subject: Painting And Decorating Made Simple [print this page] Painting is a quick and easy way of decorating your house. Pound for pound, paint stands out as the quickest, easiest and most economical redecorating option. Combining new colours and decorative techniques on the ceilings, walls and trim could make your house come alive again.
The 1st step is to prepare the area ready to paint. This important first step will save you tremendous amounts of time later. The surfaces have to be smooth, cleaned and primed. Preparation will tremendously influence the ultimate result. Colour washing can be a subtle, elegant and simple finish to master. It is a form of antiquing with the goal to create the wall looking old. Colour washing works well on textured walls along with smooth walls. The painter would casually and lightly brush translucent coats of slightly differing colours over a base coat. To boost the effect, use more than one glaze colour and work it in slightly. A darker shade of glaze ought to be added all around the perimeter of the wall along with the room corners. It is a good idea to work with a partner when adding a wash on the wall. It will help to hurry the process as well as helping to eliminate washing in an unconscious pattern.
Faux leather is a technique which achieves the look of leather or parchment. Natural leather does have imperfections, so, do not be afraid if faux leather has has the same. First a base coat is painted over the wall and allowed to dry, followed by a glaze. Before the glaze dries, thin plastic bags or sheets are used to remove the wet glaze. This step creates a subtle texture and calming finish.
Ragging is used to generate a diverse texture. It can help conceal an uneven surface. First a solid colour base coat of paint is applied to the surface and allowed to dry. Then a layer of glaze is applied with some of it removed before it dries. Roll a dry, loosely wrapped rag through the glaze to bring about the required texture. Various textures may be created depending on the texture of the rag used. Cotton tee-shirts work best, but rags may also be purchased at home or car centres. When choosing colours for your base coat and glaze, choose colours which are close on the colour wheel.
Doors and windows are produced using the lengths of wood with grain patterns that unavoidably run in numerous directions. To achieve a good, professional-looking finish, free from brush marks, you absolutely need to paint them in the sequence that takes account of the grain. Think in advance when painting windows using the oil-based paints, as they could take longer to dry than you expect. Or use water-based paint, that dries more quickly and releases much less odour and fumes.
An important step in painting is to enjoy yourself and take your time. Quite often you will find that the more fun you have, the greatest the final result will turn out. The end result will definitely be worthy of the wait.
