Ideas for a Glazed Wall

Plain

• Mix one to five parts of the wall paint to one part or more glaze. The ratios affect the depth of the color and the translucency. Mix well. Experiment on a portion of the wall you plan to paint over to see how the colors look in different lights. Use a dry paintbrush to remove some of the glaze for texture.

Stamped

• Mix the glaze to the desired color and translucency. Use commercially available stamps, or make your own by drawing them on stamp material and cutting them out with a craft knife. Paint the glaze on the stamp and press the stamp on the wall.

Sponge Paint

• Sponge paint several different colors, or intensities, of the glaze over the painted wall. Practice first on butcher paper to get the technique down. How much glaze is applied to the sponge and the pressure used to press it on to the wall varies the color. Vary the look by using different-sized sponges and sponges with different-sized holes. Natural sea sponges are preferred by experts, but even kitchen sponges work. Tear off the straight edges of a kitchen sponge before applying the glaze.

Combing

• Apply the glaze to the wall, and then make stripes with a wide-toothed hair comb or a specially manufactured paint squeegee, or make your own by cutting notches out of a squeegee with a craft knife. Squiggle the comb as you drag it down the wall to make curves. Drag it straight down, following a plumb line for perfectly straight lines. Make crisscrossed lines by dragging the comb down horizontally and then vertically.

Ragging

• A scrunched-up cloth gives a different look from a glaze applied with a sponge. Either dip the cloth into the glaze and apply to the wall by dabbing, or try dragging the clot. Another alternative is to put the glaze on the wall first and dab the dry cloth on the wall, removing some of the glaze. Turn the cloth to dry sides, or use a clean cloth when the first cloth gets dirty.