Design Tips

Today we're going to discuss an easy method of faux finishing. It's called a color wash. Instead of using glaze, which is nice but can be a health hazard as well as expensive, we're going to use water.

First, select something as your focal point for color reference. In this case I'm using an area rug in my guest bathroom. It's a rust brown with shades of gold, tan, and accents of black with a leaf pattern.

Next, I choose a base color of tan. I'm going to use flat paint for the base color and a satin finish for the colors I apply over the base color. By mixing water in a 50-50 ratio with the satin paints I can achieve that lustre that comes when you use glaze. I apply the base color with a roller and brush and let it dry for 48 hours.

Then I apply the other colors with cotton tee shirt material that I dip into the paint/water mixture and rub over the base color. You can use any motion you like to apply the satin paint. In my guest bath I used a swirl motion as I wanted to achieve a "cloud-like" effect. The result was beautiful and I wound up repeating the process in the guest bedroom on an accent wall behind the bed's headboard. That way the 2 rooms were unified in both color and theme.

By using water instead of glaze we have saved both money and time and achieved results that rival the use of glaze! Plus there is no health hazard using water, whereas you must be careful using glaze as it carries a health warning with the use of the product.

So next time you have a hard time deciding what to do with your wall space, try this easy and inexpensive way to solve your decorating dilemma!