It's Faux Easy with Gary Lord: Paint 30 Fabulous Finishes for Your Home

I have done at least half of these techniques, and would highly recommend some professional instruction as well as the recipes provided in this book. Most products are attainable for the general public - if anything, I would recommend getting the DVD as well..this helps explain the book part even clearer, as you watch Gary actually apply the products etc. Anyone venturing into this profession, or even as a hobby, has to understand the process is about 'layering'...for the most part. And you will need to allow for overnight drying times in alot of cases. Patience is key, and not for the faint of heart. Once finished, you can be amazed, or not. The whole affair of Faux, is that this is something you WILL want to keep on your wall for years to come. It is not a fad - it is a true artform, as much as it is about understanding product application. Juliana [...]

Well written and easy to understand. Gives great visual examples of different finishes as well as how to do it and what materials one will need for each example. I highly recommend this to any one who has no experience with this craft.

Gary has a passion for teaching, whether in person or in the pages of a book. He is constantly inventing fresh finishes that push the envelope. I can highly recommend this book, especially to beginning artists (as well as intermediate) I can't wait till he comes out with a book on his new 3d paint techniques! To see more of Gary's work see the Chicago church section of the book: "The House that Faux Built: Transform Your Home with Paint Plasters and Creativity." The House That Faux Built He uses his signature metallic foils, lace and shimering plaster to create a beautiful finish that looks amazing but is deceptively easy.

I've been looking at faux finish books for the past 15 years. This is, hands down, the best I've come across. The photos and instructions are fantastic.

This book contains some very interesting faux techniques. The finishes require various skill levels from beginner to advanced. Many use various products on the market, i.e. Lusterstone and Aqua products. The more complex projects must be done over several days to allow time for base coats, textures, Lusterstone, etc to dry. The pictures are gorgeous. The steps are clear and easy to understand. Each project starts with a small photo closeup of the finish, then a large photo of a room or wall using the technique. There is a materials list and a color palette for each project. The color palette indicates the name and shows a color swatch of the actual colors used. There are also sidebars included for each project that have Pro Tips. There are full-color photos throughout this beautiful book and some of the treatments are some I have never seen before. I'm a beginner so that's probably not saying much. :-) There are several projects that actually apply the technique to paper. The techniques were pretty neat, but all I could think about was I would have to repeatedly apply the technique on paper first and THEN I would also have to hang the wallpaper or hire someone to apply it. Now, if they can only find a way to do those techniques directly onto the wall it would deserve the full 5 star. For now, I really think it warrants a 4 1/2 star rating.