Tools - To order tools [click here]

This is our view on faux finishing supplies: Use what works best for you!  After a great deal of trial and error, we have discovered these are the tools that have worked well for us, so we felt this information was worth passing along to you!

Sponges - We prefer to use a sponge called a “Sea Wool” or a “Rock Island” sponge.  These sponges seem to be very durable and have a tighter pattern to them than the sponges you get from Home Depot, Lowe’s or a paint or craft store.  Usually the sponges available to you as a consumer are just not the higher quality available to the professionals.  We usually get ours at trade shows or from suppliers who generally cater to pros, not to the public.  Check out our tools section on the FAUXSTERS website… we have made these professional sponges available at a good price so you can use what we use!  - To order tools [click here]

Tissue Paper - What you need to watch for here is two things.  (1.) Don’t get tissue that has been coated with wax or something else. You want to get plain white tissue that is generally used for packing or wrapping. Hallmark has a wonderful tissue (2.) Don’t pay too much for it!  You can get tissue online from a supplier for a great price, or you can go down to your local drug store like Eckerd’s or Walgreen's and get it from the party section.  Remember, don’t get the coated tissue…it doesn’t  work as well-we think it leaves a noticeable edge where the uncoated tissue doesn’t.

Stencils - While stencils are as abundant as paint color choices, they can also be hard to find if you aren’t familiar with specific companies. Plaid has a good selection.  There is usually a pretty good selection of Plaid stencils at your local large store that has everything, or at your local HUGE craft store that also carries everything imaginable. Our stencil company of choice is usually www.dresslerstencils.com due to the elegant designs and the variety offered by these companies.   We also have been known to get stencils custom cut from our own designs, and for that we use www.laserexcel.com  (The customer service there is amazing!)  Keep in mind that an internet search using the term “stencils” is always the best bet for a large selection to choose from!

Mud Knife vs. Japan Scraper - Mud knives tend to rust, so be sure to look for the stainless steel type if that’s your tool of choice. Mud knives also tend to be much less flexible than Japan Scrapers, and the sharp corners can give you lines in your material sometimes, depending upon the surface you are working on at the moment.  We like to use the Japan Scrapers due to the flexibility, the rounded corners (which makes material application go more smoothly) and the variety in sizes available. Japan scrapers are made of stainless steel, which means they won’t rust!  To order tools [click here]

Materials To order tools [click here]

Crackles

One-Step Adi-crackle– This crackle is just hard to beat.  The main thing we love about this particular crackle is its ability to crack a topcoat after any length of time.  That’s right…no snap time here.  You can come back to your project in a week and the topcoat will still crack.  Another GREAT feature about this product is its unusual ability to crack a large variety of topcoats, not just paint.  For instance, if you were to apply the acrylic stucco over this crackle medium in a fairly thin layer it would crack!  Try it for yourself… To order tools [click here]

Ralph Lauren- Ralph’s crackle is a tough customer to control.  It has a fairly small window of opportunity or snap time, so we wouldn’t recommend using it on a wall.  For furniture though, this is a usable product.

Sherwin Williams-These guys have a nice product too, although you need to be very careful not to get it too thick if you are putting it on a wall.  Again, the snap time is, at max, 4 hours, so you need to work quickly!  When dried and cured it’s a tough finish, so cabinets are a good place for these guys.

Hide Glue-Now here’s something you don’t see everyday!  Remember the brown glue we used as kids in kindergarten? You can crackle with it too!  Who knew? Be careful though, this is NOT good to use on walls! It slides like crazy!

Glazes

WetEdge- This glaze made it to the top of our list due to its “open time”.  You will have, depending on your paint to glaze ratio, up to an hour of working time with this glaze.  That comes in VERY handy when working on a large wall! To order tools [click here]

Modern Masters – This is a new glaze Modern Masters has just released to the public.  We have had great results with it so far!  It has about the same open time as the Adicolor glaze, but we have discovered it has a bit less sheen when it dries.  Good or bad? That depends on the “look” you are trying to achieve…

Behr - Well, this one has very LITTLE open time at all.  It’s not a good idea to tackle a wall using this particular glaze in our opinion.  However…if you are doing a wood graining or marbleizing technique, or working in a very small area, the short working time of this glaze can come in handy.

Sherwin Williams - This glaze has more open time than Behr, but not as much Adicolor or Modern Masters.  When we are in a pinch, this is what we reach for…