Pictures, please.

I was tempted to be a smart aleck and say, "1980", but I won't.

Truthfully, it;s the poorly done renditions of things that become hopelessly gauche. IMHO, true craftsmanship and artistry in the appropriate vernacular does not go out of style.

So there is no reason to rule it out prima facie. But make sure you hire an expert. There are many different ways to get the look. I don't know how rough the look you want is, but we used American Clay (tinted to match a Farrow and Ball white) to give some dimension and a plaster look.

If done well, and in a certain style house, I have to think faux painting could still work. Besides, who cares? If you like it, don't allow anyone to 'shame you' by telling you it's out of style. I personally don't like following any of the so- called 'current trends', which means I may be out of sync in many ways, but just don't care. Dance to the beat of your own drum!

Pictures wouldn't help because right now all the furniture is piled in the middle of the room and covered with plastic, there are huge holes in the walls, and the rugs are up.

Rooms with 9' boxed beam ceilings.

80s or not, I like faux finishes if done well, and I think they can be very effective. The key is to make it subtle.

This is not good

This is not bad

[Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Charleston Interior Designers & Decorators Margaret L. Norcott, Allied ASID

The trick to keep faux painting from being tacky is to keep it extremely subtle and matte in finish. No heavy glazes.

Something looks like a tea stain is always a classic look.

What I have now is along the lines of Annie's second picture and Beverly's photo. And, I guess tea stain might be an accurate way to describe the current color--creamy lightish yellow with a beige effect on top.

And, I am laughing because that mirror in the bathroom photo is almost identical to the one in my front entry hall.

Thanks for all the comments.

A source for a variety of images is Segreto Finishes in Houston. The owner has a book out. I'm on a dying battery, but I am sure she is google-able. I agree, subtle is best.

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Wed, Sep 24, 14 at 20:07

woo boy is this thread up my alley. I've been a professional decorative painter for 22 years now. Along the way, I've seen some horrible faux, and Annie's first pic is a prime example of that.

Skilled decorative painters are still out there.

I personally prefer subtle glazes. Occasionally, I may have a job where something more dramatic is required IF it fits that space. I work with talented designers and also consider my own taste and design sense to be pretty good, quite frankly. I've never produced a room that looks like Annie's first example... Here is an example of a recent striped wall glaze I did. Its very subtle, yet has more depth than could be achieved with simply rolling on flat paint.

this is an older one of mine, with a little more activity in the glaze. I think this treatment makes for a more interesting background to the ship and curved wall than flat paint, and the compass motifs are deliberately placed, unlike repetitive wallpaper.

This post was edited by coll_123 on Wed, Sep 24, 14 at 16:15

imagine this is the basement bath when I bought the house!!!!

BAD, BAD, BAD

IN my last house I think this was an OK - the fireplace wall had some faux painting to highlight it....

and these doors in the same room where white. they really stood out so the painter suggested painting them to look like the built in bookcases.....

I was just in a new restaurant in San Francisco that had Venetian Plaster walls that were very well done. Subtle and grey almost like polished concrete. More along the lines of what Martha Stewart had in one of her Manhattan apartments in the late 80s or early 90s than the nonsense they used to try on Trading Spaces.

But they were going for a robust post industrial look that isn't going to look too good in a typical suburban or exurban house.

I've never been a fan of the polished and waxed Venetian Plasters in anything but the most industrial or modern spaces. And even then, the origin of that stuff has always puzzled me- I haven't been to Venice, but I've been to Rome and Florence and I can't recall seeing a lot of shiny plaster walls there?

boopadaboo, that green bathroom absolutely takes the prize...not sure I have ever seen worse faux than that.

bbstx, thank you.

I think the faux plaster is almost the worst example of faux finishes, because it is so clearly incongruous with the setting. Unless a person happens to live in an Italinate villa somewhere in the U.S. (and in that case probably has real plaster walls), the faux plaster is just.....faux.

I like the tone on tone stripes, and other examples of decorative painting, but never faux anything.

I think I had blocked this from my memory. they did the upstairs hall bath this way too!

And I only bought the house about 6 years ago.

boopadaboo--Those really are winners, and I hope you got a really good deal on your house because it certainly called for vision!!

col123--Nice work and good examples of good work!

bbstx--I have to take the time later on tonight to thoroughly look at that site. Thanks for the link.

I do have real plaster walls (flaws and all), and that is why I am asking.

OMG, you're killing me...is that gold splotches on mint green???

Coll...your work is beautiful.

The green bath.....haha.....they didn't even bother to remove the towel bar or TP holder.

Thanks, guys.

Needinfo, is there any way of contacting the person that did the original finish, or was that done before you moved in? You could try going to your local paint store and see if they can refer you to someone.

Here is a linen finish my friend just did in her daughters room...this is a popular one for us right now, and I like this look a lot. I could live with this in my own, more contemporary styled house.

Then, on the more dramatic and fake/ faux-y side, this is sample I did for a client that wanted a rustic/italian look in his wine cellar, because he loves Italy. Is it right for everyone, no. But I think it works in a guy's private little wine cellar, and looks less fake that Venetian plaster. I live on the coast on maine and most of my work is similar to the first pics I posted. So when I get a chance to do something a bit more dramatic, its fun for me. I am glad those clients are still out there.

Oh, and then there is this. This is wallpaper in a high end home. When I first saw it, I thought someone had sponge painted it, a'la 1991. Nope, wallpaper in the image of, IMO, terrible faux. I bet it was expensive too. Go figure.

Subtly done in a 1910 house ... wonderful.

Tackily done in a 1980s bath ... yuck.

I painted and glazed my downstairs in 1999, sort of aqua over aqua - it is somehow a very warm kind of blue, like sunlight rippling in the bottom of a swimming pool, and I'm still very happy with it. And I was a complete amateur with Behr paints and glaze.

OTOH, I've stayed in a vacation rental that had olive green sponged over peach - not pleasing at all. I've never liked the sponging nor high contrast much, but subtle effects are pleasing.

BEAUTIFUL WORK COLL 123

It doesn't take an Italianate villa to have real plaster walls--just an old house that hasn't been remodelled to death. My 1939 federal style townhouse had plaster, my 1954 cape cod had plaster board (weird in between plaster and drywall) and my 1926 French revival has plaster.

I think a suble plaster faux painting would work nicely on plaster walls. It seems like it would make any "flaws" more like a feature. But more importantly you like it! So I would definitely do it again.

I say if you like it then go for it. I think though a little goes a long way. I'm certainly not "trendy". I will admit I have done a faux finish in my last two houses. (ducks for cover) I did a light golden color wash in my dining rooms and I loved them. Other people may not care for it, but other people don't live in my house, I do.

I'd post pics, but knowing the consensus here on faux finishes I'm too chickenâ¦. :-)

Crl_, the faux plaster to which I refer is that heavy Tuscan faux plaster "look" so popular in the 1980's and 90's. Obviously, an old house with plaster walls has plaster walls, and is in no need of faux painting to make them look like anything other than what they are. There is a difference between faux finishes (meant to look like something else) and merely decorative ones (washes, stripes, stencils, etc.).

coll_123, wow, that linen finish looks great. It is so even and adds a nice texture. Haven't seen that in my neck of the woods. Looks like something that is for pros only.

I'm frequently asked the color of the paint in my house--when almost all of it on the first floor is a simple strie--base coat, and a darker paint plus glaze--I have one of those 24 inch wallpaper brushes and just scoot up and down a ladder to brush down the glaze. Very subtle, depending upon the colors you choose--and kind of indestructible--washes very very well. Nothing trendy about it....

thanks, yayagal.

sallymo, yes, the linen finish is really a nice look. Of course everyone thinks its wallpaper. Here is one of my favorite projects, combining the linen finish and large stylized flowers. People still thought it was wallpaper, despite no seams or repetitive pattern, ugh.

beautiful work coll_123. You are really talented!

Thank you, hoovb!

Coll123...you can paint at my house anytime! Too bad I live on the other side of the US. I had a bit of the faux finish back in the early 90's in one area, and swore never again, but yours look great!

THank you sujafr. One of these days I am going to wise up and move to the northern CA / PNW area. I love it out there.

I started in this business in the early nineties and I'm many of those early jobs wouldn't stand the test of time either. But time does march on and trends come and go. At the end of the day, one thing remains the same- we all have walls. I'm glad I can offer something beyond flat color or wallpaper for those that want that.