Painting affects and finishes for interior walls

Add to the look of your home with these great texturing techniques

Interior walls are often used as a focal point for many homes, with use of feature walls and strong colour complimenting the overall feel and design of a home. Choice of colour for a painted interior wall is always a major choice as this will strongly influence the room’s image and ‘flow’ with the rest of the property and interior.  Yet as the range of paint colours and styles continues to expand, there has been a surge in effects and tones that can be applied to these painted walls to create a further unique effect, providing greater designing possibilities.

These effects can be ways to change the paint, adding to the surface of the paint or simply alerting the composition of the paint itself to create a whole new visual image. Many techniques exist that do just these things.  Some of the most popular types of recent years include:

Glazes and Washes

One of the more recent developments in the interior painting industry, glazes and washes are able to create purely unique finishes on a painted wall with the final look completely determined by the style of the painter.  Also referred to as ‘broken colour technique’ washes are essentially a watered down version of a latex paint colour which creates a fresher and thinner colour that are ideal for creating different levels of depth on one wall.

Glazes, on the other hand, are usually made from oil-based paints in combination with linseed oils and are best suited for coloured walls unlike washes, which are stronger in colour and therefore appropriate for plain walls. Glazes create a wet, slick facade over a coloured wall with no two glazed walls looking the same as their appearance is determined by how it is applied. Additionally, multiple glazes can be used to create a unique colour. It is suggestion from painters and industry experts that glazes should be applied with a light glaze over a darker coloured wall, which will create greater depth and impact.

Within this trend of glazing is an even newer development with metallic now becoming one of the most popular forms of glazing and wall effects.  Now paints can be applied that give a metallic look of copper, brushed metal, bronze, steel or gold and gold leaf to a wall, whether it is purely as a glaze over the top or as the foundation colour.

Wall Aging

A similar effect to the washes or glazes is the aging approach. What this does is change the appearance of a painted wall so it appears older and more aged than what it truly is. Basically it is distressing the wall’s appearance and creating an antique look. This can be achieved through several different means including:

•     Special glazes
•     Bees wax
•     Sandpaper
•     Latex or colour glazes
•     Crackle paints
•     Wall waxing

Wall Texturing

Wall texturing is a decorative treatment that is ideal for creating a strong attractive design look on a wall. When it comes to wall texturing there are several choices of applications that offer the way to achieve a huge range of looks and effects.

There is a choice of using a paint that has a loose texture added which is then transferred onto the wall itself. Most of these use a sand additive which creates a rough look on the wall.  There are also a range of paint texture additives which the painter is able to add to any paint they have to create their own effect.

Popular wall texturing effects include:

•     Bamboo
•     Broken leather
•     Swirl
•     Bark
•     Broken swirl
•     Medusa
•     Old plaster
•     Scroll
•     Stipple
•     Stone – marble, granite