How to Decorate Your Walls With the Sponge Technique

Sponging a wall gives it a mottled appearance, with one color dabbed in with a sea sponge on top of a base coat. The result is a wall color that appears to have depth and texture, as opposed to a large blanket of a single shade. This technique gives a room or home character in a space otherwise dominated by single-color walls. Sponging is a somewhat artistic discipline, and practice helps you become better at creating the variety and character that you aim for when sponging.

Two colors of paint
Roller and tray
Sea sponge
Glazing liquid

Instructions

- 1
  Paint the wall you want to sponge in the base color you want to use in the design. Don't paint the base coat with any paint with more gloss than a satin finish. Let the base dry completely before moving on.
- 2
  Mix two parts of the glazing liquid together with each part of the second paint color for your sponge mixture. The darker you want the paint to appear, the more you should shift the ratio in favor of more paint and less glaze.
- 3
  Moisten the sponge lightly in some water. Paint the glaze mixture onto the sponge with a brush, and wipe off any excess with a cloth so that the sponge is just lightly coated.
- 4
  Press the sponge against the wall and then twist it. Continue to press the sponge against the wall while you use a variety of different motions to create different patterns of mottling. Recoat the sponge when the paint starts to lighten on the wall, and continue until the entire wall is covered.

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