How to Glaze Walls

Glazing produces many types of finishes. The process is used on furniture, ceilings and walls. Several types of materials are used to achieve the desired effect. Cheesecloth, rags, brushes, rollers and sponges represent common supplies. Knowing how colors look when combined offer many possibilities.

Things You'll Need

• Glaze/tint
• 320 grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Paint masking tape
• Stepladder
• Drop cloth
• Stir stick
• Low-nap roller
• Paint tray
• Roller extension
• 2 to 4 inch brush
• Cheesecloth
• Cotton rags
• Water
• Turpentine
• Tape measure

Instructions

Prepare to Glaze Walls

1. Choose a glaze after considering the desired color effects. Ask the paint supplier to add a tint to the glaze of choice or select one already colored.

2. Sand blemishes such as paint runs and dirt specs from the base coat. Use wet or dry 320 grit sandpaper. Wipe with tack cloth.

3. Mask areas around windows, floorboards and doors with painter's masking tape. Have a stepladder ready.

4. Place a drop cloth on the floor to catch drippings.

5. Stir the glaze in the can for consistent texture. Use a paint stir stick from your paint supply store.

Glaze Walls

1. Paint the glaze with a low-nap roller or brush. Get a paint tray to hold glaze and roller extension for higher work.

2. Use a crosshatch pattern with a 2- to 4-inch brush. This popular technique produces linen like appearance. The pattern uses horizontal strokes then vertical strokes.

3. Consider other patterns with rollers, cheesecloth and cotton rags. These items blot the wet glaze to create aged or mottled finishes.

4. Color wash by applying a thin glaze then wiping most away with cloth or brush. There's no correct amount. Choose the look you like.

5. Tone down base wall colors with complementary glazes. For example, a green glaze tones down a red wall or a blue glaze an orange one.

6. Clean brushes or rollers with warm water or turpentine. Water for water based paints and turpentine for oil.

7. Let the glaze dry. See directions on can for drying time.

8. Remove masking tape.

Tips & Warnings

• Measure the height and width of each wall to determine the amount of glaze to buy. Give the numbers to the paint supplier. Take in consideration doors and windows.

• If you painted a new base coat, allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before applying a glaze. Three days remains the ideal time span.

• When using acrylic glazes ask the salesperson for a drying time extender. Water based glazes dry fast and the extender allows more time to complete your patterns.

• Consider two people for the job. One glazer applies the glaze and the other puts the finish on with brush effects or cotton rags and cheesecloth. Work until the completion of each wall.

• Work in small sections of the wall at a time.

• When using more than one glaze color, let it first dry then begin with another coat.