Painting Paradise
Prepping to Paint
Interior Colors - Which are right for you?
Decorative Paint Techniques You Can Do Yourself
Sponging, rag-rolling, and stippling are a few of the decorative paint techniques that can give your home unique charm and character. Beautiful dapple color effects can be achieved with minimal materials and the most basic instruction. Make sure you wash away any dust, dirt and mildew, fill cracks and holes and prime where necessary before you start for the perfect results.
Sponging
Sponging is a quick and simple technique that begins with the application of a solid base paint color. After the base coat dries, a wash or glaze is applied on top with a dampened sponge to create a mottled look. More than one glaze or wash color can be applied but each layer must be allowed to dry thoroughly before the next application. Beginners may want to try neutral tones of beige and grey or different values of color in the same family for a tone on tone damask effect. Lighter colors are typically applied over darker ones to create depth, but the opposite can be done for more definition and texture. When sponging always use a natural sea sponge instead of a synthetic household type for a more varied and interesting texture.
Ragging and Rag Rolling
These techniques give walls the dramatic effect of crushed velvet, parchment, chamois leather, watered silk or brocade. Begin with the application of a solid color base and allow it to dry. For "ragging on," dip a crumpled cloth in a glaze or wash and blot on the wall. "Ragging off" involves lifting off part of the glaze coat to reveal the under coat. "Rag-rolling on" requires the painter to roll the cloth into a sausage shape of varying tightness. Lightly dip the roll into the glaze and apply to the base coat with a rolling motion. For "rag-rolling off" roll a slightly dampened rolled cloth through the wet glaze coat to reveal the undercoat. Different fabric will create different effects. Popular materials include linen, lace, and burlap, but almost any natural fiber material will do as long as it is clean and lint-free..
Stippling
This technique achieves more subtle results than rag rolling or sponging and can be best described as suede-like. The process starts with the solid base coat which can be either a light or dark tone. After the base coat dries, begin working from one side of the wall to the other, applying a different color topcoat (either paint or a wash) in 12" wide strips from ceiling to floor. Working quickly before the paint begins to set, stab at the wet paint with a large soft-bristled brush, removing dots of paint. To keep the brush absorbent, periodically blot the excess paint from the stippling brush. This process breaks up the wall color into a mass of very small dots which lends richness to the finish. Usually stippling involves just two topcoat colors of paint or wash.