Astro Kids is a store-within-a-store at the world-famous FAO Schwarz toy store in New York City

World-famous toy store FAO Schwarz in New York City recently opened Astro Kids – an exciting store-within-a-store dedicated to everything geological. FauxPanels.com and sister site FauxWoodBeams.com were honored to help bring the concept for the exciting new store to life, helping create a fantastic dinosaur-themed retail display.

Faux panels perfectly capture the look and feel of an archeological dig

“We are exposing customers to gemstones, minerals, and jewelry at a very young age,” says Dennis Tanjeloffs; one of the masterminds behind the exciting new Astro Kids store at FAO Schwarz.  “Four to 14 is the target age group. Astro Kids could get big very quickly.”

Dennis, along with his brother Marc, are the third generations of an Argentinian mining family and New York institutions in their own right. Their Madison Avenue store is famous throughout the city for selling stunning gemstones and specimens.

They wanted to reach a new audience for their geological goodies, so approached Toys R Us, the owners of venerable New York toy store FAO Schwarz, to create a store-within-a-store featuring a range of gemstone products aimed at kids and teenagers.

Bringing the idea to life required products from both Faux Panels and Faux Wood Beams; which were used to frame the showcase piece of the Astro Kids display – an incredible t-rex skeleton created by New York sculptor Judy Richardson.

Astro Kids sells geological educational toys and learning products aimed at kids and teenagers

Surrounding the dinosaur are towering faux wood trusses, built like mine supports and encircling the 375 square foot retail space. Faux rock panels complete the display; mimicking real rock and brick and adding crisply vivid texture to the walls.

The result, as you can see from these pictures, is incredible – a beautiful display that makes you feel like you’re in the heart of an Arizona archeological dig; even while shopping in the middle of New York City’s most famous toy store.

If you have plans to visit New York City any time soon, make sure you check out Astro Kids – and, if you do, we’d love to know what you thought of it. Email us at info@fauxpanels.com.

Drainage mats are invisible beneath the exterior siding; but offer numerous benefits.

Drainage mats are sheets made from recycled polypropylene, which can be installed underneath our artificial stone, rock, wood or brick veneer panels.

There are lots of benefits to using drainage mats. They offer better moisture control, and provide better air quality inside a home by allowing the house to breath. They also help reduce the chance of water leaks in extreme weather, and can even help reduce heating and air conditioning costs by offering an extra layer of insulation.

For these reasons, using drainage mats underneath our siding has become increasingly common throughout the United States; and is now a requirement according to Canadian building code. The good news is, adding draining mats to your installation doesn’t involve a significant amount of extra investment or installation time.

Drainage mats are installed on exterior walls, underneath where you intend to install your faux panels. They can be attached to the wall with construction adhesive and exterior grade staples, to ensure a secure fit. If your home features house wrap, install the drainage mats right on top just as you would to a bare wooden or brick wall.

Installing drainage mats is simple and straightforward.

After installing drainage mats, you simply install the siding exactly as you normally would. Apply construction adhesive to the back of your the panels and attach them straight to the drainage matting. Then secure the panels with screws. One screw per square foot and along the edges and you’re done!

Once your home siding is installed, drainage mats are completely invisible – but continue to offer a number of benefits that will ensure they pay for themselves many times over during the course of the next few years.

For more information about using drainage mats for exterior siding projects, check out this faux panel installation guide – and remember to always refer to your local building codes before you start your installation.

Ugly brick, flaking paint and crumbling plaster made this storefront anything but beautiful.

As you can see from the “before” picture, the storefront Brad was asked to transform had seen better days.

Bare brick walls, flaking paint and crumbling plaster meant that customers were more likely to cross the street than walk inside.

But Brad managed to completely transform the structure by using a combination of traditional exterior siding and our Carlton Fieldstone Wall artificial stone panels – creating a stunning dual-finish effect that makes the vintage building look brand new.

And the best part? Brad’s approach saved both time and money.

Traditional exterior siding was given a twist by using artificial stone panels as a contrasting texture.

Our faux panels are molded from durable high-density polyurethane; and attached straight onto the wall with just a layer of drainage mat in between.

This meant they took just hours to install – as opposed to the days or weeks it would have taken to mount real stone to the building.

Even better, because they’re molded directly from real stone and intricately colored to match, the result was practically indistinguishable from using authentic fieldstone.

The finished result was smart, modern and appealing.

Plus, because our panels cost a fraction of what real stone does (not to mention saving on material and labor costs) the entire project wrapped up well under budget; giving the new store owners an incredible finished store for a very affordable price.

Brad was justifiably proud of his hard work – and we’re excited to be able to share it with you here.

If you have your own faux panels project you think people would be interested in seeing, please be sure to send it to us at info@fauxpanels.com. We’d love to post it!

Ty Pennington and the crew of EMHE used faux brick panels in some of their incredible Joplin building projects.

But the good news is that Friday’s episode promises to be the biggest, best and most tear jerking ever. In this special television event, host Ty Pennington and the rest of the EM:HE crew – including FauxPanels.com and FauxWoodBeams.com president Steve Barron, will head to tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri for a special “Heart of America” episode.

Taking part in Extreme Makeover’s most ambitious project yet, FauxPanels.com and FauxWoodBeams.com will help build seven unique homes for deserving Joplin families – all in just seven days!

“It’s the most inspiring episode Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has ever done – and that’s saying something!” Steve Barron says. “FauxPanels.com and FauxWoodBeams.com are proud to participate in a project that perfectly showcases America’s ability to spring back from any adversity.”

FauxWoodBeams.com and FauxPanels.com are donating materials and expertize to help create five of the seven homes featured in the episode; with each one designed and built to perfectly match the lives and personalities of the families who will be living in them.

FauxPanels.com couldn't be more honored to help those impacted by the devastating Joplin tornado.

One bedroom will be fitted with our Regency Old Chicago faux brick panels; vividly delivering the look and feel of antique brick, but in a form that’s easy-to-maintain, easy-to-install and much more practical than using real brick. It’s also safer. In areas prone to tornado-speed winds, bricks and stones can become potentially lethal projectiles with the power to plunge straight through windows, doors and walls.

Although everybody at FauxPanels.com and FauxWoodBeams.com are very sad that this will be our last partnership with the team of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, we couldn’t be happier or more honored to know that we’ve played a part in their most important project ever; and wish the deserving families of Joplin, Mo. years of happiness and safety in their new homes.

• “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition – Joplin, Missouri” will air at 8 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. CT on Friday, January 13 on ABC. Check your local listings for the time and channel in your area.

Stone veneer panels make this wine cellar look like an authentic French "cave".

Perhaps as a result of this Bordeaux boom (amidst other vintage wine varieties) the number of wine collectors investing in home wine cellars has also seen an uptick – and many of them are choosing to use stone veneer panels in their projects.

Our stone and brick veneer panels are ideal for use in a wine cellar design for a number of reasons.

Perhaps chief amongst them is their aesthetic – it’s possible to recreate the look of a centuries-old wine cellar even in a modern home by choosing products like our Regency Stacked Stone or Oxford Stonewall panels.

Cost for cost, faux panels are also an incredibly canny wine cellar investment. Creating a real stone or brick wine cellar could add tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home.

The Little River Vineyard in North Carolina used our fstone veneer panels to give their new world winery an old world flavor.

Adding a real brick or stone wine cellar to an existing home is very difficult and impractical.

But contrast, faux panels cost a fraction of what real stone or brick would; and the finished product looks every bit as good. You can see for yourself by the pictures posted here, and on our dedicated wine cellar photo gallery.

In addition, the panels are so simple to install many homeowners can complete a wine cellar project themselves.

Any home wine cellar can be enhanced with the use of faux stone panels.

Compare that to the time and effort required to build a home wine cellar using stone or brick. In addition to hundreds pounds of brick or stone, it will require masonry tools, bags of mortar and cement, plus extensive and expensive clean-up work.

Wine purists also love our stone veneer panels because they are 100% waterproof; which is vital for those who use vapor locks and climate controls in their home wine cellars to perfectly preserve their vintage investments.

Our artificial wood panels are also popular for this reason; as they contrast beautifully with the look of stone or brick and are similar waterproof; which real wood isn’t unless it’s specially treated.

Our faux stone panels can be cut with a wood saw, and are flexible enough to even create archways like an authentic wine cellar.

Homeowners have a huge range of options when designing a home wine cellar – and can spend practically as little or as much as they like. Some simply add faux stone panels to a basement to give their home wine bars a classic look.

Others spend thousands on climate control systems that keep the temperature and humidity exactly the same as the cellars of French chateaus or Spanish bodegas. Because of their flexibility, ease of installation and waterproof qualities, stone veneer panels are the ideal choice for both ends of a wine lover’s budget.

Thanks for all your support over the last twelve months. After this exciting year, we can’t wait to see the pictures and project details you guys send us in 2012.

2011 has also seen Faux Panels involved in some really exciting charitable projects – including donating our time and products to deserving families in partnership with top-rated TV shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. That felt really good – giving back to those in need after all our customers have given us.

From the entire Faux Panels team, we’d like to thank you for your patronage, friendship and support over the last year – and look forward to ringing in many more in partnership with you. Please keep reading the Creative Faux Panels blog, and don’t forget to send your pictures and project reports to us at info@fauxpanels.com – we’d love to feature them right here.

Happy holidays, and best wishes for 2012!

Modern appliances and cabinets clashed with dated wallpaper.

Insurance expert Dave Weiner, from New Jersey, is a man who knows how important the small details can be. That’s why he managed to use just a few of our Oxford Ledgestone Faux Stone Panels to completely transform his dated-looking kitchen.

In other stunning kitchen remodeling we’ve been sent pictures of, faux panels often make up just part of the project – complimented by new cabinets and worktops.

However, in Dave’s case both his cabinets and worktops were in great condition and their stylish design meant they hadn’t dated like the floral wallpaper had. He planned to give his kitchen a cool new look while keeping those important elements as-is.

The trick was creating a decorative stone backsplash from our panels. Because they’re molded from durable polyurethane, Dave was able to cut them perfectly to size using a wood saw and that meant they fit seamlessly in the space between the worktops and counter; giving the impression of an authentic stone wall but without having to make any alterations to the design of the existing kitchen layout.

Attaching the panels to the wall was easy – it can be done with regular construction glue, or screws if you prefer. Even better, the panels are 100% waterproof and impervious to damp; so they were ideal for creating a backsplash that was as practical as it was impressive.

Kitchen backsplash completed with decorative stone panels

Dave made one more clever decision when he ordered his panels – he got them fire rated. Many products in the faux panel line can be ordered with fire rated, and in Dave’s case it was perfect for ensuring that whatever appliances he puts up on his kitchen counters – from a toaster oven to a tea kettle – the faux stone panels will stand up to the heat.

The results, as you can see from these before and after pictures, are pretty impressive. Even better, it took just a few panels for Dave to perform this amazing transformation – making the whole process quicker and significantly less expensive that ripping out an old kitchen would have done.

Do you have any similar kitchen remodeling projects you’d like to show us? We’d love to see them. Send your before and after pictures to info@fauxpanels.com and we might even showcase them here!

Dated brickwork, covered in drab paint, put customer Shana into a fireplace funk.

Knocking through the brick wall gave Shana plenty of room to build an in-wall media center.

Framing the new niche with the ledgestone panels gave a beautiful contemporary look for a fraction of the cost of using real stone.

Shana Doctorman, from Oklahoma, was in a fireplace funk. The centerpiece of her living room was a classic stone brick fireplace was that both dated to look at, and an impractical waste of wall-space.

Shana had a definite idea of what she wanted to do with the fireplace – but adding a classic brick façade threatened to be too expensive and impractical to achieve with traditional building materials. Fortunately, fauxpanels.com had the answer.

Instead of refacing the existing brick, or adding a new real brick surface, Shana writes: “We used your Carlton Ledgestone Harvest panels.”

Shana knocked through the brick wall to reveal the empty fireplace space behind, and used that to build a wall niche perfectly sized to accommodate a flat screen TV and cable box. She then framed that with just a few of the Ledgestone panels – cut perfectly to size with a regular wood saw and mounted in minutes with wood screws and a power drill.

“I am thrilled with how it turned out!” Shanna attached before, during and after pictures and you can see for yourself how great the remodel looks. What was even better was that the entire project cost a fraction of what a professional remodel with brick and mortar would have done – and, arguably, looks every bit as good.

If you have a similar story to share, be sure to let us know. We’re always excited to see how our customers make use of our faux stone panels, and would love to feature them here. Email your stories and pictures to info@fauxpanels.com.

The results of Lois and Brian's hard work are impressive.

“When we started work on this customer’s home, it had a deep niche above our fireplace,” write Lois and Brian, of Lois Lee Interior Design. “We didn’t like it, so covered it up.”

“However, after doing so, we felt the wall looked very bare – and we both felt like something was missing. Thank goodness we came across your Faux stones website!” As soon as Lois and Brian saw our synthetic stone, wood, rock and brick veneer panels, they started to think of ways to liven up the dreary wall.

“But coming from absolutely zero experience in hands-on masonry work, we were afraid, intimidated and doubtful about getting the faux stone right,” Lois admits. “Fortunately I contacted your customer service more times than I can count and received excellent service plus quotes immediately.”

“Your customer service representative, Shari, was great in assisting me in every way possible! She gave me the confidence I needed to DIY this project. It was fast, easy, and looks great.”

Even better, unlike using real stone façade, or brick, the preparation required was minimal.

Molded from durable polyurethene, our synthetic stone panels perfectly capture the look and texture of real dry stack walling.

“What’s incredible is that we didn’t even have to move away the huge sofa, which is only a foot away from the fireplace. It stayed there while putting up the faux stones!”

As you can tell from the before and after photos, the results of the transformation are impressive; and you don’t need to take our word for it.

“Everyone cannot believe that it is not real and thought it was professionally done. The only regret I have is not doing it sooner!”

Check out every stage of Lois and Brian’s interior design project below – and if you have similar pictures, make sure you send them to us as info@fauxpanels.com. We might feature them right here!

Lois and Brian had an ugly niche in the wall they wanted to cover up with synthetic panels.

Lois and Brian kicked off their project by covering up the niche, before adding faux stone panels.

Fireplace design complete

America has always been an expanding nation – which is why American homes are traditionally made of affordable, readily available materials like wood. It’s made masonry, stone and brick homes something of a premium; something customer Gary Stelman, from Horsham, Pa., was well aware of.

But when it came to changing the look of his beautiful masonry home, adding a real stone façade threatened to be costly, impractical and time consuming. This is why Gary decided to go another route; with our Wellington Dry Stack Earth color Faux Panels.

Molded from durable polyurethane foam, these panels perfectly mimicked the appearance and texture of real dry stack walling; but at the fraction of a price. Even better, they attached straight to the sides of Gary’s existing home; with just a layer of drainage mat between the wall and the panels to meet building code.

That meant Gary was able to transform his home in just days; and as you can see from the before and after pictures, the results were impressive.

Some of the tricks that gave Gary such incredible results included staggering each row of panels, so the repetition of pattern was hidden and the panels blended together seamlessly. Colored caulk was also used to hide where screws attached the panels; and seam the interlocking panels together.

We regularly receive pictures of our faux panels in action, but Gary’s project was particularly impressive because he transformed the entire exterior of his home. Have you managed to get results that rival his? If so, please send pictures to info@fauxpanels.com. We’d love to see them!

BEFORE: A stucco exterior gave Gary's home a dated look.

BEFORE: Because it was made of masonry already, a stone exterior would add little value; not enough to justify the cost.

BEFORE: The contrasting rooflines offered Gary some potential for creating a unique look with faux panels.

AFTER: Gary kept part of the house in original stucco, to beautifully highlight the new stacked stone veneer exterior.

AFTER: Covering the entire house in stacked stone veneer cost a fraction of using real stone, or a real brick facade.

AFTER: Half the cost of building in stone or brick is labor. Using faux panels gave Gary the opportunity to reface his home in just days.