| Decorative painting techniques
Decorative painting is fun, easy and the results can be amazing. It is
a great way to express your style and be creative, giving a room or piece
of furniture that customized finish. Decorative painting, also called
faux painting, is a form of painting done with almost any type of paint
available at your local paint store. You can use different objects at
home to create different looks; such as featherdusters, sponges, rags,
or plastic bags.
Whatever you do, you will end up with a very elegant and rich look. If
you buy a house that has been abused and the walls are all beat up, decorative
painting can hide those imperfections.
The first step is to prepare the wall that you are going to paint. Remove
all dust, grease or cobwebs using a cleaning solution, TSP mixed with
warm water is a good one. Mildew can be removed using a solution of 1
part chlorine bleach to 4 parts water. Patch all holes and cracks.
Rag rolling gives the wall a subtle marble look giving you textures of
dull to glossy. There are unlimited different color schemes you can use
for faux painting. You will need 3 colors of paint and one glazing liquid.
One color of paint for the base coat of low luster latex enamel (this
color can be white if you want). Once you choose a base color, choose
the colors you will rag roll on top of the base coat. Keep in mind that
when you mix your glaze with these paints it will slightly lighten the
paint color, so choose something that is slightly darker than the desired
look you are going for.
Applying the base coat of paint is the next step.
Using a roller, roll the entire wall with the solid base coat. Once the
wall is dried, you now apply the glaze coats. Using a plastic or glass
container, mix the Glazing Liquid with the contrasting paint colors. The
more Glaze you use the more transparent the contrast. The less Glaze you
use the more opaque the contrast. For your rag you can use a cheesecloth
or an old T-shirt.
Submerse the rag in the first color paint mixed with glaze. Keep a newspaper
handy to dab off excess glaze. Begin dabbing and rolling the rag on your
wall, keep rotating the rag to ensure a random pattern while gently blotting
the surface. Complete small areas at a time, then step back to check your
work. Make sure you have a consistent amount of glaze mixture on the cloth
each time you reload so you do not make big blotches.
If using a second glaze contrast color allow first coat to dry then apply
second coat in the same manner as the first.
Sponge painting is another faux painting technique. It gives a very soft,
mottled look. For your sponge you use a natural sea sponge of a synthetic
sponge made especially for decorative painting. The procedure for sponge
painting is exactly the same as rag rolling, you just use a sponge instead
of a rag.
Faux marble painting can be done in conjunction with sponge painting or
rag rolling. You use a technique called veining on top of the completed
wall that is done with black as the base coat and two different shades
of green sponged or ragged on top. Using an acrylic extender paint in
a very light color, a feather is used in an irregular pattern to make
the veins.
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