Friction surfacing is a new variation of friction stir processing for surface property modification of metallic substrates. There is an increasing body of literature about friction surfacing by deposition of metal from a consumable tool to a solid substrate. Friction surfacing has many potential applications in joining, coating for corrosion resistance, and repair of degraded components. This paper presents a review of the basic principles, the latest research, and process variations with emphasis on material properties, microstructural characterization, and effects of process parameters such as axial force, rotational speed, travel speed, material transfer rate, energy requirement, and tool geometry. Different friction surfacing processes are reviewed of novel tool/substrate configurations for material deposition for non-coating purposes like keyhole filling and joining dissimilar materials. Possible future topics of study for this area are discussed, which include deeper understanding of material transfer through metallurgy and FEM and scale up of the technique for practical application.