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The Final Phases of our Private Saloon Project

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We spent a lot of time on the road driving from Kansas City to Bethany, MO for a series of faux finish projects.  Our clients bought a piece of land that had an abandoned house on it.  Rather than tear it down, they decided to restore it to reflect the period in which it was build, but with modern functionality.  When they finished it is now listed on the Missouri historical register. They also rebuilt the barn which had burned down.

A view of the house and barn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because the house was filled with small rooms, as was the style back then, they decided to take part of the barn and make it look like an old west saloon.  This would provide a space big enough to have family and friends gather and socialize.  We were initially called on to make the tin ceiling and walls look old.

 

 

Aging the tin ceiling

 

Plastering the walls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our clients asked us if we could age and distress the new cedar beams and trim.

 

Then they asked if we could do a faux finish on the floor.

 

Brenda working on faux floor tiles.
Brenda working on faux floor tiles.
Faux floor tiles
Faux floor tiles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is how it all came together.

 

 

Finished ceiling and beams with mounted animal heads.
Finished ceiling and beams with mounted animal heads.

 

 

Saloon with furniture and decor.
Saloon with furniture and decor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product Changes Keep Us Scrambling

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Kansas City has fared better in this down economy than other places.  But that doesn’t mean we’re unaffected by what happens nationally.  The downturn in the economy has affected us all.  A lot of faux finish artists have gone out of business.  And companies that sold us products have gone by the wayside.

So one of our challenges as faux finish artists is to stay on top of all the changes in our industry.  Some of the products we used to love and use regularly are no longer available.  And our most recent challenge is in the paint we buy.  “Paint & primer” in one is the new marketing strategy some paint companies are using.  I think it is a ploy to hide the fact that they’ve changed the formula and the paint doesn’t work like it used to.

Now if you are just painting walls, the new paint will cover and give you the color you want.  But for us as faux finish artists, the paint is just the first step.  It’s the canvas we use to work on.  And when the paint companies reformulate we know it immediately.  So the brand we’ve used for years and used to swear by is now causing us to have to modify our techniques and add other products to make it work like it used to.

One of the problems paint companies are facing is the rising price of titanium dioxide: the stuff that makes the paint color cover what’s underneath.  Here is a chart showing the price of titanium dioxide over the last few years.   

 

As a result of the increase in price, companies are switching to white clay.  Clay is absorbent.  So when we put glaze on top of it, it acts like a sponge and sucks it into the paint.

The first time this happened to us we were able to adapt–that’s what artists do–and still get the look we were after.  But in order to achieve the end results, we had to work a whole lot harder.

So we are on the hunt for a paint that will allow us to give us the results we’re after without a frantic scramble to “fix” the paint that doesn’t work like it used to.

We’ve heard rumors the Behr may go back to the original formula because they’ve had complaints.  They will probably do what Coca Cola did and keep the new and roll out “classic”.

No matter what, we’ll keep adapting and searching for the highest quality products to give our clients great results.

 

Faux Finish — Making the New Look Old –End of Phase 1

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I realized that I neglected to show the plastering and glazing we did at the end of Phase 1 of our private saloon project in Bethany, MO.

We painted the drywall a dark brown.  Then Brenda plastered over it with a texture product called “Sandstone”.  She left some holes in the coverage to let the dark brown base peek through.  Then she glazed the plaster to “age” it.  Here is a video of her glazing the biggest wall.  This work is demanding because once she starts a wall she can’t stop until she gets to the other corner.

Faux Finish – Making New Look Old – Phase 2

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Again we made the trek from Kansas City to Bethany to do Phase 2 of  our faux finish on the private saloon.  The new cedar beams were impressive because of their size, but they looked new–because they were.  Our task was to age and distress them.  Brenda had several ideas, including using vinegar that had steel wool dissolved in it.  In the end we used regular faux finish techniques–tools to distress the wood and glazes to age it.

 

The other part of this phase was to work on the “outhouse” floor.  In the other corner of the barn, opposite the saloon, is the bathroom.  It’s designed to resemble an old stone outhouse.  The wash basin will be an old wash tub on a stand.  I haven’t seen what the toilet will be, but I’m going to guess that it will look old as well.  Our clients wanted something different than plain concrete.  Brenda used an overlay technique to make it look like limestone.

I think the clients like it because they’ve decided on us doing the same treatment on the main floor of the saloon.  We will be going back for Phase 3 & 4 before this project is finished.

 

Making New Construction Look Old – Private Saloon in Bethany, MO

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A designer called us in to help with a project in Bethany, MO–about an hour & a half north of Kansas City.  Our clients rebuilt a large barn that had burned down.  The rebuilt it the same size, but added modern upgrades such as a heated concrete floor.

In one corner of the barn they are dedicating a 24′ x 30′ room to be their own private saloon.  They found a bar from an old saloon in Wyoming and are designing their space using it as the inspiration.

Our part in the process is to take the new tin ceiling

and make it look rusted.

 

 

 

 

Our client told us that the tin ceiling is not a reproduction.  The company is located in Missouri and has never gone out of business.  They are still manufacturing the same ceilings they did a century ago.

 

We had to spray the tin with a clear sealer.  The manufacturer says that the metal has to be coated with either a clear sealer or primed and painted–to keep it from rusting.  We did think it kind of ironic that our first step was to keep it from rusting before we did a faux rust finish.  We used clear shellac for our sealer.  It’s less of a hassle for cleanup and we knew it would yellow less than an oil-base sealer.

The clients love the results.  Here’s a short video of the work so far.

We are going to plaster the walls and perhaps distress some mirrors for this project.  More updates to come.

Faux Finish Over Tile Backsplash

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Brenda showing tile samplesLast week Brenda created several samples of back splash faux finishes for our client in Overland Park.  She worked hard to strike a balance that will be bold enough to give a “pop” without being too much.

 

 

 

 

Photo of hutchWe did a faux finish on the cabinets for our client last spring.  We painted and glazed over the worn out pickled white finish. On the inside of the built-in hutch we did an accent color with a bronze paint.  As we did the cabinets, Brenda mentioned to them that we could do a faux finish on their back splash.

Their counter tops were covered with a granite overlay, and the tile back splash ran down behind the granite overlay.  Removal would have been difficult and tricky to do without causing damage to the granite overlay.  Our faux finish treatment was a good option for them.

 

 

 

 

Brenda primed the tile & taped off the grout lines.  The faux finish included accent tiles in the same color as she used in the inside of the hutch.

The result of the final faux finish is a great change from the stark white tile that was there before.  Our clients love the look.