Color Washing Your Walls
Color washing is a nice technique to use over walls that are already painted. It is an easy way to change the look of any room without having to base paint. It is just the right touch to add life to any room.
This technique can be washed over any sheen of paint, however it seems to work best over flat paint. You will be using diluted paint to wash the walls with. It is important that you use a lint free rag to apply the paint.
This faux technique can be a little messy. Make sure you lay down a drop cloth while you are painting. It is very likely you will have drips while you are washing the walls.
You will begin this process by pouring a small portion of your paint into a small container that will be easy for you to work with. You will add a little water at a time. Each time you add water make sure you stir the paint well. Keep adding a little at a time until your paint is an inky consistency. As you paint you will find that consistency will start to thicken. You can add more paint or water as needed. It is important to keep the inky consistency so that paint will not be too thick when applied to your walls.
After diluting your paint you will be ready to begin. Use a rag that is easy for you to work with. I recommend a size that fits within the palm of your hand. This will make it easy to work with and help keep the dripping down.
Place the rag into the inky paint, getting the entire rag wet. Squeeze your rag to remove excess water and paint. Your rag will still be wet but not drenched. Start at one corner of the room and move around the room from one wall to the next. Begin at the top corner and work your way down to the bottom. You will wash the paint on the walls just as you would wash your walls with water. Do it in a random pattern so that you are not creating a definite pattern. You will have a varied amount of paint from once section to the next. This is the look your are trying to achieve.
If you need to touch up the paint in the future, just repeat this process. You will do it in smaller amounts a needed to complete the touch up. This is a nice technique to cover up imperfect walls.
Get your rag ready and begin to paint!!!
Amy