Our specialist decoration includes faux finishes such as marbling and woodgraining. It also includes ebonising, gilding and signwriting. In most cases we use traditional materials and techniques to execute these finishes.

We also conserve, restore and reinstate historic decoration. Click Historic Interiors to see these projects.

Due to the volume of work we do with both oil and water gilding please visit our dedicated Gilding page. From here you can follow links to projects. Or you can go directly to the Gilding Projects page here.  

Woodgraining, Marbling and Ebonising

Scumbles and glazes are traditionally made by ourselves to suit the project in hand. We also create sample boards for our clients so they are better able to visualise proposed finishes.

Woodgraining and marbling is often found in historic interiors. We preserve and restore these interiors. To help achieve this architectural paint research (APR) is employed to better understand the history of the surface decoration, it also facilitates exact colour matching. To view other APR examples click here and to view our woodgraining restoration projects click here.

Woodgraining

Faux finishes such woodgraining and marbling can transform an interior or an object. Below shows an example of the transformation of 1930’s double doors in a traditional setting.

Faux finishes have been applied since ancient times. The process is relatively straightforward using oils. Exquistite replications of woods and marbles can also be achieved using powder pigments with beer and vineger and other binders. In history urine has laso been used as a binder.

Below samples from left to right; light, medium and dark oak woodgraining with various brush, comb and figuring work.

Below, variations of Pollard Oak.

Below, Birds Eye Maple, Satinwood, Walnut, Flame Mahogany and Silvered Grey Oak.

Marbling

The creation of porphyry, a granite with coarse grained crystals. This finish can be created on various backgrounds. Here it is applied using oils and two fitches.

Below left is a tortoiseshell finish and a selection of marbles.

Ebonising

Ebonising is the application of numerous ‘black’ layers on a surface and then polished to a desired sheen. We carry out traditional ebonising using oils and we have also created a variation that requires less applications and less time to complete, although this version is more on the blacker side. We make this paint to order. Both types of ebonising produces a lovely polished finish.

Heraldic Decoration

Heraldic colour and decoration is applied here to Dick Reid’s OBE apprentice piece, The Merchant Taylor’s coat of arms. The painting on the left and the carved wooden apprentice piece has the correct heraldic grammar, polychromy and gilding applied.

Signwriting & Decorative Schemes

We also carry out traditional signwriting, create decorative schemes and designs for contemporary and historic interiors.

Stencilling

We use manilla card for our stencils which are hand cut on a zinc plate.

Gilding

Due to the volume of work we do with both oil and water gilding please visit our dedicated Gilding page. From here you can follow links to projects. Or you can go directly to the Gilding Projects page.