Creative Faux Panels

It’s no secret that our wall coverings and siding look great – often better than the real thing. That’s certainly what we hear from our customers, like Jared; who wrote “no one knows they’re not the real thing!” Dean, another customer, boasted: “Most people don’t realize that it is NOT real stone until they are either told or investigate with touch.”

But what’s the secret to our faux panels and siding? How do we get them looking so breathtakingly realistic?

Oxford panels are molded directly from real brick, stone and wood

The first step is to find real brick, stone, wood and timber to copy from. We start with truly beautiful examples of the material we want to copy, and then use state-of-the-art techniques to capture every intricate detail and texture perfectly: persevering them forever in very durable, high-density polymer.

Our techniques allow for an unprecedented level of detailing; right down to pits and chinks in each individual brick and stone. Our customers aren’t exaggerating when they say it’s almost impossible to tell them apart from the ‘real thing’ by looks alone.

Following molding, we color them in a variety of natural-looking shades that are practically impervious to color degradation. This allows you to keep exactly the same color and texture no matter how many square feet you intend to cover – something that’s not always possible or practical when using real stone or wood.

It’s this painstaking production process that results in the incredible realism of our wall panels – practically indistinguishable from the ‘real thing.’ What does set them apart, however, is their practicality.

Norwich panels are carefully colored to resemble authentic stone or wood

Ease of installation and affordability mean you can bring the classic elegance of stone, brick or wood to parts of your home you could never do with ‘real’ wood or stone. In addition, our panels are completely impervious to the elements – something that real wood paneling, and even some brick or stone, isn’t.

This gives you immense flexibility in where to install them – from the exterior of your home to a shower, bathroom or basement. To added piece of mind, our Oxford and Norwich lines can be purchased in Fire Rated (other lines can be Class A fire rated as well, depending on the volume you’re purchasing.)

So it’s worth remembering that our faux panels don’t just look ‘as good as the real thing.’ In many ways, they’re actually superior.

Batman's Secret Lair

It was Batman who created the original “man cave” during his comic-book adventures in the 1940s. A subterranean lair, deep beneath stately Wayne Manor, it was where Batman could solve crimes, tinker with the Batmobile and, on a Sunday night, watch the big game with Superman, Aquaman and The Flash.

Today, you don’t have to wear tights to have your own cave. In fact, an increasing number of homeowners have set aside a corner of the house – most commonly the basement – to be a “male only” space;  where husbands can slink away to play poker with their buddies. CNN even published an article suggesting that a man cave is an essential ingredient to a happy marriage:

“Separate time is important,” says marriage counselor Steve Brody, a clinical psychologist from Cambria, California. “A good relationship has both intimacy and independence. Man caves may just be the 21st-century wrinkle to it.”

But creating a unique man cave design is a challenge – one in which stone veneer panels can prove invaluable.

Going Caveman

“Part of the appeal of a man cave,” said Pat, a homeowner we spoke to, “is that it’s a uniquely masculine space. There aren’t any throw pillows, china ornaments or frilly curtains – none of the stuff my wife insists on having in the rest of the house.”

“My man cave is in the basement,” he explained, “so the first thing I wanted to do was give it a real ‘cave like’ atmosphere. Stone veneer panels were perfect for that.”

Regency Stacked Stone

This is why Pat chose to line one entire wall of his man cave with Regency Stacked Stone Veneer Panels, in realistic Earth tone. It gave appearance of rough, hand-stacked stone and instantly delivered an evocative, subterranean atmosphere.

“The great part was that I could install them myself,” Pat explained. “In fact, it took me just a day to put the panels up, and I could even cut them to shape myself with tools I already had in the garage.” He installed them with nothing more than a combination of construction glue and strategically located screws – and less than a day later, had transformed his boring basement into an authentic looking “manturary” any self-respecting caveman would be proud to call home.

Pub Life

Another man caver, David, moved to America from Great Britain about fifteen years ago. When he set about transforming the basement of his split-level ranch into a man cave he had a different set-up in mind.

“I wanted to recreate the look and feel of the old pubs I went to when I was younger,” he explained. “After all, our basement mostly gets used when my friends come over to drink beer and watch sports.”

To that end, David created a stylish wooden bar from scratch, and added shelves, a dart board and even a kegerator tap to pour fresh, foaming beer straight from the barrel.

To complete the look of the classic English pub, David chose to line the walls in a mixture of  a Dark Red Oxford Brick Veneer Siding and Oxford Rustic Barnwood Artificial Panels.

“Most of the pubs in London were built in the Victorian days,” David explained, “you have a lot of red brick and dark, aged wood.” He used the Barnwood Panels to complete the bar area of his man cave and the Brick Siding to give his plasterboard walls the appearance of aged London brickwork.

Dark Red Oxford Brick

Again, the panels made installation easy:

“Although I did get my friends to help,” David admitted. “After all, some of them are over my place so often, it’s almost as much for their benefit as mine.” The only time they swapped the veneer panels for the real thing was a section of hardwood surrounding the obligatory dart board – while the Oxford Siding and Panels are made of hardy polyurethane, David was the first to admit he didn’t want to poke holes in them.

“And after a few pints, my aim isn’t all that good.”

In both Pat and David’s examples, the strategic use of brick, stone (or wood) veneer panels helped them create an undeniably masculine man cave within a very short time frame – and with a budget that’s just a fraction of what it would have taken with real brick and stonework.

New styles, new colors, new projects, oh my! It was a year of creative abundance and renewal in all things Faux, and as the very successful year of 2010 winds down, we can only look forward to what’s in store for us and our customers’ homes and projects in the upcoming year. There’s so much that happened, it’s hard to encapsulate – but here’s a snapshot of what was a very merry year of Faux Panels.

New Lines and Styles

	Cambridge Panels
	Carlton Fieldstone
	Nailon Stone Wall Siding
	Raised Grain Panels
	Wellington River Rock Panels
	Windsor Random Rock Mailbox
	Woodland Panels
	Universal Accessories

New Colors for Old Favorites

New color choices were added to the ever-popular Carlton and Norwich lines, making it even easier to find the right faux panels for your design project, indoors or out. Harvest, Desert Sky, and Smoke are now available on Carlton’s Cobblestone, Ledgestone, and Castle Rock styles, while Norwich’s Colorado Stacked Stone is now available in Toasted Vanilla.

Ledgestone in Harvest

Cobblestone in Desert Sky

Castle Rock in Smoke

Stacked Stone in Toasted Vanilla

To see all the new customer projects, head over to our photo gallery and testimonials pages which just keep getting bigger! We hope the best for you in 2011 and can’t wait to see what you can accomplish with Faux Panels this year.

We’ve seen a lot of design projects at FauxPanels.com over the years. We’re always thrilled to see the new ways our customers have used faux panels in their homes or businesses, sometimes incorporating them in ways we never dreamed of.

This project in particular made us wag our proverbial tails. This month the “Fauxny Award” goes to Jerry Floyds of Knobs, Indiana. Mr. Floyds is in the business of constructing small outbuildings and was presented with a particular challenge using faux brick panels.

Wanted to send you a snapshot of the specialty dog barn that was constructed using your product. Because my customer had a neighborhood covenant requiring all out-buildings to look like his existing home (even a dog house) we used your Oxford panels to make the dog’s home look like his masters! Very impressed with the quality and ease of installation and I look forward to using this product on other small out-buildings that I produce. – Jerry D. Floyds

“Ben” is a lucky dog. If you need more design ideas suited for the 2-legged variety of occupant, take a browse through some of the other project photos we’ve received.

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