{{unreferenced, date=August 2007 Rag painting or ragging is a form of

faux painting Faux painting or faux finishing are terms used to describe decorative paint finishes that replicate the appearance of materials such as marble, wood or stone. The term comes from the French word ''faux'', meaning false, as these techniques start ...

using paint thinned out with glaze and old rags to create a lively texture on walls and other surfaces. Ragging can be done as a negative or positive technique. The former involves rolling glaze over the entire surface, and removing it with clean rags to reveal the underlying paint color in a pleasing textural pattern. The latter is accomplished by applying glaze directly to the wall with a rag, and creates a similar pattern. Ragging is a very adaptable finish that can be used in a variety of areas, creating the illusion of an old world texture, but on a flat surface that can be easily painted over. Ragging can be done in a variety of patterns, including rag rolling, in which the rags are twisted together and then rolled over a wet glazed surface creating the illusion of fabrics such a velvet or silk. Ragging is also often used as a pattern underneath stenciling.

See also