Learn how to paint over faux finishes in your sunroom or other living space with this step-by-step guide. Transform your space with easy tips and expert advice.

If you’ve got a room with a lot of faux finish to remove, this post is for you! My whole house is covered in faux finish and I’ve been going room by room to remove it. Today, I’m sharing my sunroom renovation that has lots of windows and ALOT of faux finish.

Revamping your sunroom by painting over a faux finish can seem daunting, but it’s a highly rewarding DIY project that can completely transform your space.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the entire process, from prepping the surface to applying the final coat of paint. With a few simple steps and the right materials, you’ll achieve a fresh, modern look in your sunroom, making it brighter and more inviting.

Let’s dive into the steps to refresh your faux finish and bring new life to your sunroom or other living space.

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French doors with glass panels lead to a sunny, plant-filled conservatory. The doors are adorned with a leafy design, and the indoor and outdoor areas are separated by the glass, allowing a clear view of the greenery outside – a perfect starting point for your sunroom renovation project.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s amazing what a can of paint can do to a room! After giving you guys the new home tour, you were amazed at all of the faux finishes here at the house.

And to be honest, I’m pretty amazed too!

The craftsmanship and artistry are really incredible. I feel a little bad painting over some of it, but the finishes are a little outdated and are weighing the rooms down.

While I’m waiting for some professional help to repair the badly damaged walls in my dining room, I decided to paint over the faux finish in the sunroom.

And let me tell you, it was no easy task!

There are a lot of windows and there was no surface that was untouched by a faux finish. Painting over faux finish is a little more involved than just painting over a color you don’t like on the wall.

Wait until you see how good the sunroom looks now after painting it! We can actually see the gardens now!

A whimsical wall painting above a window features a bouquet of light pink and white flowers with green leaves tied together with a ribbon. As part of our sunroom renovation, the window offers a view of a sunny outdoor area with stone steps and gravel ground.

Preparing Your Sunroom: Steps Before Painting Over Faux Finish Walls

From the french doors to the interior of the sunroom, there was a heavy faux finish of ivy, flowers, with lots of greens and yellows. There is a whole lot of detail and hard work that went into this room.

It’s really unbelievable that someone hand-painted it all. But it’s so dark. The green clashes with the gray in the adjacent library. The colors in the sunroom don’t coordinate with the beautiful travertine tile. And it drove me nuts that your eye stops at the windows instead of seeing those gorgeous gardens outside.

I’m planning to start my cut flower garden seeds in here pretty soon, so I decided to give it a makeover beforehand.

And what a difference a few cans of paint make! I can’t wait for you to see how good it looks now.

A sunroom with light green walls adorned with floral murals and large windows letting in natural light. The room, a product of a recent sunroom renovation, contains various potted plants, a hexagonal tile floor, and some gardening tools and materials scattered in the center.

Can You Paint Over a Faux Finish?

YES! But surface preparation is the key to success. Sanding, cleaning, and priming are essential to covering up a faux finish. And it can be a bit laborious, but well worth the extra elbow grease.

How Do You Remove Faux Paint from Walls?

Removing faux finish paint from walls is similar to any other surface. It’s all about the preparation before you actually paint it. Invest your time preparing the walls and the faux paint will disappear.

  • Sand it well.
  • Clean all of the dust and dirt off really well.
  • Prime the surface.
  • Then paint!
A sunroom renovation with large windows overlooks a grassy outdoor area. Various green plants are placed inside near the windows. Above the windows, a decorative painting featuring colorful flowers and leaves is visible. Sunlight is streaming through the windows, enhancing the vibrant space.
A bright room with green-toned decorative painting around a glass-paned door and window. A potted plant sits nearby. Through the door's glass, an outdoor patio and garden area are visible. Sunlight streams in, highlighting the yellow and green walls—a perfect setting for your next sunroom renovation project!

Essential Supplies for Painting Over Faux Finish

If you need to paint over a faux finish or textured walls, you’ll need the following supplies.

A person in a green sweatshirt works on a sunroom renovation, sanding a painted wall decorated with green ivy leaves. The person's hand holds sandpaper, smoothing the surface in preparation for painting over the faux finish.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Paint Over Faux Finish Walls

In general, here’s how I painted over the faux finish in the sunroom. And we’ll deep dive into the steps more below.

  • Lay a drop cloth on the floor and cover any furniture you need to protect. Tape off the room.
  • Lightly sand down textured design, unless you don’t mind seeing it through the paint.
  • Prep the walls and room by wiping everything down to remove the dust and dirt. Clean the walls.
  • Apply a good coat of primer to the trim, walls, and window panes.
  • If necessary, sand down any texture you don’t want to see.
  • Apply a second coat of primer if the faux finish needs it. I did a second coat over the heavy art in the sunroom.
  • Then paint the trim, walls and window panes with paint that has a primer base in it to ensure good coverage.

From start to finish, painting the sunroom took me a week to prepare and paint. But I really love the result. So the amount of time spent was totally worth it.

A hand holding a piece of sandpaper is shown sanding a yellow wall that features a painted flower design with red and orange flowers and green stems, demonstrating how to paint over faux finish. The person's ring is visible as they smooth the painted surface.
The image shows a close-up section of a wall with green ivy leaves painted on a textured background. Next to it is a vertical black-striped panel, creating a contrast between the organic leaf pattern and the structured lines of the panel, perfect for inspiration in your sunroom renovation project.
What the ivy design looked like after sanding.
A detailed view of a door hinge attached to a wooden door frame. The door frame is painted white, with the hinge being brass. Adjacent to the frame is a brown ribbed surface, possibly part of a sliding door or wall—a subtle nod to sunroom renovation.
What the ivy looked like after one coat of primer.

Sanding and Cleaning: Essential Preparation Steps

After sanding the designs down with 100 grit sandpaper, I felt each design to see if it felt smooth. Any areas that were not smooth, I sanded again. Once all of the designs were sanded, I wiped down all of the walls and trim with a shop towel and vacuumed up any residual dust before painting.

Prepping for Priming and Painting

I finished taping off the room and did some test areas of primer to see how good the coverage would be. Before priming the whole room, I decided to do two coats of primer on the darker, heavier designs to insure good coverage.

I did not remove the outlet or switch plates because we will replace them.

Since they were all covered in faux finish, I decided to hit them with primer and paint until we change them out.

A sunroom renovation is underway, with partially painted walls and drop cloths covering the floor. Painting supplies are scattered around, and a set of French doors leads outside. The walls show a mix of green and yellow paint, suggesting an ongoing painting project aimed at painting over faux finish.

Priming and Painting: The Final Steps

The faux finish was really heavy in some areas and lighter in others. Some of it was textured and there were a lot of window panes to cut around.

While masking paint can save some time, because I needed to cover a lot of green near the glass it wasn’t worth using it on this project. Because I would have had to have been careful either way.

I also noticed a film on the windows that was coming off in some places, so I decided using a razor to get extra paint off wasn’t a good idea either.

So for my sunroom, I used a small brush to cut around each window pane. It was very tedious but insured I covered the green.

And let me tell you, there was a lot. Every surface in the sunroom had a faux finish on it so I had to ensure it was all covered.

After priming and painting, the walls had better coverage than the trim. And when I paint over faux finish the next time around (because in this house there will be another time), I would do two coats of primer on any trim work before using trim paint.

The darker green faux finish still bled through one coat of primer and 2 coats of trim paint. So I needed to hit the trim again with a third coat in here!

A sunroom renovation is underway with plastic sheets covering the floor and supplies scattered around. Two large potted snake plants are placed near the windows. The wall appears partly painted with green and yellow hues, incorporating a floral design near the ceiling, as they tackle painting over a faux finish.
A hand holding a paint roller applies a fresh coat of white paint to a pale yellow, textured wall. The paint roller is extended forward, covering part of the faux finish with the new white paint as part of a sunroom renovation.
A sunlit room with large windows is in the process of a sunroom renovation. Plastic sheets and painter's tape cover the floor, as paint cans, rollers, and brushes are scattered around. Two large potted plants are placed in the center of the room while experts demonstrate painting over faux finish techniques.
It looks better already and this is only one coat of primer.

After Removing the Faux Finish: Final Touches

Can you even believe this is the same room??? It’s so bright in here now. The gorgeous travertine floors really pop. You can see the gardens from inside the room now. And my houseplants look so much better in here, right? I may or may not keep it this bright white long-term.

But for now, it looks So. Much. Better.

A cozy sunroom renovation features two white armchairs, each adorned with a throw blanket and pillow. A small table between the chairs holds various plants. A round leather ottoman is on the floor, and a wooden "Fresh Herbs" sign hangs above the large windows, perfectly complementing the refreshed space.

Final Thoughts on Painting Over Faux Finish in My Sunroom

While I know the former homeowners spent a lot of time and effort on this work of art, it just did not go well with my aesthetic. The bright green and yellow hues were distracting from the beauty surrounding the space.

I am SO GLAD I took the time to paint over it and love the result. Do you have an indoor space you want to renovate too? I would love to hear more about it in the comments below.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear! And feel free to share this post with anyone you think would find it helpful too.

A collage showing a sunroom renovation. The top section depicts a sunroom with large windows, various potted plants, and a checkered floor. The bottom section shows a hand sanding a surface, preparing for painting over faux finish. Text in the middle reads "Before and After Sunroom" with the website "stacyling.com.

Thank you so much for following along.

Enjoy a beautiful day! xo

Stacy Ling" is written in elegant, cursive text with a watercolor-style pink flower to the left and small green leaves, evoking a charming sunroom renovation vibe.
A sunlit room with large windows showing a snowy landscape outside. Various potted plants, including ferns and snake plants, are placed along the window ledge and on stands. The floor is tiled in a hexagonal pattern—an ideal project for your next sunroom renovation.
A collection of potted plants, including aloe and snake plants, placed on a tiled floor beside a window brightens the sunroom renovation. A cone-shaped, woven basket with a handle stands among the plants. Another woven basket is partially visible in the background.
A bright sunroom with large windows, housing an assortment of indoor plants. Various plants in different sizes and types, including ferns and snake plants, are placed on the tiled floor and a metal plant stand. This inviting space is part of a recent sunroom renovation that achieved a cozy and natural atmosphere.
A bright sunroom renovation with large windows and numerous plants is shown. The tiled floor features a mix of light and dark patterns. Text at the top reads "Before and After - How to Paint Over Faux Finish." At the bottom, there's a profile picture and the URL "stacyling.com".
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Stacy Ling

Stacy Ling is author of the best selling book, The Bricks 'n Blooms Guide to a Beautiful and Easy-Care Flower Garden, and writes the blog Bricks ’n Blooms from her 1850 farmhouse located in zone 6b northern New Jersey. She is a master gardener who’s been gardening for over 25 years and enjoys sharing her passion to help beginners find their inner green thumb, as well as discover a love for all things plants and flowers. Stacy loves to bring the outdoors inside her home and decorates with a comfy, casual, and cottagecore style. Come grow stuff and create beautiful spaces with her.

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30 Comments

    1. I am. I really love how it turned out and the gardens have been brought indoors. Can’t wait to decorate in here and start my seeds for the cottage garden!

      Reply

  3. I have to admit I skipped to the end, the suspense of seeing what the room looks like painted was to much for me! It did not disappoint. So calming…I could sit and stare out those windows for hours. Don’t you wish you could have cut out one of those hand painted flower arrangements on the walls and framed it ?

    Reply

    1. I really did Cindi! I considered painting around one of them too! The finish behind it was too heavy to keep but I’m with you! The details were extraordinary! But I’m glad its white now. I enjoy seeing the gardens and cant wait to start my seeds in here!

      Reply

  4. I am impressed! That was a lot of work to undo a very outdated paint job…..you won’t regret doing it one bit! The house can breathe, plants and the view can be the stars of the show and that floor is stunning. I am afraid primer is going to be your best friend until you get all that faux paint covered! We’ll enjoy to before and the after!

    Reply

  5. Stacy – You have the patience of Job. Wow, what a project and you tackled it like a woman with determination.
    Think you should sell “Stacy go to pills” as all of us would love to have your energy.
    I’m so excited to see what you continue to do in your home and in your gardens.
    So grateful to have found you. You keep us all inspired.

    Reply

    1. You are the best Diana Thank you! It’s so fun having something new and fresh to work on. I appreciate your kindness so much. xo

      Reply

  6. It looks beautiful… the gardens outside are the focal point. A lot of hard work but certainly worth it. Stacy..try BOSS Primer from Dixie Belle Paint. It takes care of those pesky bleed throughs..it really does work. You put it on your piece , then wait overnight then paint with your paint. Your home is going to be a show stopper when you are finished !!!

    Reply

  7. The “before” picture does look a little busy, but as a mural painter, it was such a shame to paint over all the flowers and ivy that was there. Was the painting signed? If it was, it would have been interesting to research the artist. But, the after picture is beautiful, too.

    Reply

    1. None of the faux painting is signed here that I can see. It was done really well and the artistry was really good – so I appreciate the amount of work that went into it. If I could have cut out the faux flowers and used them some other way, I would have – I thought about it. That said, the gardens are so gorgeous here and were unnoticeable in this room. It’s so nice having them brought indoors now. I can’t wait to see it all blooming! Thank you so much!

      Reply

  8. Oh my gosh. It looks so good. And you’re right, now your eye is drawn to the windows and garden beyond. Great job.

    Reply

    1. Thank you! I can’t wait to have more plants and flowers out there. I love that I can see the garden more now. Too pretty not to enjoy from inside the house!

      Reply

  9. Great job on another beautiful renovation. The white looks so clean and fresh and makes the plants and floor pop. Love it!!!

    Reply

  13. So much better! I don’t know that I would have the patience (or physical stamina, lol) to tackle that! The floor really does pop now and I know the view out those windows will be amazing with the beautiful gardens outside this spring and summer. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
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  16. What an am amazing transformation! Painting the room white makes such a huge difference! Perfect room for plants and people! Really beautiful, Stacy!

    Reply