Directory of Decorative Painting Techniques

• Antiquing: The process of using paint to age a surface.
• Chinoiserie: A style of design using traditional Chinese motifs as inspiration.
• Combing: The use of wood graining combs to create a linear pattern in paint on any hard surface.
• Distressed: A piece of furniture or other object is treated to give it an aged, battered look. Two or more techniques are used in combination to give the look, such as glazing, rubbing, sanding, nicking, even using a hammer and nail to give a piece “worm holes”.
• Faux Bois: A technique in which a surface is painted to look like wood grain.
• Faux Finish: A general term for painting a surface to look exactly like something else, such as wood, stone, leather, bamboo, tortoise shell or marble.
• Faux Marble: A technique in which a surface is painted to look like real marble such as vert de mer, sienna, etc. Fantasy marble combines colors not found in nature to simulate an imagined marble.
• Faux Stone: A technique in which a surface is painted to look like real stone, such as limestone, granite, etc.
• Faux Tortoise Shell: The process of painting a surface to look like tortoise shell, in its many variations.
• Gilding: The process of applying metal leaf to a surface. Gold, silver, copper, and other metals are commonly used.
• Glaze: A transparent layer of paint applied to any painted surface.
• Hand-Brushed: This finish is achieved by applying oil paint to a surface by hand, layer upon layer. The final look is one where there is evidence of brushwork, but it is always straight and uniform strokes.
• Ragging: A versatile painting technique which utilizes a hand-held rag to give pattern and texture to a painted surface.
• Reverse Painting on Glass: The application of paint to the back of a sheet of glass. The image must be painted in reverse, so it will look correct when viewed through the front of the glass, hence the name.
• Sponging: A paint technique which utilizes different types of sponges, form sea sponges to kitchen sponges, to create patter and texture on a surface.
• Stencil: The use of a pre-cut pattern to create designs on a surface by painting only in the cut-out areas.
• Stipple: The process of using paint to create tiny overall spots of texture by pounding a wet paint surface with a densely packed bristle brush.
• Strie: Paint is pulled or dragged across a surface, creating fine lines.
• Tinted Plaster: The application of layers of tinted or colored plaster to a wall. The plaster can be applied in a smooth manner, like fresco, or in a rough manner, to resemble old worn walls or even stone.
• Trompe L’oeil: A painting that looks so realistic that it could “fool the eye”.
• Veiling: The technique of applying thin washes of transparent paint in layers to a surface.