4 Leading Wall Painting Techniques

You know you want to do something interesting with the walls, but you are not sure what exactly. And you’ve never liked the idea of a wallpaper. It’s OK. Even the best wallpaper designs get mixed reviews. Drywall texturing is playful but not for people who put a premium on elegance. If you want something simple but not boring, looking into different wall painting techniques is a great place to start. Every technique has something slightly different to offer and all of them will make the walls more live and enjoyable.

Sampling and Stenciling

They pretty much speak for themselves. You can pick one or a couple of specific designs or shapes, and stencil or stamp them on the walls. The intent is to create an effect that’s very similar to wallpaper. Yet, as you can chose different shapes and places for patterns, the end result is less fixed and more dynamic than wallpaper. Moreover, you are still dealing in paint and you can avoid the appearance of upholstered walls. Usually, the nature of shapes and sizes of the stencil and stamp determines how dynamic your walls will become. But please keep in mind that you can use different tones of the same color or even contrasting colors to minimize or emphasis the design.

Stippling

One of the most subtle wall painting techniques, stippling involves removing or adding various glazes or paints onto the base coat by stabbing the wall with a paint brush. It usually involves stippling the wall in separate 12” vertical sections and using varied glazes for each strip. This creates fine vertical lines in your wall with interesting transitions. The dotted texture of the stabbed brush also creates a richness that many people love. And if you like to experiment, but also need some guidelines in which to work, this can be a great wall painting technique for you.

Sponging

It creates a uniform texture on the walls. Once you have painted the base color, a paint glaze can be sponged in to create a mottled look or a solid glaze can be sponged off before it dries. When you want depth, use a lighter color on top. For a more explicit statement try a darker color on top of the lighter one. For a subtle effect , use two different tones in the same color family. For a more dramatic effect, two different colors will provide an interesting cumulative coloration. And for the best results, use a natural sea sponge instead of a synthetic one.

Ragging

When you look for a more varied and stunning effect, this is the wall painting technique of choice. The process is similar to sponging with one difference - you use a rag. Thus the texture is designed to be less uniform across your wall space, creating more focal points and areas of emphasis. The glaze can be applied with the rag. Rags can also be put on rollers, called rag-rolling. And if you are more artistically minded or like to experiment, this is the dynamic wall painting technique for you.

You Better Hire a Professional Painter

All of these painting techniques can be easily learned and completed by the typical homeowner. But besides the convenience of hiring a professional painter, you can also consider working with one if you fall in love with a particular look and effect. Trying to re-create a specific look from a picture in a magazine or on the internet can be very difficult with no prior experience and expertise. The result of DIY might be good of its own accord, but be prepared to be disappointed if you expect it to look exactly as imagined.