Painting Techniques for Interior Walls

A handful of painting techniques for interior walls offer different application processes for that unique look you might want for a single wall or an entire room. Whether you’re paying for a professional to do the job or you’re doing it yourself, know the basics about the variety of techniques that are available. Knowing how different techniques are created can take the hesitance out of customized interior painting results that look expensive, but aren’t.

Crackling

Crackling is a painting technique that results in a purposely aged look. This technique is best used on a single wall so as not to overwhelm an entire room. With the crackling technique, two coats of paint are applied. A good primer for the first coat (undercoat) ensures a smooth painting surface. After it dries, a crackling medium is applied. The thinner the coat of the crackling medium you use, the more subtle the ‘cracks’, while a thicker coat results in thicker fractures in the paint. The ‘cracking’ effect appears within minutes. Crackling mediums can be found in home supply stores as well as hobby and crafts stores.

Sponging

Sponging is another technique that adds an interesting depth to interior wall paint, depending on the thickness of your paint and the type of sponge used. Use of a common kitchen sponge or a more expensive sea sponge will provide different results, but both are simple. Sponging is applied after a base coat has been painted on the wall. A damp sponge is dipped into a different paint color and simply dabbed on the wall over the base paint.

Striping painting techniques and use of color

Striping is a tried-and-true wall painting technique and produces striking results depending on colors chosen. Striping is achieved by simply using painter’s tape to divide a wall into ‘strips’ of varying widths. Stripes of alternating colors or the same color but in different shades often provide an elegant appearance when done properly. Imagination is the key to striping, where the widths of the stripes can be the same or different, depending on preferences.

Rag rolling

Rag rolling is another fun painting technique although it can get a little messy when applied over a base coat and in a topcoat color depending on preference. The technique is self-explanatory. A rag is twisted and then rolled over the surface of the wall, leaving a variety of textures, shapes, and wrinkles behind.

Ombré

Opting for an ombré painting technique provides beautiful results that almost mimic a resemblance to watercolors when done correctly. Darker and lighter shades of the same color are used, slowly graduating from darker to lighter or lighter to darker from the top or bottom of a wall. A third color, lighter than the others is used in the middle section to blend and fade. A gentle touch when blending and fading produces excellent results.

A final note: Painting techniques for interior walls should be tested on a small section of wall or squares of drywall before attempting a larger space to gauge results.

If you are looking for an Indianapolis home painting company, ProSand is an excellent choice and can paint interior and exterior for all of your home needs.