The Decorative Artist Pantry: 3 Tint Bases to Try

A common question is: "What products should I keep in stock?"  Unless you are recreating a specific class sample, it is hard to know exactly what to keep on hand with so many choices. I thought about my practice of going through our family pantry. Just like a good cook knows with a few staples you can whip up a pretty good meal the same is true of stocking a studio pantry.  

With that in mind, this is my criteria for product staples:

1.  Can this product be tinted or mixed easily with other items to alter the color, texture or appearance?

2.  Is the material adaptable to a range of design styles? For example can it be used for both modern and rustic finishes? 

3.  Will I be able to use the product on a variety of surfaces such as walls and cabinets?

4.  And does the product have a good shelf life-most of the items from Faux Effects International™ are good for a year or more unopened. Putting plastic wrap over wet product and making sure the lid is on tight will keep these products fresher once opened.

So, let's start building our Decorative Arts Pantry!  The three items I am starting with are all Tint Bases which means they meet my 4 criteria above. Plus they are simple to use and best of all....

You can get them on sale right now during the NEW YEARS SILVER LABEL promotion.

LUSTERSTONE TINT BASE®

Lusterstone and Metal Glow

We all know that Lusterstone comes in beautiful colors from pale white to deep black, but did you know there is a tintable version?  We often get requests from clients to match a specific paint color while making samples when we don't have a pre-tinted Lusterstone available. Lusterstone Tint Base to the rescue.  

You may tint this product with Faux Effects Colorants like FauxCreme Color™ or Metalglow® Metallic Paints like the sample above which uses Metal Glow colors in Sea Spray and Wheat mixed with Lusterstone Tint Base.  

Lusterstone Tint Base mixed with MicaGlow Powder

A favorite finish is to tint Lusterstone Tint Base with MicaGlow Powder™ (seen in the sample above).  Just a tablespoon of mica powder per quart of tint base yields a pretty silky look.

Palette Deco Silver and Lusterstone Tint Base

You don't always need to add something to the Lusterstone Tint Base-it works just fine on it's own.  It dries to a neutral pearl finish (neither too blue or brown). A simple and effective application is to trowel a layer of Palette Deco ™ Metallic Plaster (my sample is Silver) and top with a layer of Lusterstone Tint Base

Below Lusterstone Tint Base is pulled over Stucolux™ Fine Polishing Plaster in White on White and Vanilla Bean.  For the pattern, I added a little silver colorant to the Lusterstone Tint Base and rolled it over the stencil. 

                                                                                                                                                               And speaking of patterns! Lusterstone Tint Base is troweled for a base in this finish below. Next I mixed the tint base with Silver MicaGlow Powder and silver glitter- a nice (clean) way to apply a glitter finish! 

You may also use quality paint tint from your local favorite paint store if you are matching a specific paint color.  Add it slowly and always swatch out the wet color to see how it dries. Then write down your formula. Adding too much paint tint may overcome the "luster" of the product.

VENETIAN GEM TINT BASE®

The same attributes of Lusterstone Tint Base are useful for the Venetian Gem Tint. The biggest difference is the opacity of the products with the Venetian Gem Tint Base drying more opaque (not a great choice for a glitter finish) but works fine with many other colorants!

Below, the Venetian Gem Tint Base is mixed with Setcoat™ Metallic Taupe and is shaped with a trowel and an Alligator Roller.

Venetian Gem Tint Base is mixed with FauxCreme Color and some is left natural for the trowled finish below:

Because of the well sealed and smooth quality of the Venetian Gem Tint Base it is a great choice for using with foils.  Above, Venetian Tint Base is used for the base layer and the raised pattern. A pewter foil is applied over the plaster and our other staple, Lusterstone Tint Base is pulled over the top to blend and soften.

AquaWax™

The most translucent of the 3 tint bases discussed here is AquaWax.  And like the other two, AquaWax may be used both over and under other products. Below AquaWax is mixed with Sea Spray Metal Glow, Old Bronze Metal Glow and Elephant Hide Metal Glow.

This finish above is AquaWax is divided into 2 parts. One part is mixed with Metallic Toffee® Setcoat and the other part is mixed with Metallic Toffee Setcoat and some Silver Concentrate. 

And since it dries so clear, AquaWax is a perfect binder for glitter.

Or used on it's own as a see-through texture over things like foil.

An added bonus with Aquawax is you may use it as a protective and durable topcoat over your finishes! 

What you should notice is that many of the finishes using Lusterstone Tint Base, Venetian Gem Tint Base and AquaWax are 2-3 steps making these economical finishes as well.  Take advantage of the sale and try a quart of one (or all) for your decorative art  product pantry.

The New Year Silver Label Sale is being offered from Faux Effects and at participating studios. Use N2018Y code at check out or call your local studio for information.

Check out my post tomorrow when I write about my favorite Cabinetry stock items.

Stay Warm,

Rebecca

Let It Glow, Let It Glow, Let It Glow

It's the most wonderfaux time of the year!

Happy December everyone. Hope you are getting your projects wrapped up for the year and filling the calendar for 2018. Since this is the season of sparkly lights, pretty papers, and decorations galore, Faux Effects wanted to join in the festivities this month with our most cheerful product....

Metal Glow

Just look at this color selection!

So what is Metal Glow?  Metal Glow is an iridescent paint. It is more sheer and sparkly than metallic Setcoat. But the consistency is thicker then metallic colorants. Plus it comes in 67 colors giving you the largest range of color options. It comes in quarts that cover approximately 75 square feet.

How may Metal Glow be applied? You may spray it-just thin with some water. I like to keep it the consistency of melted ice cream because getting it too thin may cause the metallic to separate and run on a vertical application. At this consistency and using an HVLP the Metal Glow may appear slightly "hammered" when sprayed. That's OK, It will lay out.

Need to roll it? Use a cloth roller verses a foam one. The foam rollers will slide in the metallic. As you roll the Metal Glow, pounce it with a Neon Leon or Stippler Brush. This will minimize lap lines. You may also apply it by brush.

Where do you use it? Glad you asked. How about almost anywhere! Let me show you a few ideas:

Metal Glow may be used as a base coat for cabinetry, either alone or mixed with Setcoat for custom tinting.  The kitchen above was sprayed with a mix of Faux Effects Designer Metallic and Wheat Metal Glow.  The Antique Apricot Finish below uses Sunburst Gold Metal Glow in the base.

And Urban Fern is made with an equal mix of Setcoat Sage and Sea Spray Metal Glow

Metal Glow gives a soft shimmer to ceiling finishes like this one that starts with Leo Gold Metal Glow:

Because of the sheerness, Metal Glow is a great tint for waxes....

The sample above is a variation on a finish by Prismatic Painting's Gary Lord. Eldorado Gold Metal Glow and Urban Steele are mixed with Faux Effects RS Water Wax. The sample below is Silver Lining Metal Glow and Elephant Hide Metal Glow mixed with Faux Effects Aquawax:

Metal Glow is a favorite for tinting RS Plaster because when you buff the plaster you get a pretty  sparkle like the sample below using Luna White Metal Glow and Rich Silver Metal Glow:

Of course one of the most effective uses for Metal Glow is to mix it with a Faux Effects Glaze Medium.  Our Moon glow Travertino is glazed with Faux Crème Clear mixed with Citrus Gold Metal Glow and Wheat Metal Glow:

A sheer glaze mix of Aquacreme and Toasted Coconut Metal Glow highlight the raised plaster pattern in this Faux Effects RS Sandstone Finish:

Alice Blue Metal Glow + Teal Stain & Seal creates this pretty over-stain for an end table:

I'm going to stop here because we all know that it's better to get your presents spread out over several days (or is that just me?).

Check back this week and next for some step by step DIY projects using Metal Glow including one from The Faux Finish School in Louisville, KY!

Warmest Wishes,
Rebecca

Venetian Gem & Aquawax: Why you should make this match

Looking for a stylish, durable and cost effect finish for your clients?  Please consider the pairing of

Venetian Gem and Aquawax!

Why does this pairing work so well?  Venetian Gem comes in many versatile colors and the consistency gives it great coverage and build.  Aquawax is easily tinted with a variety of Faux Effects products giving you a large range of color options. Here are a few ideas for inspiration:

The lead photograph is a beautiful bathroom in a traditional home. The base is Ultra-polishing Venetian Gem Tint Base left un-tinted. It is also used for the faded damask pattern.  Aquawax was mixed with Caterpillar Gold Metal Glow and Luna White Metal Glow and troweled over the Venetian Gem.

In this darker option, the base is Venetian Gem in Tiger's Eye. The Aquawax is mixed with Sunburst Gold Metal Glow and Toasted Coconut Metal Glow. This is a favorite finish for ceilings paired with oil-rubbed light fixtures.

Here is a similar finish in a cool silver version.  The Venetian Gem is Black Onyx and the Metal Glow colors are Pewter Gold and Wheat mixed with Aquawax.

In the above finish the Venetian Gem Black Onyx is applied with a sea sponge roller. It is then flattened with a trowel creating a texture that gives good coverage to bad walls or orange peel. Aquawax is mixed with Bronze Stain & Seal and Silver Stain & Seal then troweled at the same time over the Venetian Gem.

Verdigris is a classic finish. Our finish starts with Sage Venetian Gem.  The Aquawax is mixed with Faux Effects Light Green and the Blue Green Verdigris Faux Crème Colors. While troweling in the Verdigris colors, we add in some Aquawax mixed with Bronze Faux Crème Color. 

Another interpretation of Verdigris starts with Brown Sapphire Venetian Gem.  The Aquawax is mixed with Turquoise Faux Color, Bronze and Gold Metallic Faux Crème Colors.

We love Moonstone Grey Venetian Plaster-perfect mix of grey and brown, The finish above is Moonstone Grey with Aquawax mixed with Pearl Mica Powder troweled on top.  

The modern fireplace surround is White Venetian Gem Plaster. For the marbled effect we mixed Silver Mica Powder and Pearl Mica Powder with Aquawax. 

A few of these finishes are glazed. This is another advantage to our pairing of Aquawax and Venetian Gem-it is easy to glaze! The shiny and well sealed surface allows you glaze mixes to glide over the surface. Sometimes the glaze will appear to "bead"-that's OK-just pad it out. It will stick.  I recommend this type of finish for large ceilings.

Hope this post gives you several ideas for using Venetian Gem with Aquawax! I know with the holidays the crunch is on and these are all quick and lovely transformations.

And don't forget the November Sale-just in time to get projects wrapped for the season! 

Wax on.....

Rebecca 

Random Acts of Glitter

 

I spy with my sparkly eye more Glitter....

 

 

 

Even Betty's got Bling!

 

 

Oh...pretty!

 

 

Well there you have it. From babies to the Queen, Glitter reigns supreme. Hey, that would make a good t-shirt saying-in rhinestones of course!

 

For my finish today, I am adding glitter to fine mica and Aquawax. Another option for putting some sparkle cleanly in a finish.

 

I started with a Silver background-The new Metallic Setcoat in Gunmetal is a good choice. Another option is a quick troweled layer of Palette Deco Silver. Then I buttered my blade first with Weathered Bronze Lusterstone which I popped on with a flat trowel.  While this is wet, I repeated the process with Charred Gold Lusterstone.

 

 

On a wall, I pop in my colors in 2ft x 2ft sections before using my blade to gently flatten the peaks and blend.  You want to hold the blade at a 45 degree angle and pull it up and down and sideways.

 

 

 

 

 



I mixed our Bright Gold Glitter with Faux Effects Silver Mica Powder and Easy Leaf Nu Antique Gold Mica Powder.  The Powders are mixed together in equal parts, 1 cup each.  The amount of glitter depends on how much bling you want in the end.  To my powder mix (which is one pint) I add a quart of Aquacreme.  Stir well and tight trowel over the dried Lusterstone.

 

Spritz the surface with water as you work. This will move the powder better and actually creates interesting effects as the water reacts with the powders.

 

 

You will see more of the glitter as this layer dries down. I just captured some of the glints of the gold sparkle. Someone needs to invent an app for that-I mean I have an app that captures ghosts on my I-phone so why not glitter?

 

 

This makes a pretty and quick finish. It is also a great base to bump-up the bling for a feature wall or adjoining room.  I mixed some of the Antique Gold Leaf (1/2 cup) with 1 pint Aquawax. Then I added more glitter being heavier handed with the glitter this time.

 

 

I rolled this mix over Wallovers' Textile Stencil.

 

 

 

In the finish below, I started with Charred Gold and Rhino Lusterstone applied in the same technique as above.  I added Turquoise glitter to Sea Spray Metal Glow and rolled this over Royal Design Studios Donatella Damask Stencil.

 

 

 

The applications with glitter are almost endless. I will post some more DIY bling ideas in the future! Because once you start working with it, it is hard to wash walk away from glitter!