Color Washing Your Walls
The unique and artistic look of color washed walls is a simple and remarkable way to transform the look of your home. Color washed surfaces work for a variety of décor, giving new backdrop to old-world, modernistic, and contemporary design elements.
It is a technique that many residential painting contractors are familiar with. An experienced painting contractor can give a mesmerizing and welcoming color wash to any wall in your home.
How to Color Wash Your Walls
It is helpful to think of color washing as the simultaneous exposure of several different layers of paint. The effect relies on a base color that fully covers a wall. Over this initial coat, a thin glaze color is painted with a semi-solid method that allows the base coat to be seen in un-patterned intervals across the painted surface.
Color Washing Materials
Before you get started, make sure you have the tools you’ll need to get a color washed wall that meets your expectations.
You’ll need:
- A paint roller.
- A regular paint brush.
- A softening brush. A piece of fabric, cheesecloth, or sponge will also do in a pinch, although a softening brush is designed for the job and will give you superior results.
- A palette of two or three paints with colors that complement each other. Select one color as your base coat, and use the additional colors as the top coat(s). One popular effect is achieved by using different shades of the base coat color.
- A can of glaze to mix with your top coat color(s). Glaze helps the base coat come through the mottled top coat colors.
Painting with Color Washing Techniques
There is no right way to color wash your walls. Everyone does it a little differently. Color washing is definitely more art than science. Once you get started you will develop a method that works for the look you like best.
Below is a list of the basic steps to follow when color washing. Add your own tricks and techniques as you go:
- Apply the base coat. This is as straightforward as it sounds. Simply paint the entire surface of the wall you are color washing with the paint you have chosen are your base coat. Use a good primer, cut in around the edges and use your paint roller to fully cover the wall. Use at least two coats of paint to cover the wall, and allow it to thoroughly dry before moving on to the next step.
- Mix your top coat with the glaze. Glaze gives a subtle element of transparency or translucency to your paint and lengthens its drying time, giving you more time to spread and mottle it to your liking.
- Use your paint brush to slash colors of the glazed top coat to the base coat. Make two more more intersecting slashes of top coat to the dry base layer. Try to fade the edges of the coat as best you can, using your softening brush, fabric, or sponge to further fade the edges. Create as subtle or as dramatic an effect as you like. Continue slashing and fading over the surface of the wall until you are finished. If you are applying more than one top coat, make sure to leave enough space between your slashes for another color. Be random and un-patterned with your brush strokes, creating a natural-looking color wash on your wall.
Additional Tip:
It helps to start at the top of your wall when adding the glazed top coat and work down. This prevent dripping and allows you to get the hang of color washing before you get to the more noticeable center section of the wall.
Hopefully these color washing tips will help you create the beautiful and unique look you want to achieve in your home.
Zenith’s professional painting team is always available to answer your questions at 800-381-4601 and we can get you started with a free estimate.
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