" Faux painting adds grace and sophistication to any room. In this module, we'll show you a stripe effect. We'll use 2 different textures to suggest creative combinations that you can try. These stripe effects create rich textures and handmade detail that cannot be matched by wallpaper patterns. They make a room with a low ceiling seem taller. These faux painting processes use the same technique and use just 2 colors of paint. It's easy to do and the results are very rewarding. Here's how. We've already painted 2 coats of primer on this demonstration piece of drywall. Your wall should be clean, sanded, and smooth. Even if the existing paint is in good condition, it's a good idea to prime the room again. Start by applying your base coat. The base coat should always be either a satin or semi-gloss finish. Never a flat or a gloss finish. We're using latex paint for both easy application and cleanup. Apply the base coat over the primer with the roller. Cover just a 2 or 3-foot section of the wall at a time, filling in the space in between. We'll be applying darker stripes over this lighter base. Based on the color of your curtains and upholstery, you can experiment to determine what combination of colors will work for your room. As you finish an area of your wall, go back if necessary to even the application of the base coat with overlapping passes of the roller. When you've evenly covered the entire wall, allow the paint to dry thoroughly. After the base layer dries, you'll often find holidays or areas of missing paint. Rather than trying to touch up these areas where the pain is thin, you'll get a better overall result if you give the walls another even coat of base paint before you start. In addition to covering the holidays, the second coat of paint adds depth to the color, richening the overall effect. When the wall is completely dry, measure the length of the entire wall and decide how wide you want the stripes to be. One popular approach is to alternate a wide and a narrow stripe in proportion to the size of the wall. Once you have the width and the number of stripes you want figured out, make small marks through the edge of each stripe along the top of the wall. Make identical marks along the bottom of the wall. Using crafts painter masking tape, which has a removable adhesive on just 1/2 of the paper, carefully line up the adhesive side of the paper with the marks on the wall and run a single length of tape down to the mark at the bottom of the wall. Press the adhesive for a tight seal. Next, line up the masking paper tape with the lines marking the outside of the first stripe and run it down to the bottom mark. It will be a lot easier if you have somebody help you with this part of the project. In the same way, line up the tape for the inside of the second stripe,"

" to create a translucent effect. Because the glaze dries slower than paint, it gives you sufficient time to create a finish with a variety of faux painting techniques. We'll mix this latex glaze with an eggshell finish latex paint, which will provide the color for this process. Mix the latex paint in a ratio of 1 part latex paint to 4 parts of glaze. Glaze often looks either milky gray or white, but it becomes transparent as it dries. Using the manufacturer's paint coverage chart, determine the amount of paint you'll need to cover the wall. Measure and pour the glaze into the mixing bucket. Thoroughly stir the glaze and the paint together. Before you start to paint the first stripe, stop and carefully press the edges of the masking tape to set a tightly sealed edge. And then using a quality 4-inch latex paint brush, apply the single process glaze to the wall within the mast area of the stripe. For the next step, you'll need to be wearing painters gloves. Shake out and crunch up a clean white cotton rag into a loose ball, and gently pat the cotton rag on the wet glaze. This process removes the glaze to set the pattern. As you pick up some of the glaze, turn the rag so you continue to work with the fresh cloth. After you apply the pattern to the first stripe or two, put aside the cotton rag, and paint the process color on to the next masked area, applying the process color with smooth even strokes. Wad up a new, clean cotton rag into a loose ball, and lightly pressing the rag onto the wall, apply the pattern to the next stripe by removing some of the process glaze. The trick to getting the pattern to extend right up to the edge of the stripe is to take a dry chip brush, and lightly tap it along the edge of the stripe where it meets the masking tape. After applying the pattern to a couple of stripes, step back and look at the results. If the pattern is too severe, you can use a clean cotton rag to soften the effect. As soon as you're satisfied with the pattern on the first couple of stripes, remove the masking tape by slowly and carefully pulling it out and away from the stripe. Remove just 1 piece of tape at a time, but don't delay. The longer the tape stays on the wall, the greater the chance the paint will creep up under the masking tape. If the process glaze does bleed up under the tape, simply wrap a clean cotton cloth over a paint scraper, and holding the edges of the rag to keep the cloth from touching the wall, use the edge of the cotton wrapped scraper and carefully scrape the paint away. Any remaining paint can be covered with base coat applied with a small modeler's brush. The result is an attractive 2-color faux stripe with a classic look. There are many variations to the striped approach. Here's how to do a texture on texture striped effect. To obtain this effect, we've mixed an eggshell latex paint with a slightly darker tone than the base coat. We use a ratio of 1 part of this latex paint, to 4 parts of latex glaze. Thoroughly stir the latex paint and glaze together until they're completely blended. Roll the first process color glaze over the base coat covering about a 2-square foot area at a time. Use a random pattern. Leave a little extra glaze at the edge of the area you're working. This is called leaving a wet edge, and it will make it easier for you to blend the edge of the section you're working on with the next area you start. With the glaze laid down, wad up a clean lint-free cotton rag loosely in your hand. Starting at the top, lightly pat the surface of the glaze laying down a pattern by lifting the glaze off the wall. This is called a subtractive faux process. As your rag fills with excess glaze, rearrange the cloth to expose new clean areas of cloth. As you complete each work area, lay down glaze in the adjoining area, again leaving the edge wet to make it easier to join each segment together, and then pat the area to create the faux pattern. The result of this ragging technique is a rich, textured, hand-finished faux pattern for the base. Now, allow the glaze to dry completely. As we did in our first example, measure and apply paper masking tape to the completely dry wall, alternating between wide and narrow stripes. Be sure to press down the edges of the masking tape to ensure a tight seal. Next, we've mixed up a darker tone of green paint for the complementary stripe. As before, we'll mix 1 part of paint to 4 parts of latex glaze, and mix well until thoroughly blended. Again, press down the masking tape before applying the paint to each stripe. Apply the second glaze with a latex brush, lightly brushing the glaze on with straight, even, vertical strokes. Balling up a fresh clean lint-free cotton rag, pat the surface of the wet glaze, laying down a pattern by lifting the glaze off the wall. To assure that the stripes are crisp edge-to-edge, use a 2-inch stipple brush, and gently tap the edges of the stripes to set the pattern right up to the edge. Continue down the wall, adding the second color glaze and setting the rag in pattern with a white cotton rag. Turn the rag as it loads with paint to keep the pattern crisp. Follow by tapping down the edges of the stripes to set the pattern right up to the edges. Repeat the pattern on each newly glazed stripe. As soon as the stripes are completed, slowly lift the masking tape up and away from the freshly painted stripe. If any paint seeps under the masking tape, wrap a clean cotton rag tightly around the paint scraper and carefully wipe the spot of glaze away. This texture on texture stripe effect adds a bit more sophistication to our classic faux painting stripes. You can alter color combinations as well to create endless possibilities. But the result is always the same: a classic faux painting pattern rich in texture and sophistication."