People have been adorning the walls of their dwellings with their own unique artworks since they first etched stick drawings onto the interior of their caves.
If you’re looking to decorate your home in a more contemporary style though, paint techniques are the way to go. These finishes are a fun way to liven up your home and add a personal touch to your interiors.
Check out these unique painting techniques to add interest and appeal to your decor.
1. Faux Finish Painting
Faux finishes create texture and nuance on your walls by replicating another type of surface like wallpaper, suede, or marble.
There are several techniques commonly used to create these effects like:
- Sponging
- Color washing
- Rag rolling
Once you’ve mastered the above basic techniques you can try your hand at something more advanced such as:
- Marbelizing
- Faux granite
- Riém
Faux painting is a time-consuming process but yields high rewards for those with a little patience and determination.
2. Unique Painting Techniques With Stencils
Stenciling is one of the quickest and easiest ways to liven up your walls. You can use stencils to create a contrasting border in a room or go all out with a full wall application.
Stencils are easy to find at hardware stores, or you can create your own designs using firm plastic and a craft knife. Stencils are a great way to embrace the latest trend towards patterns in interior design.
3. Harlequin Diamonds
DIY harlequin diamonds are easy to do but can take a long time to complete. You’ll start off by painting your wall with a primer and a base coat in your desired color.
Next, you need to mark out your diamonds. Using a level and a pencil or chalk, draw rectangles on your wall as a starting point for the diamonds. These should be twice as high as they are wide.
Then, for each rectangle, use painters’ tape to make a line from the top midpoint of each side to the middle of the next one to create a diamond shape. Repeat until you have a diamond shape marked out in each rectangle.
The last step is to paint your contrasting color carefully inside the taped area and remove the tapes afterward.
4. Stripes and Checkerboard
Painting stripes and checkerboards on your walls is a bold move but it’s perfect if you’re looking for big visual impact.
Subtle, thin stripes can add a little texture to the scene while big contrasting stripes add abundant flair. If you’re doing a checkerboard effect, it’s best for a feature wall, since this technique is always better in smaller doses.
Once again, be sure to use a level when marking out your designs.
5. Country-Style Crackling
If you’re into the vintage trend, crackling is a great way to age small pieces of furniture or doors.
To achieve this effect, you’ll apply a base coat and then let it dry. Next, apply a layer of crackle medium and let that dry, followed by another layer of paint.
As this top layer dries, it will crack, creating an aged effect. Allow it to rest for a day or two and then apply a final layer of varnish to protect all your hard work.
Get Creative
If you’ve got enough time on your hands, you can breathe new life into your boring interiors with a little paint in the right places.
Keep reading our blog for more unique painting techniques and creative painting ideas, or get in touch and we’ll do all the hard work for you.
