Your favorite " Faux staples "

[gonative]

Greetings all! I've yet to do a faux finish on anything yet, but boy ain't the wheels turnin after seeing what so many have created... So leads me to this very important question - What faux products do you use and couldn't live without? I'm planning on doing my Kitchen Hood, 3 rooms, ceilings and walls. I may even do " something " with a very ugly OSB cabinet that I salvaged from the local dump a few days ago. I need to build up a small inventory of products to start my projects and wondered if any would share their favorite products 1) what they do 2) name brand, where obtained. Thanks again, yvonne

[paint_deziner]

My faves are AquaStone, Faux Creme and waxes but I think you need classes to get them....purchased here on the left in the Faux Marketplace. Faux creme has a great open time for glazing....the AStones make beautiful textures and the waxes are great for topcoating and dimentional stencilling

[paula]

Gosh it is hard to pick: Aqua Bond, Lusterstone, Faux Cream and Faux Cream colors, AquaStone, Metal Glow Copper.

[melanie]

Well, I work mostly with FE products as well, but there are many product lines out there. If you want more generic suggestions, you will probably want a:

Smooth-textured plaster (Venetian Gem or Bellisimo)
Stone-texteured plaster (Aquastone, Plastertex, Sandstone)
Metallic burnishing plaster (Lusterstone, StucoLux Metallic)
Glaze (Aqua/Mastercreme, Aquaglaze)
Colorants (Faux Creme Colors)
Waxes-acrylic and/or petroleum based. (Aquawax, Palette Deco)

The corresponding FE products are in paranthesis.

[strongv]

Glaze pro line of just about any type Glacis is nice
Paint best quality
metallic paint Usually Modern Masters
some kind of thickener or paste plaster product could be JC, Lime plaster, whiting, synthetic vp, Behr texture paint, Versiplast, or some kind of LS

After that is all gravy.

[morey]

A really, really good primer. Prime Etch, XIM or Coverstain on tough and/or shiny surfaces.

[joefaux]

Finding good supplies locally with a knowledgeable,helpful sales people and a well stocked store is key for me. Here in my small community there's two good paint stores, Ben Moore and Sherwin Williams. It's good to get to know their respective lines and staff.

As far as professional faux products, I get most of my stuff here (at the fauxmarketplace). The products are almost always in stock and I get it in 4 days.
And the girls are always so sweet to me when they call! Love those accents...

After twelve years in the business I've built up quite an inventory of paint, glazes, colorants and plaster mediums. I usually try to order some new product in a small quantity for R&D whenever I place an order. Then I have it to play with and use in paintings if nowhere else.
Have fun painting
Joe

[cicalisa]

No one mentioned tools. I don't know if that is included in your question but I couldn't do much without chip brushes. They're my favorite for glazing and glaze. I use Benjamin Moore's glaze, usually latex now but I also use their alkyd. I've been told on this forum that they are probably one of the shortest open time glazes but I've been able to work with it.

[gonative]

Greetings All! BIG Thanks to all who responded.
Paint Deziner - Fe products REQUIRE classes before purchase? Is this the Golden product line? Is the Silver line less quality and made only for amateurs? I'm really getting confused about FE products....  
Paula - Do you have any Copper examples of using Fe Faux Creme or Metal Glow on metal applications? I'm a very visual person...  
Melanie - Good Product explaination. I get so lost about what product does what and how combining them works it's own magic...
strongV Pat - What is a Professional Glaze and how does it differ from other glazes? Please remember I'm trying to build an inventory of " good products " that are user friendly with proven results.  
Morey - Can you recommend a good primer? Should I always use an oil based primer as a standard?
Joe Faux - Great name!!! Speaking of  12 years of inventory, you should see the " tack " I've accumalated over the years.Takes a full bedroom ( stored inside due to molds and critters rampant in Florida )to contain it all, not including the wooden carts and 4 wheeled Phaeton carrige stored in the garage. Makes cans, ladders and misc paint supplies seem easy by comparision. lol..  
Cicalisa - Excellant post. I'm sure that the finished product can only be successful IF the right/correct tools are used properly. Tools are a complete other topic... But Big Thanks for bringing this up! My first Wall Faux will be Color washing using three colors of Terra Cotta so I'll need some good quality brushed for this faux technique. Any recommendations?  
Thanks again all who responded. This forum is becoming another addiction... Yvonne

[paula]

Sorry, I am having trouble posting pictures, since our home burned.  I lost all my supplies, including my computer and computer programs.

But I looooooove copper with terra Cotta.  

(I am not understanding "three colors of Terra Cotta").

Favorate tools: Neon Lean, Ultimate Stipple, Pavon Trowel, Faux Fingers, Brick Bratz, Stupid Tool.

Be assured that any tool (or product) that you purchse from Martin at fauxmarketplace.com is the best tool for this application; at the best price.  When I started I thought I could save money at Walmart etc.  Well, if the price was less the tool usually fell apart before the job was completed, the glaze sunk into the wall etc.

I use AquaBond and almost never need a primer.

[cicalisa]

Actually my point was that for colorwashing and faux I DON'T use good brushes... just the cheapest chip brushes! LOL

[paula]

I use Chip Brushes for Sample Board but on walls I get tired of picking out the loose bristles.  Any way to keep chip brushes from shedding?

[cicalisa]

not really but if you use them long enough all the loose stuff sheds out and they can be used until they are little nubs!

I do try to rub the loose hairs out and pull them out before I start painting.

[jersey_girl]

Just love the textures of PlasterTex, Palette Deco, and Faux Stone Pull-Off and also love the SoftTex ... all really CoOl products!!!  

My favorite tool is the Badger Brush ... it's like magic!

Susan

[molekm]

Paula:  I run all my new chip brushes through the washing machine with a load of towels. The fabric softener and the tumbling in the machine gets rid of all those loose bristles and they come out soft and fluffy.  That's how I clean my dirty brushes too.  I just throw them into a bucket of water until I can get home.  Then it's into the machine with the towels or jeans, and .... presto-chango.... they come out like new.  It freaks my husband out.  I've even put my ultimate stippler, my badger, and my neon leon in there a time or two.