Creative Faux Panels

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!

Did you catch us on the recent episode of Curb Appeal, the home remodeling show on HGTV? It featured the home of John and Leann Rambeau, who chose to remodel their garage with our faux brick paneling.

We drove the panels down to Bethesda, MD, from our warehouse on Long Island, NY. (Road trip!) Producer David Sibila and the production crew were great. The host, Bill Duggan, wasn’t actually there for the taping – maybe that’s why I got a little camera time. In the video you can see me offloading the panels and showing Leann how they look up on the wall.

So why did they choose FauxPanels.com? The show lets the homeowners select the materials they want for the project. Leann found us on the internet and picked out our red faux brick paneling. They decided to paint it white to match their house – although these days we have a white brick panel available.

The interesting thing about the homeowner’s garage was that it was only 6-8 feet deep, so it couldn’t actually fit a car. They removed the garage door to make it into a nice outdoor alcove. They wanted it to blend in with the rest of house’s white brick exterior – hence the painted faux paneling.

After a long day of filming and paneling, I headed home with my empty van – leaving the homeowners happy and excited about their new converted alcove. Of course, it then took over a year for the episode to air on TV – but the best faux things in life are worth waiting for.