Faux Painting | How To Keep A Wet Edge

Hello Debra,

I just read your sixth lesson about keeping a wet edge and I'm mystified as to how to do that.

I've read so much on faux finishes from you and other sources, and everyone talks about how important this is.

I agree, but I can't figure out how to do it!!

The other day I attempted a ragging off technique in my powder room and ended up so frustrated and sick with my results. I COULD NOT KEEP THE EDGE WET.

I mixed the paint/glaze one to four and tried to work fast. But by the time I got the edging along the ceiling and into the corners done, my square was starting to dry even though it wasn't a huge area. If I start a square in the corner and go on to the next square beside (whichever side, it doesn't matter) the edge of the other side is going to have to wait until I get back to the next row and by then it's drying. (Do you follow my problem?)

And the corners were such a problem as I couldn't get them to blend with the rest of the wall and since I'm a perfectionist I'm not satisfied with the corners looking different. So I went to bed feeling like I wasted hours and paint on nothing.

The next day I went over the whole thing with white paint/glaze and used a plastic bag to give it texture. Much better. It covered up the awful job from the day before and even though it's very different from what I had in mind originally, it'll be okay.

This technique didn't take as long with the corners and edge along the ceiling, and I could move much faster. Because I had a tiny powder room I covered a whole wall at a time so there were no edges to overlap. Somehow with the first attempt I couldn't do that.

Enough of my rambling. You're probably confused with what I'm talking about. But I do think this faux painting takes experience to have a lovely end result. For a first timer it might not look the greatest…. Edges and corners are what slow me down. Doing a sample on a board doesn't help teach that.

Thanks for listening, Amber

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Hi Amber…. I feel your pain. This was one of my biggest problems when I was faux painting professionally. It's a real pain to keep a Wet Edge… sometimes an impossible task. So the finish would often have to be altered to a realistic attainable finish that the client found pleasing and I could actually accomplish within the drying time of the glaze.

All glazes are not created equal… and the same glaze will perform differently in different temp. and humidity environments.  

Some glaze products have a longer open time.  Which means… how long the glaze will stay wet, or when you can actually manipulate the glaze. 

I can't give specific product recommendations  as the manufacturers change their formulations without letting the consumer know that it is now a new formula of glaze in the same packaging. Geeez.

Their are some very expensive glazes sold in specialty stores and online that work better than the glazes you will find in the big box home improvement stores… but the glaze you can get locally will work fine with a bit of finesses.  

I have to confess… that I did have to go over faux painted finishes more than once to get them to look like they blended. Not often, but some days the blending just wouldn't cooperate.

The biggest key to blending is… when your painting squares… you will get a square edge on each square… no matter what. That's why it is always recommended that faux painting patches be painted in puzzle shapes. If the entire wall is faux finished in puzzle shapes then what ever edges don't get blended before drying… will look abstract instead of squared off.

Also…. when you are working the puzzle shaped areas… the key to getting a blended look… is to fade out every edge with your paint applicator. By fading out I mean… it may look like your actually not applying glaze at the edge.  Just patting with the applicator even after it seems that all the glaze has been removed. Keep patting along the outer edge to fade to nothing. 

Then when you start working on the next section… you do not start next to the edge of the first section. You will start painting 6 – 8 inches away and work away from the first section. Then when you are fading the edges of the second section it will blend with the faded areas of the first section. Creating a blended area that should look fairly cohesive.

I hope this helps you with your next faux painting project. Never give up! You can paint great looking Faux Painted walls. It just takes practice.