Sand stone patina
Soft French patina.
A sand-stone patina over a skip-trowel texture. Warm and light-catching, it suits accent walls and open living areas where you want depth without darkness.
Faux finishes & Venetian plaster.
Hand-crafted, translucent finishes with a warmth, depth and movement unmatched by paint or wallpaper — customized to your color scheme and decor, and proven on sample boards before we begin.
Why faux
Personal, and made to last.
After decades of “less is more,” Colorado homeowners want the sense of individual, elegant detail a faux finish provides. It's one of the fastest-growing trends in Colorado decorating — and one of the most practical.
Outlasts wallpaper
No seams means nothing to peel, even in Colorado's dry air and wide temperature swings.
Ages gracefully
A faux finish grows more beautiful with time, and touch-ups or repairs blend easily if they're ever needed.
Protectable
Top-coat with polyurethane in matte, satin or semi-gloss for kitchens, baths and high-traffic halls.
Changes a room's scale
Lighter colors and soft techniques make a small room feel larger. Darker tones and dramatic techniques bring a large room in close.
Works on almost anything
Drywall, plaster, wood, metal, fabric, glass and ceramic — with preparation and priming matched to each material.
Techniques
From a single glaze to layered plaster.
We can duplicate natural stone, marble or wood on any wall in your house — or match a finish you've seen in a magazine.
Faux painting ideas
Six finishes worth a closer look.
Each of these began as a sample board and ended as an accent wall in a Denver-area home.
Tarnished wall finish
Old World, quietly tarnished.
A tarnished finish over skip-trowel texture — the kind of surface that looks like it has always been there.
Aged cracked plaster
Plaster effects for your home.
Aged, cracked plaster over a custom skip-trowel texture. Especially convincing on columns and in kitchens with Old World character.
Burlap aged plaster
Woven texture, weathered color.
Plaster aged and degraded over burlap, so the weave of the fabric reads through the finish.
Metallic Venetian plaster
Ivy, silver and gold.
A metallic plaster accent wall built in layers of ivy, silver and gold. It changes character from morning light to evening lamps.
Venetian plaster
Slate blue, smooth as glass.
A Venetian plaster accent wall in slate blue, layered for depth but smooth as glass to the touch.
From the sample book
A few of the boards we start from.
Colors shown are a starting point. We customize samples to your color scheme and decor before moving forward with any project.
The sample book
Twelve finishes, photographed on our own work.
Nothing goes on your wall until you've approved a sample board made in your colors. Choose a finish to see it up close.
Venetian plaster
Lime-based plaster troweled on in thin, translucent layers, then burnished. Layered for depth, yet smooth as glass to the touch.
- Character
- Cool slate, burnished sheen
- Where it shines
- Entries, powder rooms, fireplace surrounds
Metallic plaster
Ivy, silver and gold worked into the plaster in layers, so the wall shifts as daylight moves across it.
- Character
- Layered metallics
- Where it shines
- Feature walls, dining rooms, niches
Soft French patina
A sun-faded patina laid over a skip-trowel texture — warm and lived-in without feeling heavy.
- Character
- Warm sand stone
- Where it shines
- Living rooms, stairwells, open plans
Aged cracked plaster
The look of centuries-old plaster, fine cracks and all, built over a custom skip-trowel base.
- Character
- Cream with umber veins
- Where it shines
- Columns, kitchens, wine rooms
Burlap aged plaster
Plaster aged and degraded over burlap, so a woven texture shows through the color.
- Character
- Rustic, tactile
- Where it shines
- Dens, mountain homes, tasting rooms
Faux marble
Marble painted stroke by stroke. Columns, mantels and medallions that pass for quarried stone.
- Character
- Deep verde, crisp veining
- Where it shines
- Columns, mantels, medallions
Aged copper
Rust, bronze and a trace of verdigris — the patina of weathered copper, without the weight of metal.
- Character
- Rich, oxidized
- Where it shines
- Dome ceilings, niches, range hoods
Tuscan glaze
Ochres and siennas sponged, layered and softened into the warm wash of an Italian villa.
- Character
- Golden, mottled
- Where it shines
- Kitchens, dining rooms, great rooms
Strié
A glaze dragged in fine vertical lines, like raw silk or linen. Quietly tailored.
- Character
- Linear, understated
- Where it shines
- Studies, bedrooms, formal rooms
Brushed silver
A brushed metallic with a soft sheen that catches light the way pewter does.
- Character
- Cool, reflective
- Where it shines
- Beadboard, offices, contemporary rooms
Old World
Parchment, ochre and umber, layered and antiqued until the wall feels found rather than made.
- Character
- Aged parchment
- Where it shines
- Entries, libraries, wine cellars
Pewter skip trowel
A cool pewter glaze over a skip-trowel texture — the texture reads first, the color second.
- Character
- Grey, sculptural
- Where it shines
- Fireplace walls, modern interiors
In place
Columns, ceilings, niches and whole rooms.
Select any photo to enlarge it. Open the full faux portfolio.
Outdoors, too
Exterior faux finishes.
Faux techniques work beyond the walls: concrete patios and steps finished to read as reclaimed wood, outdoor speaker covers disguised as the stone around them, and new brick matched to old so additions disappear into the house.
Further reading
Ideas from elsewhere.
For the latest trends and techniques in faux painting, these are worth a browse. When you find something you love, send it to us — we'll build a sample.
Free in-home consultation
See your finish before it's on the wall.
Dave will walk the space with you, talk through color and sheen, and build custom sample boards so you know exactly how the finished room will look.