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Greensboro News Record

Lisa Cox has created a tool of a different stripe.

It's called Fast Faux, and it's made for people who want to paint their walls to resemble striped wallpaper. The Fast Faux kit, which sells for $36, is available in five Sherwin-Williams paint stores in Greensboro, High Point and Thomasville.

The kit's main tool is a giant, clear, flexible ruler with built- in levels. Homeowners hold the ruler to the wall, pencil along the edges, tape the lines, sand and paint. They also can use it to make squares and diamonds.

"This is a one-of-a-kind patented product," Cox says. "I made it so anyone who'd never done stripes could pick it up and use it."

Frustration drove the Greensboro woman to create Fast Faux. A faux painter for years, she had used plumb lines, chalk lines and levels to create stripes for her customers.

"It took forever," Cox says. "I kept thinking, 'There's got to be a faster way.' "

Then one night in the bathtub, the idea came to her. She teamed with local builder Dwight Stone to develop the kit, which includes the ruler, tape, sandpaper, a pencil and an instructional video.

Now, Cox's representatives are pitching the product to Lowe's and Home Depot stores, as well as the QVC shopping channel.

Cox will demonstrate the tool Sept. 10-12 at the Greensboro Southern Women's Show in the Special Events Center of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex (Booth 308). She plans to open a faux painting studio at 1613 Friendly Ave. in October.