Creative Faux Panels

We recently donated our Faux Panels and Faux Wood Beams products to the TV show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”. Helping out and giving to those in need has truly been a rewarding experience. We are proud to be a small part of these family’s lives. So far, we donated our products to the builds in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Georgia. Check out the videos from the North Carolina build here! From left to right: Paul DiMeo, Steve Barron, Ed Sanders, Tracy Hutson Now, Extreme Makeover need your help! Volunteers are needed in the West Central Georgia area. The Date  Feb 21st to 28th The Time  As much as you’re able to offer The location West Central Georgia area They are in urgent need of…. Equipment Operators Cabinet Installers Concrete Finishers Cultured Stone Installers Fence installers   Painters Roofers Siding Installers Trim Installers Framers   Skilled Craftsmen Wall Paper Hangers Auto Painters Window Treatment Installers To fill out a volunteer form, click here To learn more about the builder click here

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Entrance with Nailon Stone in Glacier White

There are two towns in the area where I live that are about six miles away from each other, yet virtually a universe apart when it comes to their building aesthetic. One of them is your classic New England village, with stately old whaling captain houses - lots of white wood and black shutters. The other is well…not. The majority of the town is covered in little summer cottages and restaurants that are every bright color you could imagine, usually in the pink and purple families. We’re not talking understated lavenders and roses here…

Exterior with Glacier White Nailon Stone

So shocking magenta or violet may not be your cup of tea, but the average white wood house isn’t really your bag either. You might want to consider the look of white brick or stone. White looks good with everything, no matter what your landscaping or surrounding areas look like, yet the texture can give your house that little something extra. And what a more perfect time to spiffy up your home’s exterior than spring?

Luckily faux panels are super-easy to clean, and if after awhile you feel like a change, they easily can be painted. You just might want to avoid that can of Pepto-Bismol pink.

Colonial White Nailon Brick

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A little tradition is starting here at the Faux Panels blog. Most of the photos of finished projects that are sent by our customers are beautiful, but once in awhile I see one that particularly tickles me as an ingenious use of the paneling.

This week the “Fauxny Award” is given to this striking patio couch, trimmed with Oxford Stacked Stone panels in Light Tan. The outdoor sofa-style seat was created by the Featherlyte Outdoor Furniture Company of Knoxville, TN and is a beautiful addition to our Spring Spruce-Up series.

This isn’t your boring old patio furniture. The paneling blends in nicely with the surrounding scenery and looks very cool and sophisticated. I can just see myself laying out on a fine spring day with a good book, the envy of my neighbors as they covet my patio seat. Well done!

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It’s been a beautiful, sunny week. The daffodils and crocuses are all starting to peek out and the birds are getting louder every day. Nothing is better than all these sights and sounds - promising longer days spent in the garden or backyard.

These kinds of days really get me pumped up with ideas on how to get the outside of the house ready to enjoy spring and the summer to come. After being cooped up in the house all winter, I’m seriously ready for some fresh air!

With work and kids and day-to-day life, it’s amazing how fast your yard can start to look neglected. For anyone who owns a home, the house’s exterior is a constant work-in-progress, especially if you live in a four-season area. Raking, weeding and lawn mowing are the necessary evils - but it’s always nice to mix it up with a fun DIY project in addition to the more boring maintenance jobs.

Beautiful idea! A water/rock fountain installed in a patio area, surrounded by
Regency Random Rock faux paneling.

Little garden ponds or fountains can add a really nice accent to your garden, deck or porch - whether you’re aiming for that serene, Zen feel of a still-water pond, or prefer the pleasant murmur of water trickling out of a fountain.

Before you start, make sure to pick the right location - especially if you’re going for the pond. You don’t want to position it right under a tree and then spend the entire summer picking out leaves or other debris.

Another thing you may want to consider for your pond is adding some fish. A bunch of goldfish or koi swimming around can create a charming effect. Goldfish in particular can keep the mosquito population down – a nice bonus especially when you’re hosting an outdoor dinner party. If you decide to add fish, you may want to consider adding a water pump. Moving water provides more oxygen than still water.

If you’ve decided on a fountain, try putting some rocks on the bottom, as in the picture shown above. The water hitting them will make an even nicer trickle-y noise, and acclimatize the fountain to the surrounding nature. Store-bought rock in the same color can create a harmonious, uniform look. If you prefer a more rustic appearance and don’t want to spend the money, walk along the local shoreline or in the nearby woods with a sand bucket. After a few evening strolls, you’ll accumulate a nice collection of multi-colored stones of different shapes and sizes.

For another water-inspired idea, visit our post “And the Fauxny Award Goes To…”

Happy Spring!

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Growing up in southern Connecticut, I lived in a charming old colonial built by a local blacksmith in the late 1700’s. As children do, I completely took for granted the two brick fireplaces, one in the formal living room and the other in the dining room, with the latter’s back end exposed through the kitchen wall. All that lovely old brick…

Now as an adult I live in a modern house built in the 1980’s that does indeed have a fireplace, but the only thing that surrounds it is a bunch of flat, ugly black metal. Not so inspiring. So how can I reclaim a little bit of that pre-Revolutionary New England charm without breaking my piggy bank? Fireplaces can act as the centerpiece of your home – I really want an inviting place for family and guests to gather and enjoy each other’s company.

Fireplace Before Photo

A recent customer, Bill Nalli from Moravia, New York, sent in these photos from his project using the Regency Stacked Stone faux panels. He’s surrounded a plain black fireplace just like mine with the panels, reinvigorating his entire sitting/television room. He wrote in that he installed the panels all by himself and had fun doing it!

Fireplace After Photo

Whether I go with a more traditional brick panel or try out the stacked stone, Mr. Nalli has given me hope that I can turn my own blah fireplace into something beautiful my kids can remember fondly when they’re grown up – and I won’t have to spend their college funds to get it.

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One of my favorite SNL skits was the one done by Scarlett Johansson and Fred Armisen - “You gotta get yourself some marble columns.” It’s kind of a random topic to parody, but both of their performances literally had me rolling on the ground laughing.

Don’t get me wrong, while I thought this skit was hysterical – it was due more to Fred and Scarlett’s comic enthusiasm than anything. I actually think columns can add really nice visual interest to your home – although the ones they were hawking may not be up your alley.

How about some faux columns? They look really realistic, but lightweight enough that you won’t be lugging around heavy stone or brick and spending tons of money on a professional mason.

One of our customers recently put these Drystack Quarry Gray faux columns up at their model house and sent us this photo.

Another nice use of columns is to set off a yard or border fence. It can turn a boring wood or metal fence into something a little more interesting looking. This photo was sent in by a customer using Majesty Augusta stone fence posts:

Watch this clip for a good laugh – then go get yourself some faux columns!

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Adding on to your house gives you more storage and living space while improving the value of your home. Anyone who has undertaken this kind of project knows that making the addition’s exterior blend with the rest of the house is super important. Otherwise you’ll end up with a patchwork monstrosity that will have your friends calling Ty Pennington and his crew for an Extreme Makeover rescue. Don’t be a DIY disaster!

Things to consider before you begin your addition:

• The materials on your current home’s exterior may no longer be available or prove too costly, especially on older homes. You may need to get creative on finding a similar-looking alternative.

• Your home’s current siding has most likely taken a beating over the years from various types of weather and climate. Keep this in mind when you’re selecting a color for the addition. Nice and bright probably won’t mesh well.

• There may be sections of the addition that are trickier to side than others. Be certain when choosing your materials that it can be relatively easy to install in ALL areas.

A good example of this conundrum is our customer’s addition to his existing brick building. According to Paul Reeves from Bethel, OH, installing real brick or rock in the space above the roof of the addition would have been logistically difficult. I would agree that schlepping heavy bricks or rock up a ladder and installing them above that sloped roof top would be precarious at best, not to mention costly.

Before

Luckily Paul was able to find a solution with forty-two of our Random Rock Potomac faux panels. Take a look at the final result photos below. We think they look great!

After - Close Up View

After - Full View

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A few years ago I took a trip to Arizona with my family. Since there wasn’t much to do in that part of Arizona other than golf, my sister and I left the boys and the links behind to hang at the pool.

I’ve been to my fair share of hotel pools, but this one ranked in the top five. One side was flanked by an enormous stone wall built into a natural formation of massive boulders. My favorite part was the waterfall cascading down the wall into the pool. I’m not sure what about it appealed to me so – maybe I was having a Blue Lagoon fantasy moment or maybe it was just the soothing sound of water trickling down. Either way, if I could transplant this wall into my backyard, there’d be no need for boring golf vacations.

Then this customer’s project caught my eye. Paul M. created his own backyard water wall waterfall with light tan stacked stone faux panels. He ingeniously installed the wall and then hooked up a sprinkler system with water from his canal, recycling the water back down the canal so there was no harm to the environment.

I loved this idea – especially since it would be fairly easy for anyone to implement in their own yard or garden. Although I may have to rethink the whole Brooke Shields bathing suit made out of palm leaves thing…

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Many of us are looking forward to leaving the doldrums of winter behind and lifting our faces up to the promise of spring. With the new season comes inspiration for new design projects. What place is better to start than your own home?

Norwich Colorado Stacked Stone Desert Sand

The list of remodeling ideas in your mind’s eye can sometimes be overwhelming. Should we rescue the kitchen from its tacky 1970’s wallpaper and formica? Does the fireplace look crumbly and uninspired? How can I make the patio be more inviting for my guests?

We’re excited for spring’s arrival and to see all the new ideas and projects our customers come up with. To help them on their quest, we’ve stocked up on some new panel styles from the Norwich line. As we’ve said before, seeing homeowners’ final results with our paneling is the best part of the job.

We have samples of all the Norwich styles and colors to help pick out the best one for you. Go get some spring in your step…and your walls.

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One of FauxPanel’s recent customers converted their attic into a romantic getaway using light tan stacked stone faux panels to cover the gas fireplace they installed. Take a look at their before & after pictures and get inspired!

“Beautifully realistic. We converted our attic into a romantic loft hideaway, and the gas fireplace is the crown jewel of our remodeling job. We used the ledgestone faux panels to cover the fireplace with spectacular results. Everyone comments on how beautiful the stone is and they’re always surprised to learn it’s faux paneling. It was the perfect solution in terms of beauty, cost, weight and ease of installation. I highly recommend faux panels!” –
Terry Hare, Grand Rapids, MI – October 2008.

Is your attic space a catch-all for those things you only use once a year or just can’t bear to part with?

Like Terry, consider affordably adding another usable room to your house by converting the attic – especially if you have a garage or basement that can house all your must-keep items.

A converted attic can serve as a guest bedroom, a playroom for the kids, a cool office space – the sky’s the limit. This can relieve the burden of having your kid’s toys strewn all over the living room, your spouse’s computer cables and paperwork populating the kitchen table, or your visiting in-laws camping out on the sofa.

The best part about converting an attic is that most do-it-yourselfers can complete most or all of the work themselves, relatively quickly and inexpensively in comparison to adding a room to your own from scratch.

Some issues to consider before you start are local building department codes/permits needed, wiring requirements, heating and cooling, insulation and stair access. You also want to ensure that the roof framing allows for enough usable space, and that the existing floor is strong enough to hold furniture and people.

While you’ll need to do some further research before you begin your attic remodeling project, here are a few tips to help you along the way:

• Choose flooring that is really easy to clean, such as a nice-looking laminate. This is especially important if the attic will be serving as a playroom – the last thing you want is to be dragging that big vacuum up the attic stairs every day.

• Make sure the attic is well insulated. This will keep it warm in the winter and prevent it from becoming sweltering in the summer. This is important not only for the attic itself but for the whole house. The attic is one of the house’s biggest culprits for energy loss.

• Buy some unfinished bookshelves to install within the eaves. This will save you loads of storage space and will look cool too!

• Install a couple of skylights. They’ll let a lot of light into your dark attic and will also help warm the room on sunny days. Add a small portable space heater for those really cold days.

• If you want the attic to double as a guest room and a playroom – try putting in a trundle bed. This will save space and can act both as a bed and a sofa for the kids to sit on.

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