One of the most cost-effective and easy ways to change the look of your residential space is to give your walls a fresh coat of paint. A solid wall colour is always a practical choice, but you could step it up a notch by adding texture or graphic patterns. These elements truly elevate your space, giving it personality and adding a focal point to your room.
You can certainly do the upgrades yourself, or you can save yourself the hassle by hiring residential painting Perth experts who can do the work for you. Whichever direction you end up taking, however, it would definitely help if you learn about the different painting techniques that specialists employ. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Faux Grasscloth Wallpaper
Grasscloth wallpapers give rooms a natural but sophisticated look with a cosy and warm vibe. However, they are notoriously expensive, require high-maintenance, and will likely degrade under Perth’s extreme seasons. Lucky for you, you can get the same look and feel with glaze, paint, and an old comb. All it takes is a mixture of glaze and paint as topcoat and an old comb that’s dragged horizontally to mimic that unmistakable grasscloth texture.
Concrete Paint Effect
If you’re looking to create an industrial-inspired space, a concrete wall is a key element. There are a lot of ways to go about it if you want to create this look on your drywall, but the easiest is to use paint and a damp rag. You’ll have to practice to get it looking just right, but if you want professional-looking results, you can always hire residential painters in Perth.
Stencil Technique
Using stencils to create an accent wall is a great alternative to more expensive wallpaper options. With so many stencil designs and styles to choose from, it’ll be easy to find the right stencil to complement your space. There’s also a variety of ways to apply the paint, using a roller, brush, or spray paint. Beginners wanting a simple tiled stencil design can use a small sponge roller for most of the work and a small stippling brush for stenciling the edges.
Vertical or Horizontal Stripe Patterns
Some of the easiest paint designs that deliver high impact are striped walls. Horizontal stripes can make your room visually wider while vertical stripes can elongate the space making it look taller than it really is. The trick here is to determine how wide the stripes should be to achieve the desired effect. It’s really one of those classic designs that won’t go out of style.
Strié Faux Painting
Strié is a French painting technique that’s great for adding texture without overwhelming your space. This subtle technique features vertical streaks that mimic the texture of luxurious linen wallpapers. You can achieve this look by dragging a strié brush over a wet topcoat. For an extra DIY touch, you can simply substitute a grass broom instead of the specialised brush.
Faux Marble
There’s nothing like a slab of marble to elevate the look of your bathroom. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most expensive materials for a home. Thankfully, you can get the marble look at the fraction of the price with a well-executed faux painting technique. All you need are a set of paint with varying shades of the same colour, a wool pad, and a feather to apply the white accent veins that will bring your faux marble to life.
Sponging Technique
Adding accent colours to a base using sponge is one of the most reliable methods to add subtle texture and dimension to your walls. Traditionally, the paints used are just variations of the same shade, but these days, you can even add metallic hints to bring a luxe feel to your space.
Chevron Pattern
Instead of plain stripes, you can go further with your design by adding a trendy chevron pattern on your walls. The key to make this design work on your walls is to carefully measure the slopes to make sure your pattern has uniform peaks and lengths.
Wall Stamping
Another great idea for adding graphic details or patterns to your walls is by stamping the accent paint on the base colour. There are available wall stamps with different designs on the web, but you can also do your own DIY stamps using common household items such as corkboards, rubber bands, and even a potato.
Colour Wash Painting Finish
Give your walls a Tuscan-inspired painting finish with the colour wash technique. Here, the topcoat mixture of paint and glaze is added to the base in a criss-cross brush stroke that allows some of the base to show through. For best results, you can go over your work with badger brush to soften the lines created by the brush strokes.
Your budget shouldn’t limit you from experimenting with your space. Go ahead and look into the many different painting techniques, and use your imagination and creativity to get the look you want for your home.
