The Deco Diva

10 Ways to Jazz Up Your Outdoor Living Space

2010
03.03

Author: Dena Davis

1. The easiest way to jazz up your outdoor deck or patio is by using splashes of color. Sometimes it only means investing in a few accent pieces that make a bold statement and your outdoor living space perks right up. You don’t always have to buy new – with a little elbow grease and some creativity you can make second hand items look brand new. Here are some ideas to help get you started.

2. Before you begin, clear everything off of your deck or patio and give it a good pressure wash. If it needs staining, all the new furniture in the world won’t help – bite the bullet and give it a new coat of stain or paint. This is actually a great place to get started with colorful accents. Try painting your fence posts a bright, coordinating color such as teal. Or paint a pattern or border around the edge of your deck.

3. Decks are for socializing, so show that you are ready for company. The addition of metal furniture is inexpensive and comes in lots of great colors. Place a colorful bar cart in the corner and load it up with bright acrylic glassware.

4. Give your old wicker furniture a facelift by painting it in bright sunny colors, or if you’re feeling adventuress, use a stencil and add flowers or other patterns. Just use acrylic paint, but seal it with varnish to protect your paint job.

5. Get a hold of a galvanized bucket or oblong container, paint it bright blue or orange and add a vine pattern on the outside. Voila, now you have a fancy ice-bucket for all your coolers. Remember, unless you’re using a food-safe paint, the surface should not come in direct contact with food.

6. Use themes such as the seashore, by incorporating fishies, sea shells and beach balls in your accents or stencils. A citrus theme works well by using pale greens, oranges and yellow as colors for chairs or bistro tables. Try painting a slatted table top with two or three different corresponding shades.

7. Who says garden sheds have to be brown and boring. Add colorful window boxes, gingerbread trim and some wild stripes on the walls.

8. Funky lighting goes a long way to perking up a patio area. Colorful lanterns or strings of lights can be hung from overhanging trees or beams providing a fun, economical source of lighting.

9. What to do with the white vinyl furniture that’s still in great shape, but you hate to get rid of? Not to worry. With paint specially formulated for vinyl furniture, and some new cushions, you can make your old chairs look brand new.

10. Use color wisely by tying everything together with your accessories. Take four chairs each painted in a different primary color and add a cushion in a common color such as red or green, and place them around a neutral table top.

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Tags: accents, deck, furniture, paint, patio, stains Category Outdoor Appeal |

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How Do You Make Your Cheap Decking Look A More Inviting Space To Enjoy?

2010
02.16

Author: Jatinder Pal Singh

Here’s how!

However, for those people who have more time and vision than money, there are cheap decking decorative ideas that can transform cheap decking into an inviting space ideal for relaxing and entertaining. Dedicate a couple of weekends to some sweat equity projects, and you can have some cheap decking that reflects your personal style.

Types
There are several types of cheap decking decorations from which to choose. There are architectural elements, such as trellises, gates, pillars, fencing and roofing. There are functional decorative elements, such as furniture and lighting. Outdoor artwork and accessories tend to be the cheapest and easiest choices for decorating cheap decking.

Function
Your cheap decking decor should begin with a budget and a plan so that you prioritize your cheap decking functionality. After all, it does no good to invest your entire budget in cool lighting if you still have nowhere to sit. Plan for cheap seating and shade possibilities before worrying about the overall design scheme. Beach chairs are an affordable choice, but you may have some luck finding old outdoor furniture at thrift stores and junk shops. As long as the chair frames are solid, most outdoor furniture can take being stripped, sanded, repaired and repainted with enamel paint. You can also go for the shabby chic look by using mismatched pieces donated by friends and family or scavenged from corners and yard sale leftovers. Give everything a fresh coat of antique white paint and add some cushions.

Features
Cheap decking decor often features recycled, repurposed pieces. For example, old fence posts or large rocks can become surfaces for painting folk art. Broken kitchen plates and cups can be used to decorate planters or as the base for a mosaic tabletop project. An antique metal stroller or an old sink can be transformed into a planter. For people who want a more polished look, cheap decking decor made of lightweight resin is an affordable option.

Benefits
The benefit of cheap decking decor is that it’s made for using and enjoying rather than preserving for a lifetime. Time and the elements will change your cheap decking pieces for better or for worse, so consider your cheap decking a perennial work in progress. You can take more chances with design and color, because it is easy to add a new coat of paint. You can bring the space together quickly and cheaply by adding a rattan mat as a rug or using a sheet over clotheslines as a temporary canopy. Flowers, plants and vines add the ideal backdrop.

Warning
Some vintage items may contain lead paint or surfaces where paint is chipping, which is dangerous if swallowed. Carefully strip, repaint and seal any pieces that will be around babies and young children. Check pieces for splintering wood or loose hardware that can make furniture hazardous.

Tags: budget, decking, decoration, outdoor Category Outdoor Appeal |

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10 Tips For Better Curb Appeal

2010
02.10

Author: Evan Visser

One of the first things I notice about a home is the over all architecture…the proportions, the colors and the approach to the front door.When you’re working with an existing home that needs some help… you need to think about whether you want to make some cosmetic improvements or fix architectural problems too.Are you motivated to sell? Or do you enjoy your home and want it to look its best?

How do you make all the visual decisions needed to create curb appeal for your home?

1. Keep in mind your neighborhood. Make the work that you do pay off. Don’t over build for your neighborhood.2. Think about your budget.3. Are you a DIYer with time for the project verses hiring help?4. Look at your home from the street and make a list of what you think you would like to do. Then put a price on each item to get an idea of what you’re getting into. If it makes senses for the neighborhood, great! 5. Will you need to take out a loan? Or are you planning to pay as you go? Personally I like the idea of paying as I go.6. Start with what’s most important. It sounds boring, but typically the first thing is cleaning…whether you plan to follow up with a fresh coat of paint or not. I like to use a long handle car brush and water. I don’t like to use a power sprayer because in some cases you can damage the siding or blast water into areas you didn’t think about. (i.e. vents under eaves)7. The front door would be next on my list. Depending on the door, there are a number of options. A) Paint it an attractive accent color that works for your house. B) Add new hardware to the existing door and replace the mailbox. C) Or you can go with a totally brand new door. D) I would rather see an attractive front door without a storm door, but in some cases they make sense.8. Paint can really bring a house to life…especially if it has some architectural detail. Three colors are generally the most you should use. Siding color, trim color and shutters along with the front door. Roof color and stone play into your color choices as well.9. Hopefully your garage doors are in good shape and match the architecture of your home. If all you need to do is clean or paint them you’re all set.For others with a very visible garage door from the street (i.e. more than 1/3 of the front of your home)…it can be a big item if it needs to be replaced. Speaking from experience it can be a big improvement to the over all feel of your home.10. Landscape plantings, pavers, shutters and flower boxes all add to the finishing touches.

Hopefully this list will help you make good decisions that will pay off in the end. Take some time to think it through before you get started. You’ll be happy with the finished curb appeal after taking the time to do it right!

Tags: appeal, architecture, detail, home, outdoor Category Outdoor Appeal |

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Home Design Strategies: How To Make A Small Room Look Larger

2010
02.09

Author: Candi Randolph

You may love the home you live in, be it a single family dwelling, condo, duplex or apartment, but not be so thrilled with the size of some of the rooms. For some folks, remodeling or adding on to the structure is a solution to the size issue. For many others, the budget is not there for such a project. And for a growing number of people, they are renting a residence and therefore do not have the option of remodeling. In fact, the majority of homeowners (we’ll use the term ‘homeowner’ knowing it could also mean someone who is renting a property) are often looking for ways to personalize, improve and decorate their homes inexpensively.

You can give the overall appearance of more space in a room by taking some simple steps. You don’t need a large budget, and some steps don’t require that you spend any money at all.

First, make sure that the walls are a light color. They don’t have to be stark white, although if you love that look, it’s fine. There are hundreds of shades of off-whites that can add interest and warmth to a room while maintaining an overall neutral palette. When you put dark colors on the walls of a room or area, it can make the walls recede visually, and that is what you want to avoid if your goal is to make an area appear larger. The ceiling should be kept ‘Ceiling White’ for maximum overall lightness in the room.

Your next step is to evaluate the flooring in the room. Your goal is to have flooring that gives a light overall appearance. For example, if your room is carpeted or tiled, ideally it should be a light, neutral color. It’s okay to have a small pattern or variation as long as the overall look is neutral. Wood flooring should be a honey tone or lighter. You want the ceiling and walls to flow into each other as much as possible, and avoid a stark breaking point of light to dark color.

Your third step in this strategy is to remove any unnecessary furniture from the room. If it is not critical to the function and use of the area, remove it. For example, if this is a living area and you currently have a sofa, two upholstered chairs, a wood rocker, two end tables, cocktail table and a floor lamp in the room, consider doing this: remove the wood rocker, cocktail table and floor lamp. You have kept the most important seating in the room as well as a place for lighting and other incidentals. The extra pieces were taking up space and making the room look smaller and more crowded.

The next step in the process is to make sure you are not over-accessorizing the room. I always advise taking all accessories off of the walls, tables, etc and literally removing them from the room. You might put some of them back in the area, but start out with blank walls and furnishings. Your goal in this step is to accessorize the room to add warmth and interest, but not clutter.If you had three pictures, a mirror and a wall sculpture on the walls of this room before, try two pictures and a mirror. Keep it very simple. If there is so much going on in the room that your eyes don’t have a resting point, it will seem cluttered, and that is what you want to avoid.

Finally, if at all possible, keep everything in the room to an overall neutral look, and use color sparingly and only as an accent. For example, your walls may be painted Navajo White, the ceiling is white, your floor is carpeted with an off-white Berber and your upholstered furniture is beige/light brown. You love the color red, so this is your accent color, but sparingly. On the wall is a picture with a burst of red in it. On the sofa are patterned accent pillows that include bright red.

As you look around this room as described, you see soft, calming, neutral colors, with no stark stopping or break points between walls, ceiling, floors and furnishings. However, the room is interesting and has some drama with the addition of red as an accent color. Best of all, you now have a room that has an open, spacious look and feel, yet still functions well for your lifestyle.

Tags: budget, home, light, room, space Category How To... |

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Decorating Color Ideas – Choosing Unusual Colors

2010
02.09

Author: Sara S

New color palettes don’t have to be overbearing. This article helps you choose colors that you’ll be able to change inexpensively when the trends have moved onto something else.

You may know that decorating with color will change a room but you don’t know where to start. You can make almost any color work in any room, it’s just how you coordinate the space and palettes that matters. Decorating color ideas give you freedom to branch out and make bold statements in your home that you can still live with.

Orange is a bold color that shows personality and life. You may be afraid to paint your walls orange, or you just don’t have enough light in your room to handle such a bold color. Orange has many different moods. Use paint the color of orange fruit if you’re working in a modern space. Keep the color on one accent wall. Add a natural touch by pairing the wall color with teak accents which is a wood with a lot of orange in it. You will need to neutralize the rest of the room with white, taupe or brown so it doesn’t become overwhelming.

You may be afraid of decorating color ideas because it seems so permanent. You can make bold statements that are easy to change. In a teen’s room hang different colors of paper lanterns form the ceiling for a sculptural effect. Your child probably has five or six different favorite colors and you can use them all in this ceiling treatment. The shapes will still relate to each other but it will create a focal point. Look for a throw that looks like a silk sari to tie the pinks, purples, reds, and blues together.

If you have a bland kitchen, decorating color ideas can save you from a costly remodel. Kitchens are often black, white and stainless steel which might seem cold. Invest in a red mixer or microwave that will serve as a pop of color in the room. Make an elaborate drum shade in the kitchen nook with a daring color that will add warmth to the room.

Decorating color ideas can help you create a theme in your room easily. It’s important to take into account the shape of your furniture when decorating in a theme. Country style uses over sized coffee tables and rounded back kitchen chairs. Modern style focuses on straight lines. Even if you were to keep each piece white it would still have a definite design direction.

Draw color ideas from your favorite material such as stone. The key to a monochromatic color palette is to mix textures. This can help you create a master bathroom with a spa feel. Use several stone surfaces in the same color. Put a light colored concrete stone on one wall for a focal point. Pair it with a travertine marble floor and brown granite for a high end look.

Tags: color, ideas, paint, room, style Category How To... |

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The Psychology of Color: How To Choose Paint Colors for Your Home

2010
02.09

Author: Jeff Sanders

The color of any room in your homes affects how you feel while in that room. Choosing paint colors can be difficult and prove frustrating unless you take the time to answer some questions before going out to select your paints.

Start by considering your furnishings. Rugs, furniture, window treatments and any other fabrics that are going to remain in the room should be the starting point for your color scheme. Repainting walls and ceilings is a relatively inexpensive way to change the look of a room without starting completely over. Choose three to four colors at the most (too many colors give the room a busy and cluttered look overall) and base those colors on what will go with the room furnishings.

Take into consideration that the ceiling does not have to be white. Typically, ceilings are the lightest paint color in a room because lighter colors give the feeling of more space and darker colors tend to visually “lower” the ceiling, giving the room a smaller, more intimate and cozy feel. The same applies with darker colors on walls. Dark walls make the room seem smaller while lighter colors make the room seem larger.

Warm colors include red, yellow and orange. Cool colors include blue, green and purple. The study of colors in ancient cultures found that red stimulates the body and mind, and increases the heart rate and blood circulation. Yellow stimulates the nerves. Orange was believed to increase energy levels and heal the lungs. Blue was found to be soothing and help alleviate pain. Purple was thought to bring down the body temperature and induce rest.

Orange is a combination of red and yellow. It is attention-getting, creates a feeling of balance, brings to mind fall and Halloween, expresses energy and excitement. This is a good color for a recreation room but probably not the best choice for a main color in a living room, dining room or bedroom.

Red is definitely the color of energy. Studies show that red stimulates conversation. It makes for a dramatic first impression. It also can raise blood pressure and hear rate. It can also foster feelings of hostility or anger, so choose the colors of the red family carefully and use along with more cheery colors to compensate.

The colors of blue range anywhere from a pale, soft baby-blue to a rich, deep royal blue. They represent calm and harmony, loyalty and security. Blue can also cause depression in some people. It can bring down blood pressure and heart rate.

Black is the absence of color. In the home, it evokes sophistication and formality. When combined with animal prints, it can become a rather sexy color. It is considered part of the neutral family which also includes gray, white, brown and all its associated hues. It is a basic color and therefore very flexible but should only be used in small doses unless you really know what you’re doing.

Green is the color most easy on the eyes. It is suitable for virtually any room in the house, in the right shade. Green has a calming effect and has been cited as having healing powers, which could be why most surgeons wear green scrubs. In many cultures it represents good fortune. It is certainly the basic color of choice for Mother Nature.

Yellow is the color of happiness, sunlight and optimism. It makes a good secondary or accent color in most rooms, and is especially nice in a kitchen. However, if you have a temper issue, yellow has been known to excite tempers. Also, babies reportedly cry more in a bright yellow room. It is also a color that is more difficult on the eyes.

White is the color of purity and simplicity, cleanliness and sterility. If you wish to create a spartan, open minimalistic look, white is your color.

In conclusion, the choice of colors in your home is very personal and only you can say what works best for you. With so many places offering small, inexpensive tester cans of paint, why not try out a splash of it on a wall for just a bit and see if you like it in all the different kinds of light that it will receive throughout a day? If you change your mind, you can paint over it and move on to another color. Regardless of what you choose, refreshing your home with a new color scheme is a good investment not only in your home but in your personal happiness.

Tags: color, paint, room, walls Category How To... |

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Home Design Strategies: Furniture Arrangement on a Budget

2010
02.09

Author: Candi Randolph

Many folks find themselves re-thinking aspects of their economic life right now, and that includes home design and decoration. Projects, plans and expenditures may have to be put on the back burner in place of other, more pressing budget needs. But that doesn’t change the fact that your Living Room or Great Room is in need of some new life and personality. Don’t despair! There are some simple steps you can take with your room decor to change the overall design and give a fresh perspective to the area, thus bringing a smile to your face. And there isn’t a price tag that can be put on that!

We are going to work with the thought that you will use what you have and not purchase anything new. There are literally no expenses other than some thoughtful planning and elbow grease.

Before you take any action, go into the your Living Area and assess the furniture and accessories that currently reside there. Start with the room’s largest pieces and make a list of those that are critical to the function of the room, then work your way down to the smallest items. Your sofa will probably need to remain in the room, for example, for seating purposes. Be selective as you make this list and think about the function of each piece before adding it to the list.

As your list is created you are most likely going to have some pieces that are not going to find their way on to your list, and those are the pieces that are expendable to the function of this room. Most people are going to find that they have a chair, end table/coffee table, accent piece, rocker, etc that is not critical to the area and may in fact be taking up good space. You may ultimately keep these items in the room, but for now they are not on your list of ‘keepers’.

Now remove everything from the room that is NOT found on your list, including accessories. Physically remove them from the room. The room should now have just the pieces that are necessary to the room’s function.

Now comes the fun and creative part of this home decor project, and that is to rework your pieces and arrange them in a new and different way to bring that fresh perspective into play. Many times, furniture is placed in a room against the walls and stays in the same place for years (for some, many years!).

Pretend that your room has a hexagon (six sided) shape around the perimeter of the area, so instead of the standard four walls there are six, smaller ‘walls’ or lines on the floor. Take the windows, door openings and other pieces like TVs into consideration, and place your largest upholstered pieces on the hexagon ‘lines’.

What you have just done is placed your furniture at some angles and pulled it away from the straight walls, which can bring a totally different design look to a room, and give a different perspective to those seated in the room. For the vast majority of folks, you have also placed the pieces in a different location than they were – you have created a fresh and unique arrangement for your furniture! You have also taken one, two or maybe more, pieces from the area to give it a more open and spacious look.

Once you are satisfied with the arrangement of the larger pieces, start bringing in the smaller pieces and accessories that were on your list, with the goal of putting each piece in a different location than in the past. Sometimes the function and size of the piece make it impossible to move, and that’s okay. But your first plan of action is to find a new home for each piece. Do the same with your accessories, and when you are finished, your room will have a new and fresh look! Have you spent any money? Not one penny, and that is the best kind of home decoration.

Your Living Room has been thoughtfully rearranged and your home decor and design project is complete. For the time being, until your budget can accommodate your home decorating goals. Enjoy your new surroundings!

Storage

Tags: decor, design, furniture, room, walls Category How To... |

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Designing An Effective Lighting Scheme To Suit Your Home Decor

2010
02.09

Author: Lauren Tyler

Tempting as it may be to browse online at the many lamp and lighting retailers and buy a vibrant and dazzling Tiffany lamp or antique floor lamp for your home, the most sensible approach is to take stock of your home decor first and then go out shopping after.

Unfortunately, the way many of us do our shopping is to make an instant purchase of something that catches our eye. Then we take our purchase back home, and in the case of a lamp or lighting fixture, try to work out where best to put it.

The most sensible thing to do is to plan your lighting scheme first. Take stock of the colors and textures you currently have in your home decor. Note the characteristics and overall style of your room(s). Determine what uses the room will have – for example, is it for dining, for relaxation, for reading/studying?

It is important to determine whether this room will be used during the day as well as during the evening/night as this obviously has a bearing on the type of lighting that will be used here.

Only once these factors have been worked out can you then move onto the next stage which is to devise a suitable lighting strategy. Here you need to consider the various types of lighting such as task lighting (needed for focused eye work such as reading or sewing) or display lighting (for highlighting pictures, objects or a particular corner of the room), etc.

At this point it’s often a good idea to factor in any energy saving requirements you may have and to consider the size of the room as this all affects the types of light fittings you can purchase.

With regard to devising an effective lighting scheme, safety is one factor that is extremely important. Have a think about whether it is possible to use the existing wiring or whether it will need a complete overhaul. If it turns out that the wiring in your home does not meet the modern safety regulations, then
you have no choice but to get this sorted out before proceeding further.

Once the safety aspect of your lighting scheme has been determined and resolved, you need to consider the lighting plan. This is an action plan or guide that you formulate to give you an idea of where your light fittings are going to go and how you are going to control them i.e using dimmer switches, individual light switches.

This is quite easy to do – start by drawing an outline of the room on a sheet of paper, marking in where all the furniture is going to go. Only then can you determine where your light fittings, such as table lamps, floor lamps, reading lights, sconces, pendant lights, spotlights etc will go. Many manufacturers give you indications of “beam profiles” for lighting fixtures such as down lighters and spotlights and these profiles will enable you to decide whether it is viable to use that type of lighting in the spaces you have designated for lighting in your plan.

If you plan your lighting scheme at the same time as working out the colors, fabrics, finishes (as well as determining where your electrical sockets and light switches are going to go), this all makes for a cohesive and well coordinated home decor strategy that has catered for everything.

As a result, you are going to end up with a room that has been well designed and coordinated from start to finish, with all the colors and furnishings working together to give a beautiful, polished look instead of having a room that looks out of kilter because certain elements were thought of at the last minute and slapped on at the end.

Tags: decor, lamp, lighting, scheme Category Interior Design |

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8 Tips for Refinishing Your Kitchen Cabinets

2010
02.03

Author: Joan Yankowitz

If you’ve shopped for new kitchen cabinets recently, you know that it’s often much more economical to refinish your old cabinets than to buy new ones. Here are 8 tips that will make your kitchen cabinet refinishing a huge success.

1. If your cabinets are painted, remove the paint with a chemical stripper. If your cabinets are stained or varnished, either clean the surface well or remove most of the stain or varnish with a chemical refinisher.

2. Take the doors off your cabinets and remove the handles and hardware. It will be much easier if you lay the doors flat to work on them.

3. Check to see how much damage there is to the cabinets. If there is only minor damage, such as dark stains around the door handles, just clean these areas. Use a synthetic steel wool pad because it won’t hurt your fingers or get caught on the wood grain.

4. Dip the pad in paint thinner, mineral spirits, or turpentine, and scrub the stains. Then lightly scrub the whole surface, cleaning and dulling it so the new finish will stick.

5. Once you’ve cleaned the surface and removed the dark stains, wipe on an oil-based, clear finish such as Minwax. All clear finishes are low-odor and most are available in either glossy or satin finish. Apply several coats for a thicker finish.

6. If you find you need to redo more than just a few stained areas, use a chemical refinisher — a strong solvent cleaner that dissolves and removes part of the old varnish. Ask an expert at your local paint store to suggest a good quality refinisher.

7. When you’re using the chemical refinisher, work in small areas, and scrub the finish with a synthetic steel wool pad. The chemical refinisher will remove the finish and even out the color of the wood and stain. Rinse the pad in more refinisher when it gets clogged with dirty finish.

8. The cabinet’s surface should be smooth and evenly colored after you’ve scrubbed the whole surface. If you find it isn’t, just wipe the entire cabinet in long, overlapping strokes with clean refinisher and clean steel wool in long, overlapping strokes. Most of the stain color will remain, and the wood will be very smooth.

It’s extremely important that you wear protective clothing and make sure that your work area is well-ventilated when you’re refinishing your cabinets. And don’t forget to follow all safety precautions on the refinishing product labels.

Tags: cabinets, glaze, paint, refinish Category How To... |

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Faux Painting Techniques

2010
02.02

Author: Julie Lohmeier

In the last 10 years, faux painting techniques have gone from
obscure to popular, from the realm of professionals to
do-it-yourself projects. These techniques are not difficult
although they can be time consuming (what decorating or
remodeling project isn’t though) and require quick hands.

Called “faux” painting because these techniques mimic or create
a false look of stone, texture, leather, and more, you will find
that the styles fall into one of two types: additive or
subtractive. Additive (also called positive) techniques simply
mean that you add color onto the wall. Sponging is the most
common of this type. Conversely, subtractive (also referred to
as negative) techniques means you take paint off after it has
been applied. Ragging is a common subtractive technique. Most
negative techniques use glazes and require that you move quickly
before the glaze dries.

When it comes to glazes, there are two types: latex (water
based) or oil based. Latex is by far easier since it cleans up
with soap and water, but oil based glazes provide longer working
times and generally provide a harder, more durable finish.
However, for do-it-yourselfers, I recommend latex glazes and
working in small areas at a time. I have also seen solutions
that you can add to the glaze to lengthen the working time. For
your first glazing job, you may well want to consider using this
additive available at finer paint supply stores.

Here are the various type of faux painting techniques:

Sponging: Probably the easiest method, you apply paint to a wall
with a natural sea sponge. It provides a richly textured look.
In addition to good looks, it’s a simple way to camouflage an
uneven or repaired crack wall. Use a couple of colors over the
base paint to add greater depth. Be bold or subtle; it’s up to
you. You can use glaze or paint just as easily with this
technique. I’ve seen this done in a negative manner, but it is
most commonly performed as a positive method.

Ragging/Rag rolling: Typically a negative technique, you paint a
tinted glaze over the base painted walls. The glaze should be
tinted darker than the base coat, keeping in the same color
family as the glaze allows some color through it as well. Either
use a wadded up dry rag or twist a rag into a cylinder. Then dab
or roll the rags to remove the glaze. You can use one or two
colors over the base coat. You may also do this in a positive
method like sponging for a softer look and texture.

Color Washing: In this additive technique, you apply the tinted
glaze mixture over the base coat using a circular motion as if
you were washing the wall. Use rags for a very soft look or a
natural sea sponge for a more textured appearance.

Strié: Create a historical and aged texture to the wall, with
this negative method. Roll tinted glaze over the base coat, then
use a wall paper brush to make fine lines from top to bottom.
The glaze should be darker than the base coat to allow the
lighter base to show through the fine lines.

Striping: The only difficult part of this positive technique is
getting your stripes straight. Be sure to use a level or drop a
plumb line. Tape off your stripes, then paint every other one
with glaze. If you use a bold color, you do not need to tint the
glaze to get a delightful two-tone effect. For softer colors,
you may wish to slightly darken the glaze although it is not
necessary. This technique may also be combined with color
washing as you color wash the stripes for more interest and
texture. Of course, for a more dramatic look, you can use paint
in complementary or various colors.

Dry Brushing: This is a positive method in which you use a small
amount of paint on a brush in herringbone patterns to create the
texture. You will need tow or three colors to achieve the best
results.

Frottage: Using plastic sheets for this negative method, tinted
glaze is applied over the base coat and then plastic sheets are
applied and smoothed over the glaze. Once the wall is done, the
plastic sheets are removed for a marbling effect.

Faux finishes can provide interest and texture to your rooms -
and less expensively than wall paper. While you may need to
block out a full day to do the work, by the end of the day, you
can sit back and admire the rich, luxurious look of your new
room

Tags: paint, projects, technique, walls Category How To... |

10 Ways to Jazz Up Your Outdoor Living Space

How Do You Make Your Cheap Decking Look A More Inviting Space To Enjoy?

10 Tips For Better Curb Appeal

Home Design Strategies: How To Make A Small Room Look Larger

Decorating Color Ideas – Choosing Unusual Colors

The Psychology of Color: How To Choose Paint Colors for Your Home

Home Design Strategies: Furniture Arrangement on a Budget

Designing An Effective Lighting Scheme To Suit Your Home Decor

8 Tips for Refinishing Your Kitchen Cabinets

Faux Painting Techniques

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