If you've ever dreamt of having smaller, less imposing versions of the massive Italian marble columns that grace much of Rome, read on.

You can transform a wood, plaster, steel or composite column into a masterpiece. In fact, you needn't limit your creativity to columns. Consider turning your walls, paneling, cabinetry, furniture and flooring into art objects by using a decorative painting technique called "faux finishing."

Decorative painting, glazing and faux finishing are techniques that can be used to mimic the look of natural finishes such as marble, granite, stone or natural wood. The striking illusions created by wood graining, marbling and wall glazing are age-old techniques that have been handed down by European craftsmen for centuries.

Other popular wall finishes include sponging with sea sponges, rag rolling and color washing which achieves the illusion of plaster and stone-block walls.

Decorative wall finishes were extremely popular through the 1950s when, coincidentally, subdivision-style construction became the rage. The growth and popularity of wallpaper further caused decorative artwork to become even more obscure, until recently.

Architects, designers and design-conscious consumers are propelling decorative artwork back into the mainstream as a viable alternative. Walls and ceilings, columns, fireplace mantles, doors and moldings are just a few things that are candidates for these finishes.

Whereas wallpaper remains a popular wall finish, it doesn't afford the homeowner the level of creativity and expression that decorative wall finishes do. Moreover, those papers that attempt to emulate marble and wood grain can't hold a candle to the realism of hand-painted surface finishes.

The process is especially useful in renovations or restoration projects where an unusual marble or exotic wood exists.

While the price for this work can be steep (prices range from $3 to $25 per square foot of surface area), compared to the natural finish, it's quite economical. For example a real marble or granite column in your home might cost tens of thousands of dollars by the time you consider the mining and finish of the natural stone and the structural support required for its installation.

The same marble column constructed of a wood or fabricated core and finished with the Marbling technique would be several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars.

Due to demand, classes for the do-it-yourselfer along with much instructional material are available, making the process one that is attainable for most folks.

Some techniques can be done with one coat of standard water-base wall paint and others require special types of paint such as texture paint, glazing paint and/or multiple coats of paint. In any case, texture painting is about as easy as it gets. There are two kinds - light and heavy. For light textures such as stipple painting or shallow swirls, premixed texture paint is OK. For heavy work, purchase your paint in powdered form (25-pound sacks are common) and mix the powder to the consistency that gives the effect you want.

The consistency you will want will depend on the pattern you decide to create. Regardless of the application technique you decide on, the result will be different as the consistency of the texture paint is altered. More water less consistency - less water more consistency.

With texture painting, practice makes perfect. Use old cardboard boxes as a base to get your technique down pat. Texture painting should be viewed just as you would any other painting process. In other words, where you wouldn't paint wood trim with wall paint, you also would not paint wood trim with texture paint. This, of course, is where masking tape can prove to be a help.

Texturing tools are easy to find and include various length nap-paint rollers, paint brushes, whisk brooms, house brooms, concrete trowels, grout trowels, sponges, fingers, putty knives and rakes.

Once the textured surface has dried, consider light sponge painting. The results can be incredible. Dip your sponge in a complementing color, wipe the excess off on the edge of the paint container and begin dabbing gently. Try this on your original test board first. Adding a glaze to the color you selected will lighten it a bit and make it somewhat translucent.

If texture painting seems like too much work, look into pattern painting. There's smooshing, sponging and more. With pattern painting you might decide to use several different colors to create the desired result. Pick the colors and use a sponge to apply the paint. Using water-base paint which dries quickly allows you to use a second, third or fourth color as soon as you have completed the previous one.

Most folks know about sponging, but not so many are familiar with smooshing. Smooshing is where a layer of plastic is laid over a freshly painted surface. The rumpled layer of plastic is pulled away from the wall and a marbling pattern results.

Smooshing requires the use of a paint additive called "glaze." The glaze adds transparency to the paint, and the special effects are interesting to say the least. Makers of fine paints offer "how to" videos and printed materials.