Decorative Painting Techniques
Bring Style and Class to Your Home with Faux Painting

There are many ways to achieve an elegant look by using decorative painting. Having a freshly painted room in your home can make all of the difference, and that is for sure.

Whether you use faux painting techniques or just use a great color to really bring out a wall, fresh paint can make such a difference in your home. It can make it feel more relaxed, more inviting, and more like your space instead of just a house that you live in.

For those out there who want to explore decorative painting techniques, there is one out there for just about every taste. Faux painting techniques are becoming increasingly more popular every day as people are beginning to learn more and more about them, and the best thing is that they are not designed to be perfect.

These techniques can make your home truly stand out amongst the rest in your neighborhood, and can give you an outlet for expressing your personal style. Here are a few decorative painting techniques that you can explore for your home once you have finally decided to take the plunge.

Some techniques will require special faux painting tools, but you will be amazed at what you can do with common household items.

Painted Effects

Painting Stripes

Painting stripes is one of the scariest faux painting techniques of them all. If you are allergic to painter's tape, stay as far away from this technique. It requires almost as much time taping as it does painting if not more, so if you are short on patience you may want to consider sponge painting.

When painting stripes, decide how wide you want the stripes to be and set the tape that far apart. Before you actually do the painting you will probably be sick of the job, but the effects once the job has been completed will be well worth the effort.

Sponge Painting

Most people have done sponge painting before, or at least heard of it. This faux painting effect has to do with applying one solid color to the wall and then sponging another color over it.

Depending on how wet you get the sponge with paint, what types of sponges you use, and how well your paint blends together your sponge painting effect may come out just like you envisioned it or the exact opposite. Either way, sponge painting is one of those effects that you can't really go wrong with no matter how hard you may try.

Color Washing

Color washing is another popular decorative painting technique, and it is one of the easiest to accomplish on your own. You can do this to bring a bit of drama and color into a room plus be able to count on the fact that it will not be too overpowering or dramatic for your taste. You can use a brush, a sponge, or a rag or cloth to color wash, and the effects will be different with each one. Try them all out at first and see what effect you like the most and take it from there.

Ragging and Rag Rolling

Ragging and rag rolling are two other decorative painting techniques that you may be able to use in your home, especially if you are not one for tedious things like stripe painting. If you have walls that have minor imperfections in their color or texture that just drive you nuts, this technique is a great idea for you. It is easy to accomplish and provides almost instantly beautiful results.

Faux Leather

So you want the faux leather look? This is great for home theaters, bachelor pads, basements, and even stylish living rooms. While the technique is not nearly as hard as it looks, it is not for everyone. Be sure that you have the furnishings to go with this décor and the time to get the look down to the way that you want it. Be warned; this one can be tricky.

Stippling and Marbling

If none of the above decorative paint techniques interests you, perhaps marbling or stippling are more suitable to your style. You may want to get a friend to help you with this one, as the initial glaze and stippling effect should be applied one after the other. This is a great way to call in that favor you have been meaning to call in for some time.

Stippling and marbling can be combined, along with most faux techniques, to create a new look. Plus these techniques can be used for such projects as painting faux tile and faux brick.

Types of Decorative Paint to Try

There are so many different types of paint to try out if you want to have a specialized effect in your home. Metallic paint, suede paint, and stone paint are some of the most popular types of faux paints out there. They create the effects of metal, suede, and stone just as their name implies. These are normally pretty pricey paint types when you compare it with others, but it can decrease the need for too much fuss when it comes to decorative painting and add an effect that you wouldn't believe until you saw the finished product in your home.

When you want to add some style and class to your home and are sick and tired of the same old tired paint colors, faux painting techniques are the way to go. Faux painting can add that missing something to an otherwise dreary room. Plus, all of these decorative painting techniques can be painted over to give you a fresh canvas, just in case you don't like the look.

What are you waiting for? Your home needs a face lift, and you have the power to provide it with any of the above mentioned decorative painting techniques.

Don't be afraid to try something new or bold.

The key to success with any faux painting is knowledge and experience. Here's some great sites that will help you out with your current or next project.

• To that end I have found a great site that has additional information on many faux finishing techniques and the steps needed to achieve them.
• Another site that can inspire and give you more ideas for your walls is Your Step By Step Wall Décor Guide. This resource is packed with ideas and tips for all your wall décor projects.

• Here's an inspiring website about DIY painting the artist's way: painting ideas and techniques, based on the ways of artmaking. It has information on choosing paint colors and how colors behave in painting, info on faux painting and examples on integrating art and interior design.

Your Ideas

Decorative Painting Ideas

Have any ideas about decorative painting or faux finishing? Or maybe you know about another way to add flare and style.

What did you do to achieve a new look? I would love to know about any ideas or tips you have. Or just show off! Use the form below and tell the world, plus have your own web page. (You can even add a photo!)

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