Puttin’ On The Glitz!

Get creative! You’ve always wanted to express yourself, here’s your chance. Paint is a great way to indulge your creative side, and beautify your home at the same time. There are many popular decorative paint techniques: sponging, rag rolling, wood graining, stenciling, even marbling for the advanced. Practice first on a piece of wall board or wood. Try a sample, and allow it to dry, before undertaking the whole job.

Here’s a guide to getting the best results first time out.

The quickest way to get a special effect with paint is to choose complimentary or contrasting colours for walls and wood trim.

Sponging is the easiest technique for the novice, and is a good way to enhance sub-standard wall surfaces. More than one colour can be sponged over a base colour, be sure to allow each colour to dry completely before proceeding with the next. Sponging pink over beige, or cream over brown, gives handsome mottled effect. Be sure and purchase a sea sponge or one made for this specific technique.

Rag rolling is rolling an absorbent rolled up rag over the secondary colour, removing some paint and leaving the impression behind. This leaves a exaggerated watered silk effect when using a complimentary colour over a neutral base colour. Ragging off is similar; it is the dagging off of the secondary colour with a crumpled rag, leaving that pattern behind. Remember to fold and re-fold regularly and renew the rags from time to time. Once you begin a wall, it is best it finish in one go to avoid inconsistencies.

Colour washing creates a soft, luminous effect by brushing a thinned down second over two coats of two coats of matte finish base colour. The thin gaze (3 parts water to one of paint) should be brushed on in bold brush with visible brush marks allowing the base to grow through. Smooth heavier brush marks with an extra soft painter’s brush or dusting.

Stenciling is fun, easy and very popular for trims, bored, over doors, even in a pattern, wallpaper like, for entire walls. Use store-bought ready-to-use stencils, cut and use stencils, or your own design. Use linseed oil soaked heavy paper, or acetate, to make your stencil. Using a blunt end stencil brush to stipple on the paint to the opacity you prefer. You may also use spray paint. Children’s room or the kitchen are good places to start. Choose contrasting or complimentary colours, allowing each colour to dry before proceeding. Stenciling may be done over a solid wall colour or any of the above finishes. Make a trail run before undertaking the whole job.

Marbling requires the most skill and patience. Have a piece (or picture) of the real thing nearby for reference, but don’t overdo the realism. The result can be a skillfully built-up effect, or simple streaking of gently rubbed or feathered colour. A simple marble-like effect is often better than a tight, laboured attempt at realism. Oil paint works best, starting with an opaque base coat of the lightest colour in the marble you wish to reproduce. A thin glaze of gray or ochre is next. The first coat of looser pale veining is then added with a sable brush, or goose quill, “fidgeting” the paint. A dry soft brush is then employed to soften and blur the lines. Darker veining is painting on top of these, again softening with a dry brush. When finished and the surface has dried completely a clear, semi-gloss varnish hold be applied to protect the surface.
With all uses of paint simple or complex- indoor or out- remember: it is an aesthetic coating and will not correct construction problems.