Here are a few of the techniques we can apply to your custom paint job!
Here are a few of the techniques we can apply to your custom paint job!
Apply desired base coat over properly prepared walls.
You may apply glaze one color at a time, with complete drying between layers, or all colors at once.
Option #1: Sponge a little of each of your colors on the wall, not worrying about how it looks at this point. We recommend applying glaze with a damp natural wool sea sponge (not just a painting sponge) using the rounded, not flat side of your sponge. Work in 1 to 2 foot sections.
Option #2: Sponge one color on your wall, not worrying about how it looks at this point. Apply glaze with a damp natural wool sea sponge using the rounded, not flat side of your sponge. Work in 1 to 2 foot sections.
While the area is still wet and workable, take a second damp natural wool sea sponge and dab lightly over the top of the color/colors you have just applied. This will soften it and take away the spongy appearance. The second sponge will correct all the fingerprints, smudges, dark spots, light spots, and streaks from the first sponge sliding across the wall, etc.
Corners should be done by running 2″ painters tape down the wall you are not sponging. Use the tape to your advantage. Rest your sponge on the tape and press your sponge into the corner, rotating sponge occasionally to prevent a polka-dot effect. After the corner section is done, continue down the wall.
TIP: If walls are done before corners you may have too much of an overlap in the corner area when you do try to sponge your corner.
Remove tape and let dry while you move on to the wall on the opposite side of the room.
Now come back and apply tape to the corner of the wall you previously finished, when it is dry.
Sponge the unfinished wall as you did the others.
Apply desired base coat over properly prepared walls.
Cut rags into 12 or 15 inch squares. (Cotton bed sheets work well. T-shirt material works only if you have enough of the same fabric. Two different shirts may give you two different looks.)
Squeeze glaze directly onto rag, working glaze through the rag until saturated but not dripping.
Crumple your rag and roll randomly across your wall. Work in small 1-2 foot sections.
While still wet and workable, take a damp natural wool sea sponge and blot what you have just ragged to soften the effect. By using the sponge, your ragging will stay more consistent. The sponge will camouflage fingerprints, heavy or light spots and streaks from your rag slipping.
Corners should be done by running 2″ painters tape down the wall you are not ragging. Use the tape to your advantage. Rest your rag on the tape and press your rat into the corner, rotating rag occasionally to prevent a polka-dot effect. After the corner section is done, continue with the wall.
TIP: If walls are done first you may have too much of an overlap in the corner area when you do try to rag your corner.
Remove tape and let dry while you move on to the wall on the opposite side of the room.
Now come back and apply tape to the corner of the wall you previously finished when it is dry. Rag the unfinished wall as you did the others.
Apply desired base coat over properly prepared walls.
Spread feathers apart and shake out the duster to remove excess feathers.(Use a good quality feather duster that won’t bleed color. Remember dusters are not always colorfast because they are designed to dust with, not to paint.)
Dip the duster in the glaze and dab it off on cardboard. (Use back side of colored boxes or plain corrugated cardboard for this step.)
Dab duster on the wall. Touch the wall farther apart and fill in between those areas as you continue.
TIPS: Keep the contrast low between the basecoat color and the color being feathered on.
Keep your feather dusting to one color or one color with metallic/pearl for better results. Too many colors can get very busy faster than you’d expect.
It takes 4 or 5 dusters per color to do an average 10 x 10 room. If you move slowly or dip too often, you’ll use more dusters.
You cannot cut the tops of the duster to get more use out of it or wash them out and reuse them, so make sure you buy enough dusters to finish your project.
Apply desired base coat over properly prepared walls.
Brush glaze on with a color washing brush by making x’s. Keep your edges jagged like a jigsaw puzzle. Work in small 1 or 2 foot sections. Apply 1 to 3 colors, only switching colors when the brush needs reloading. Blend colors where they meet slightly with the colorwashing brush.
Soften colors with dry cheesecloth by blotting or by dabbing with a neon stippling brush. Soften as much as desired. (A badger brush could be used to soften if desired, this technique is more advanced). Keep edges wet by not softening all the way to the edges.
TIPS: Colorwashing where you feather out the edges is not recommended with Elegant Transformations. We recommend that you keep a wet edge to work with.
Colorwashing with a colorwashing brush and softening with a badger, cheesecloth, or stippler works best in rooms that are cool and not overly dry. Higher humidity generally helps this technique work well. We recommend colors to be close in value and color family for best results. Metallics and whites should be used as a second layer, if you want to use them. If used with other colors, they will cause them to dry faster.