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Transform Your Walls From Flat To Vibrant
Have your walls been looking a little dull lately? Perhaps giving them a little color will help spice up the room. But before you begin slathering on bright orange or pasting up busy wallpaper, you may want to look at some of the creative interior paint techniques that help give rooms a unique, well-designed look. Here are just a few of those techniques as well as advice on how to get your desired effect.
- Faux finishes (positive). Faux finishes have a near infinite amount of effects that you can often achieve with something as simple as a few swipes of a rag. They can achieve such effects as stone, marble, clouds, metal, leather, and even denim. A positive faux finish involves applying a layer of paint to a surface using tools other than a paintbrush. One of the most popular positive faux finish techniques is that of sponging. This involves applying a top coat using a sea sponge, which has a dramatic yet natural effect on the look of a room.
- Faux finishes (negative). Achieving a negative finish entails stripping the top layer of paint to expose a coat that lies underneath. Again, you can do this with unconventional tools or materials like rags or swatches of leather. Just remember to keep your technique simple; it is cheaper to do so as well as easier. For example, you can use sponges to remove a top layer of paint for a subtle yet textured effect.
- Crackling. This is not usually used on walls, but rather furniture. It creates an aged look and often goes well with decor schemes that are inspired by elements of previous centuries. The crackling technique is relatively easy. It involves applying a base coat, then a top coat. The color of the top coat should contrast that of the base in order to get the full effect. After you apply these two, you then apply a layer of a crackling agent, which will make the top layer crack in various spots.
- Color washing. This technique can really tone down a base coat, and create a mellow, breezy effect. It involves applying a light topcoat to your base coat wile the base coat is still wet. When you apply a white coat over a pastel color you can achieve an ultra-soft look for your walls.
- Glazing. This paint technique, if done a certain way, can turn a wall to stone- not literally, of course, but it can give your walls the appearance of stone. Glaze is a clear substance that you would apply on top of a textured wall. You can tint it by mixing in a bit of paint- one part color to five parts glaze is a good ratio. The see-through top coat can give the illusion of depth to your walls.
- Stenciling. This is usually done along the edges of a wall, and helps to solidify a theme for a room. Stencil patterns range from landscapes to children's themes to food and wine- basically anything you can imagine. Think chili peppers for a Southwestern kitchen; more abstract patterns for, say, a room ensemble inspired by Morocco. Some stencil patterns get pretty elaborate while others are simple. You can apply these over plain walls or textured walls. Just remember not to overdo it to avoid a cluttered, overly busy look.
The look you want
Getting your desired effect is vital. In order to ensure this, you or your paint contractor need to first test a small, not highly visible spot on your wall to make sure it will come out the way you visualize it. With these offbeat paint ideas your walls can make your room unique, stylized, and inviting.
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