Interior Painting Techniques

Interior painting techniques allow new homeowners the chance to express their independent nature and homeowners who have lived with the same old thing for years can reinvent their personal styles. Achieving a custom finish for the rooms in your home is an easy process to do by implementing interior painting techniques that anyone can do with success. Color washing, rag painting, plastic wrap painting and sponge painting are a few interior painting techniques that will give you wonderful results in a very short amount of time. For each of these interior painting techniques, mask off the wall to be painted, using the painter's tape, and roll or brush the entire surface with the desired base coat.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Contrasting latex acrylic wall paint Paint extender Lint-free rag Paint roller and pan Paint brush Plastic gloves Painter's tape Plastic wrap Two sea sponges Dish or shallow pan

Color Washing

1. Mix a contrasting paint shade or color with a paint extender, following the manufacturer's instructions for the extender. The extender will allow more time to work with the paint before it dries.

2. Dip a lint-free rag in the paint mixture. Squeeze the excess from the rag so that it is not dripping but still wet.

3. "Wash" the walls in a circular motion, using the paint-saturated rag. The extender will allow you to go over areas of the wall again before the paint dries.

4. Continue steps 2 and 3 until the entire wall or room is completed in this leather-looking interior painting technique.

Rag Rolling

5. Mix a contrasting paint shade or color with a paint extender.

6. Wet a lint-free rag with the paint mixture and squeeze out the excess for this interior painting technique.

7. Twist and roll the rag into a long bun shape.

8. Roll the rag, using your hands, in various directions on the walls.

9. Continue steps 2 to 4 until the entire wall or room is completed.

Plastic Wrap Painting

10. Mix a contrasting paint shade or color with a paint extender.

11. Roll the paint mixture, for this interior paint technique, on a small area of the wall. This will allow you to always work with wet paint.

12. Place a two-foot section of plastic wrap over the wet paint.

13. Lightly smooch and wrinkle the plastic wrap.

14. Lift the plastic wrap from the wall surface. If you mess up or smear the paint, re-roll the wall area and do it again.

15. Repeat steps 2 to 5 until the entire wall or room is completed.

Sponge Painting

16. Pour the contrasting paint shade or color into a dish or shallow pan.

17. Dampen two sea sponges with water for this interior paint technique and wring out.

18. Dip one sea sponge in the paint.

19. Dab the paint on the wall using the sea sponge.

20. Blend the paint by working the other sea sponge over the already applied paint while it is still wet.

21. Repeat steps 3 to 5, until the entire wall or room is completed.

Tips & Warnings

• The plastic wrap interior painting technique can also be done using plastic grocery bags, making it a more economical technique. With any of these interior painting techniques, if you make a mistake or do not like the outcome, repaint the walls with the base coat and start over.