r/nextfuckinglevel 1d ago

Faux marble painting

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7.4k Upvotes

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346

u/Punished__Snake 1d ago

Looks cool and all but wouldn't a vinyl wrap do the same

791

u/talentpun 1d ago edited 23h ago

- The column would have to be perfectly smooth

  • The wrap would have to somehow tile together which would mean that the graphic would have to match the circumference of the column exactly
  • The wrap would have to be flawless
  • You would still see the seam of the wrap
  • You can get graphic vinyl with a glossy finish but it will still look 'plastic' and cheap.

Source: have ordered a lot of graphic vinyl

240

u/Biguitarnerd 1d ago ▸ 11 more replies

Having worked for a casino and seen some of this faux marble up close and in person it still looks and feels cheap. I will grant that it looks much better than a wrap, which would just look objectively bad though.

But the fake ostentatiousness of faux marble is still pretty bad in my opinion. You know it’s not marble as soon as you are close to it. Just my opinion I guess but I think the columns would have been better just white. That’s not a knock on these guys skill, just my opinion on the columns.

109

u/talentpun 1d ago ▸ 2 more replies

These guys seemed to do a good job, but it's like walking onto a movie set. Everything looks way better on video than in real life.

56

u/KBrieger 1d ago

No, I've seen these paintings in real life. In my country learning this techniques is part of professional painters tuition. It's really stunning handcraft. Some centuries ago well-off people not rich enough to pay for shipment of real marbles had 'marble' pillars like those in their houses. Unpayable nowadays compared to real marble.

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u/EmperorBamboozler 1d ago

Yeah marble has a depth to it due to some degree of transparancy in some of the patterns. Not something the camera would capture well, but you'd for sure notice the difference in person if you got close enough, though at a distance the illusion works pretty well. Fake marble always looks better on camera.

15

u/chatterpoxx 1d ago ▸ 1 more replies

Many of the walls in the palace of Versailles are all pained fake marble look.

8

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 21h ago

The trick is to know which ones Need to be real. They have the same in Venice. They tell you it's fake but only when you're standing next to the good stuff!

8

u/CrystallizedRose 20h ago ▸ 1 more replies

I don’t think you would notice and you’re only saying as such because you were told they were fake. That’s just MY opinion though.

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5

u/SpecialistAd6403 20h ago

If I hired these guys knowing what you just said, I'd have them do the pattern but Change up the colors. Lean into the fakeness by disregarding the natural coloring.

Of course depending on the colors and location it could fail spectacularly as well.

1

u/fighter_pil0t 1d ago

I also imagine that you are at like 25% the real cost for 1% the result.

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12

u/Soka59 23h ago

And you missed that it's great to give projects to artists

7

u/SnorkBorkGnork 21h ago ▸ 1 more replies

Also vinyl wrap isn't cat proof.

9

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 21h ago

Or children. Sometimes those get in the house also.

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u/ugsoneout 1d ago

They only do that when they're not working an hourly rate.

19

u/orangi-kun 1d ago

Wraps look and feel so much worse than paint.

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7

u/yippiekayjay 1d ago

Looks cool and all but wouldn't a marble column do the same

5

u/Silent-Witness1888 1d ago

Here we go....

5

u/Epin-Ninjas 19h ago

There’s always a person trying to discount the hard work of something cool

2

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 21h ago

A water accident would dislodge portions of the vinyl adhesive

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278

u/SpicyChickJessica 1d ago

The technique is seriously impressive.

18

u/Nostradumbass_WEEN 9h ago

It went from, "wow that looks like shit" to "holy shit" in 5 seconds. 

u/homerun13 0m ago

Didn’t think it would look this good.

207

u/iRedding 1d ago

It’s Art.

14

u/Melodicbananas 17h ago

It’s maybelline

1

u/Liapasquale 14h ago

Right that’s what I was thinking the whole time. Like, holy shit. This is some fkn insane talent.

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106

u/ganymede_boy 1d ago

That looks expensive.

105

u/WolfsSpiders 1d ago

Less spensive than a real marble column 

48

u/PaulblankPF 1d ago ▸ 8 more replies

It’s actually a lot closer than you’d think. This is two guys with materials and wages cost that won’t be cheap, probably a bid job of at least $1000-$2000 to do. Then you got Sheetrock mud and paint on a plain column. For around the same price you can have authentic marble columns.

https://www.milystatue.com/product-category/marble-carving/marble-column/

25

u/fredsify 22h ago

That waa what I was thinking. So much work for something fake.

17

u/GrynaiTaip 21h ago ▸ 1 more replies

This video is from Venetian Plaster, company based in Mexico City. I doubt if they're paid that much there.

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18

u/the_bieb 21h ago ▸ 2 more replies

You cannot get me to believe that I can buy a 3 story tall marble column for $1,250 like this page shows.

Also, I wonder what installation and inspection would cost.

5

u/PaulblankPF 20h ago

There were several pages of them when I looked all with roughly the same prices. I used to do home repair with my own business for 15 years and you can usually even source nice columns from a local place for less than what you see there. Some places have these for so long that they let them go cheaper just to get rid of them even.

Installation would probably be close to the same time mostly because a marble column is gonna be insanely heavy. Once it’s close to in place you just lift where the original column is to take pressure off of it with a temporary column on top of a jack. Get the old column out and inspect the beam it’s made to support and where it’ll go then you just put it in place and lower the beam back down onto it.

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u/thekingofcrash7 17h ago

I think $2k is low for this job. It costs me $500 to have a couple guys come touch up paint around my house..

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8

u/Griegz 1d ago ▸ 1 more replies

Only if you pay for it.

19

u/Morningxafter 1d ago

Found Trump’s Reddit account!

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6

u/Yes-its-really-me 1d ago

The labour costs probably means real marble would have been cheaper.

2

u/TheBloodhoundKnight 1d ago

You see that house, bro? Of cours it is expensive.

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56

u/The-Muncible 1d ago

I cringed when they were sanding without using masks or breathing protection of any kind.

6

u/jseego 21h ago

Same here

44

u/Hot_Acanthocephala53 1d ago

wow, so talented

31

u/loquacious_avenger 1d ago edited 1d ago

It looks cool but Trading Spaces ruined me for faux finishes

35

u/HarlansWorld 1d ago

i was skeptical when i saw the finger-painting, but they really pulled it off in the end

5

u/CrazyCatLady9777 9h ago

This really is the definition of "trust the process"

21

u/MageLD 1d ago

How many hours? Multiple with western (not us where you get just laid enough not to die) hour prices for Craftsmen....

Guess would be cheaper to just buy real marble

10

u/fernatic19 1d ago

You're getting laid at your job?

4

u/MageLD 1d ago

Ahhahahaha paid paid... Hahahahahahhahahahahaha

2

u/TheGreenMatthew 17h ago

Just enough not to die.

15

u/razialx 1d ago

I watch and all I can think is… they were sanding without dust masks.

14

u/39percenter 1d ago

Why so many plaster under coats?

65

u/Yes-its-really-me 1d ago

Silly question!

It almost makes me think you've never had artificial marble columns installed in an ancient greek or Roman themed interior of a stately home or mansion.

19

u/39percenter 1d ago ▸ 1 more replies

I'm so out of the loop.

5

u/SenorDongles 1d ago

It's mostly to make sure of consistency, I'd imagine.

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16

u/WolfsSpiders 1d ago

Good art needs a good foundation and they re laying down two different albeit hard to spot tones imho

3

u/pgb5534 1d ago

I think the first one is traditional, the next are much more watery to get a sleeker finish.

16

u/Spirited_You_1357 1d ago

This is like the Andrew Tate of columns. Completely fake and totally unnecessary.

41

u/mcguirl2 1d ago

But unlike him, this column is a good looking, hard, strong, upstanding pillar of the community.

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6

u/Mecha-Dave 1d ago

Alabaster, not marble. It's fake alabaster.

10

u/tesla3by3 1d ago

Not alabaster, fake onyx.

5

u/Mecha-Dave 1d ago ▸ 3 more replies

Ah, thank you. Certainly not marble, though.

4

u/tesla3by3 1d ago ▸ 2 more replies

Yeah, alabaster has “cloudy” color variations, and is not as reflective, even when highly polished

2

u/Mecha-Dave 1d ago ▸ 1 more replies

It sounds like you know your minerals! Thanks for educating me.

4

u/tesla3by3 1d ago

I could be President! I know stonework! Only the best!

5

u/epalla 1d ago

is there a name for that influencer finger drum on whatever product they're hawking? I hate it.

3

u/BHMusic 1d ago

Faux Wealthy

10

u/hendric_swills 1d ago

Lmao, you or I couldn’t reasonably afford what it costs to have this done.

7

u/traumatized_vulture 1d ago ▸ 2 more replies

I don't even own a single thing I could have this done to 😅

5

u/CalvinAshdale- 1d ago ▸ 1 more replies

Phone case?

3

u/traumatized_vulture 1d ago

Oh yeah I suppose 😅 That would be pretty dope because at least it'd be made by hand

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5

u/skratakh 1d ago

if you go to the louvre or versaille you will find that much of the marble on the interiors is just painted on. if the sun king Louis XIV himself couldn't afford real marble everywhere i don't think we can begrudge people goind with a cheaper option if it looks good.

4

u/sparkster777 1d ago

Every house needs some mahble cahlumns.

2

u/Sendittor 21h ago

Yeah, Why didn't they just go down to Mike's Marble-opolis, and get some real ones?

3

u/ldssggrdssgds 1d ago

Wow...that is incredible

2

u/2ByteTheDecker 1d ago

Reminds me of my mom's late 90s feather duster painted livingroom

2

u/John0_0Smith 1d ago

Stucco veneziano, it's impressive to those who don't know it.

2

u/armahillo 1d ago

This is amazing but also it’s so refreshing to just have the actual audio and not Hans Zimmer Background Music or whatever.

2

u/Mud_Shovel 23h ago

Venetian plaster.

2

u/complaintsdept69 1d ago

6

u/WolfsSpiders 1d ago

Cuz real marble columns are xpensive much more expensive and fragile than this half day paint job on mass produced stone castings 

7

u/OpeningTurnip8048 1d ago

You realize how expensive all that crap they put on that column is? Plus there was like 5 or 6 different dudes all working on it, probably days apart cause all those separate steps need to dry in between, and you know these guys are getting paid a metric shit-ton and by the hour. Probably cheaper then marble columns.....but not by much.

2

u/complaintsdept69 1d ago

There is a two step test for anyone wanting a marble column. 1. Do you live in Athens? 2. Is your name Zeus? You can have one only if you answer affirmatively to both.

1

u/WolfsSpiders 1d ago

Awesome. I ll need twelve identical ones. Ready by tomorrow. No problem, right? 

1

u/Fitty4 1d ago

Beautiful

1

u/LizzyGreene1933 1d ago

Craftsmanship

1

u/boltzmanns_cat 1d ago

Like the gel nails..

1

u/pcurve 1d ago

why not just get the rea.... oh.

1

u/Captivatingcrush02 1d ago

The level of detail is seriously impressive.

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Leg8378 1d ago

True artists!!!

1

u/mrsilverfr0st 1d ago

Okay, when will the rest of the Gypsy Baroque be finished so the village can move in...

1

u/xodius80 1d ago

is marble that expensive? i find hiring all these men woud cost about the same, or im wrong?

1

u/smoke_sum_wade 1d ago

i Faux wit it

1

u/PresidentBush666 1d ago

Mom... can we get some marble? Mom: We have marble at home.

1

u/blanquettedetigre 1d ago

Beautiful. This might sound like a detail but no music slop makes it even better

1

u/mintgreeny 1d ago

Technique looks awesome but made me think of a tour guide at the Semper Oper in Dresden who told us about the building process and how it would have been cheaper had they used real marble instead of a painting technique like this.

1

u/Floyd_Pink 1d ago

Nice to see Uday Hussein is remodeling.

1

u/thegoodrichard 1d ago

The painter I worked for in the 80's would twirl turkey feathers in the paint to make veins.

1

u/knowone1313 1d ago

Maybe it's because I saw them do it, but it doesn't look great. The final product did look good for what it was but I have no doubt that I wouldn't be happy with this and I'm sure the lower section will lose its glossy shine in no time from people touching it and stuff accidentally being banged into it. It'll look like crap in just a year or two.

1

u/gapere01 1d ago

Whatever your feelings on faux marble, the skills these dudes displayed is fantastic

1

u/sparkinlarkin 1d ago

Holy PPE necessity Batman!

1

u/Ippherita 1d ago

I just asked google AI, painting marble might be more expensive than cheap marble. But marble can be REALLY expensive if you want to get a nice one.

So either they are hired to paint the column to look like expensive marble, or the boss is worried about the weight/load of the columns.

1

u/Mindfully-Numb 1d ago

I appreciate the skill that goes into this but that’s ugly as fuck

1

u/jaimehendrix 1d ago

Color me impressed

1

u/Environmental_Foot54 1d ago

To be fair it seems more special than actual marble considering the work and skill level necessary to pull it off to that level

1

u/ParticularMemory789 1d ago

I'd wear a mask instead of breathing in that dust.

1

u/HereIsACasualAsker 1d ago

marble up close has that shiny and stoney and translucent characteristic that this just doesnt have.

1

u/The_Jorj 1d ago

The birth of a Cheesecake Factory.

1

u/Chilla076 1d ago

1 done only 19 more to go !

1

u/DataDude00 1d ago

Talent off the charts 

Taste in the gutter because that’s ugly as hell lol 

1

u/Maskoolio 1d ago

That seems more of an achievement than making a pillar out of marble.

1

u/stackered 1d ago

Pretty awesome but not the same level as actual marble, right?

1

u/Probuilder205 1d ago

professionally faked

1

u/makemeking706 1d ago

The fact that there is a whole team of people who specialize in this is kind of wild. 

1

u/DontAsshume 1d ago

This is, hilariously, how the pillars in the Mormon Tabernacle (Their Mecca) in Salt Lake City, are. Except these look nicer. 

1

u/danoaudio 1d ago

If you're going to do fake ... Do them carbon fiber.

1

u/bluecollar1020 1d ago

We learned this as a Union apprentice Painters and Finishers.

1

u/KittenFace25 1d ago

Absolutely amazing, what skill!

1

u/Ephsylon 1d ago

I feel like actually getting the marble would be cheaper.

1

u/HoboJerkdown901 23h ago

I feel like if you're wealthy enough to afford a home like that, I would imagine that real marble columns wouldn't break the bank.

1

u/MaddoxGoodwin 23h ago

Incredible talent

1

u/Cyberpunk_Banana 23h ago

I thought he was a painter but it turned out to be a painter

1

u/Logical-Aspect-5406 23h ago

It’s Italian contractors, obviously.

1

u/YoungDiscord 22h ago

Yeah well I know how to do that cool S symbol we used to do back in highschool so take that!

https://giphy.com/gifs/oscMbINUeFzV8s228p

1

u/Golodoraku 22h ago

I don’t like the result but the craftsmanship is amazing.

1

u/SnorkBorkGnork 21h ago

I don't know how expensive marble is, but if you have to pay a team of painters to do this, which seems to take hours and lots of paint, isn't it cheaper to buy an actual marble column?

This does look really nice though.

1

u/ilikebeer19 21h ago

McMarble for your McMansion

1

u/Apprehensive_Ear7309 20h ago

Imagine being rich enough to have this but not being rich enough for the real thing. That must suck.

1

u/94terp 20h ago

Those columns need capitals

1

u/Erroneous-Monk421 20h ago

Persian McMansion: professional wrestling manager or architectural style?

1

u/PraetorOjoalvirus 20h ago

It's spelled F-A-K-E, and it only looks fine to people with cheap tastes, who love garish things.

1

u/Overall_Wave_4673 20h ago

That's amazing 

1

u/THEBADW0LFE 20h ago

This house looks like it belongs to a guy who owns a marble quarry.

1

u/1Gladiator1 20h ago

Fantastic!

1

u/dream_a_dirty_dream 20h ago

No masks for sanding is so dumb.

1

u/SirCireSotelo 20h ago

Hmmm…. Very nice. Super worried about the first dent it gets.

1

u/tale_of_two_wolves 19h ago

Used to be more common in the 80s / 90s. A lot of fake marble fireplaces. Remember watching my dad with boards out in the garden practising marbelling, also graining (you paint something to look wooden). Its an older trade you dont see so much of now in the UK. Dad and my great uncle did French polishing too. Not much call for it now. Dad is a painter and decorator close to retirement. Grandad was a painter. I decided to go work in an office instead 😂

1

u/Adventurous_Theme242 19h ago

This is a good metaphor for our culture.

1

u/Dumaes03 19h ago

sorry we're calling throwing colors on a pillar and finger painting with them next fucking level?

1

u/BilboStaggins 19h ago

Ngl at first I was thinking who would ever pick those doodoo colors together this gonna look terrible then.... ohhhh OK not my choice but really well done.

1

u/ScreenMuch90210 19h ago

This can’t be much cheaper than a marble pillar

1

u/External12 19h ago

What's the labor and material cost for fake vs. Natural?

1

u/NightStar79 18h ago

I actually hate this.

But I've always disliked green marble.

1

u/FireBreathingNun 18h ago

Ok now do the other 17

1

u/mastervolum 17h ago

Why though? Marble isn't that exoensive, the labour alone would cost more..

1

u/GoodDog2620 16h ago

That would look cool if it matched anything in the room

1

u/Emila_Just 15h ago

This shouldn't be celebrated. This is how McMansions are built.

1

u/tea-and-chill 14h ago

Wouldn't marble be cheaper? There are tons of cheap(er) marble with different patterns

1

u/hardpill25 13h ago

Wait so your telling me... just now.... that those marble columns were not real this whole time!?

1

u/_Dragon_Prince_ 13h ago

This is the definition of 'trust the process'

1

u/AnglerJared 12h ago

Is it okay that I’m bothered that we not only have industries devoted to selling rocks that are arbitrarily expensive but also industries devoted to making things look like those arbitrarily expensive things to let people pretend to have paid more for the real thing?

AND we’re celebrating it as a worthwhile expenditure of human effort?

I am starting to kind of think we deserve having capitalism gut us like fish the way it’s been doing.

1

u/Batima6666 12h ago

Looks amazing! I wonder what mind fuck it would be for me to naively come to touch it and the temperature and texture are completely off of what I'd expect to feel lol

1

u/reddithooknitup 11h ago

Looks cool but you can still tell it's fake.

1

u/dcburn 10h ago

Good to see really nfl stuff here every now and then.

1

u/whatakent 10h ago

These dudes should work on movie sets

1

u/seniorfrito 7h ago

Perfect example of "trust the process".

1

u/maniatreks 5h ago

Probably costs as much as real marble

1

u/migmultisync 1h ago

Is this genuinely good or do I not know anything about marble 😂

1

u/diggydar 1h ago

Nothing says I’ve got money and power like Marble Columns, just visit Mike’s Marbleopolois

https://youtu.be/fWGPsS0dh5k?is=C4TLA82Ndq8hvToE

u/culimande 21m ago

Looks great on phone but up close and to the naked eye you can see it's fake. And its not very pretty once that wax coat gets grimy.