my own vintage crackle for
walls and wood.
Blessings
heila
from South Africa
I have a client with a light oak finish on a bathromm vanity, and just wants to darken them up. No paint as a base. Is there a clear base I can put over the light oak and then add the glaze, or would a light sanding just take care of this, or tsp? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
wendy
The finish is probably very well sealed already. You are going to have to sand the cabinets to break up that sealer. The stain again.
You could use Brie Wax in a dark tint… but it’s not going to hold up to the wear and tear of a bathroom
Debra
Heila
Do you need a formula or recipe? Or can you purchase products in your area?
debra
i/ have a kitchen and living room painted with texture paint the sandy type, i was wondering what the best way to paint over it. i am not going to use textured paint this time. I will use regular satin paint. Please help ,,, Lori
I have a Textured Light yellow wall in my kitchen and I would like to add another color to make it two toned, like a Tuscon wall. But I’m not sure how to add the second color. I was thinking just paint it on with a brush and lightly wipe it off. Please help
Ginny
Light yellow walls glazed with a dark color (in the brown/orange coloration’s) wiped on and wiped off would give the textured walls
some real depth and character.
Experiment on an area that isn’t noticeable (behind the fridge) and see what you like before you tackle the entire room.
We are redoing our LR & kitchen. There is an opening to the kitchen (70′s ranch, the opening is not to the floor just maybe 4 x 6, but you can see through to the kitchen from the front door) We already painted the LR creamsicle (golden-yellow) it looks very good. My furniture will be browns, red & gold & green. My question is, is it alright to paint the kitchen a sage green, or does it have to match the LR walls?
I just painted an accent wall above my fireplace a dark red (Behr Premium Red Red Wine). I now want to do some type of faux application with a glaze. Im thinking a chocolate brown or bronze. What faux process do you reccommend and what color do I use?
Thanks
Audra
Hi Audra
Pretty color – Behr Red Red Wine…
I think the bronze would be gorgeous over this color (of course you will want to test) and the application really depends on weather you have
smooth or texture finished walls.
debra
Your kitchen does not Have To Match – but you want it to co-ordinate.
If you have green in the living room furniture – make sure the green in the kitchen is the same color (or close).
We painted our walls with a Brushed Suede Faux paint. They look beautiful, but I can tell that they will mar easily. There is a clear protective coat available and it comes in flat, satin, or gloss finish. The walls are a flat finish. If we use a satin clear coat will it change the look of the walls? I know we don’t want glossy, but I definetly want something to protect our project.
Should I use an oil based primer on plastic pillars before are start the faux/marble process?
Thanks
HI Gregg… I don’t use oil based primer… because the faux marble paint products are water based. All things water based work well together.
Remember – try to never – ever mix oil and water…
The best protector would be in the satin finish. It should not change the look you have (maybe a tiny bit – but shouldn’t be noticeable).
What is the best way to paint over walls textured with sand in the paint? The previous homeowner did this in our main bathroom to try to disguise the flaws in the walls caused by removing the wallpaper, but they used a dark taupe color and the sand did not spread evenly. The roller strokes are very apparent. I want to lighten the walls and install granite countertops but I am worried a faux finish such as Bellagio or ragging will clash with the granite.
I love your butler pantry cabinets, am trying to do to my bathroom cabinets. How did you do yours?
I have 3 projects going at once and one that I want to add.
1) Bathroom: I have an oak front/laminate sides cabinet and a mirror that I want to match up. I want to do a raised stencil pattern on the vanity front which has one 34″ long x 6″ tall panel and two raised panel doors below it. The mirror has almost a ranch baseboard look to it in brown/black so its got a fairly flat frame to work with – I would like to prime, plaster stencil and paint them to match, stenciling all around the mirror, one longish stencil on the front middle panel of the cabinet and one on each of the two lower doors. I have heard about metallic paint. Can I paint them and then use metallic silver glaze instead or do I need to use metallic paint? Where can I buy it? Where can I find reasonably priced nice stencils?
2) on the bathroom walls: I painted a few years ago. I put a fan on in between coats and it did a too fast dry mud cracking effect. People commented how they liked it. It was by accident and I hate it. I thought I could sand and repaint it. Not happening. I thought I could cover it up with chocolate color Benjamin Moore kitchen and bath paint. Now every imperfection shows up. Including the mud cracked effect. I thought prime it, do a plaster all over stencil and glaze or paint it a tone on tone beige or faint light gold? or faint light bluish color people put chocolate with these days for a modern look twisted with old world look. I like both…can I do this? How? Help?
I can take pics
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I painted my kitchen cabinets. They are “plastic door fronts” and I was thinking about glazing them. Any suggestions? Help? I have pics.
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I stenciled my bedroom wall that the headboard is on. I used a mocha glazed mixed with the basecoat to glaze the walls then stenciled and pearl glazed. I had to stencil again over the pearl because the pattern disappeared. The mocha glaze in over the basecoat mixed with the color seems to appear “dirty” not pretty. Any suggestions? I may have to start over..
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Sparebedroom headboard wall done. I glazed a white over a cream wall then used bronze glaze with an all over stencil swirl. It looks “ok” but it appears almost to look sponged instead of solid. I used a pouncer. Must be I should have used a sponge roller..Any suggestion to make it look richer more defined or just better? I have pics.
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I am looking for a florentine type damask wall stencil for my kitchen that mimics Farrow and Ball Silvergate wallpaper pattern. Any suggestions? And what color should I use? Grey or silver? Its a greyish light sage wall color over white wainscotting. Cream almost white cabinets that I thought about glazing. Need to bring the room together. It looks pale. I have medium red oak Richardson Bros. furniture.
How do you put down painters’ tape so paint does not bleed under it, so that when you remove it there is a nice clean line left? I always leave some runover that I have to touch up.
Any ideas??
Thanks!
Hi Diana, I am having a problem picking out a color for my kitchen walls. Can you help. My floors are oak, cabinets are oak and counter tops are corian dark royal blue with white speckles. Loved the countertop when put it in,.. not loving so much now cuz I have no clue what color to paint the walls. It is mainly a work kitchen no table or chairs they are in the dining area. Dimensions are 17 x 12. Alot of cupboards. Alot of oak going on. It is a warm kitchen. Thank you for you help in my dilema. Cindy
Sorry for the name mix up. Thanks again Debra!
Hello,
I am trying to faux finish my walls to get the color of old parchment (a tea stain or very light brownish tan). Some of the examples of a leather faux finish look close, but the colors are too dark. Can you recommend the colors I should use? You won’t believe how much this will help me and how appreciative I will be!!!
Karen
Who makes the new green frog tape ?