Sponge Painting Adds Texture To Walls

by Scott Gray, DIY Home Repairs

Put your creative skills to work with sponge painting techniques and add a refreshing dash of texture and depth to a tired-looking wall or a boring concrete floor. Sponge painting is a technique in which natural sea sponges are used to apply a second color or a “glaze coat” of paint. Never mind if your name isn’t Michaelangelo, you can make a room a gallery by sponge painting one or more walls or even the basement floor, and hide a multitude of irregularities and flaws while you’re at it.

Advantages of Learning Sponge Painting Techniques

1. You don’t need to hire a professional to add a professional decorative touch to your home.

2. A sponge-painted finish on a wall is less expensive than wallpaper, and cheaper than installing flooring in the basement.

3. Defects in a wall – easily seen with an ordinary paint job and even with wallpaper – will be hidden by the textured appearance; defects in a floor will be reduced.

How to Begin

1. Select two paint colors:

• A light base coat with an even lighter sponge pattern over top will lighten the room.
  
• A light base coat with a darker sponge pattern overtop will darken the room. A dark base coat with a light pattern will do the same.
  
• If you are choosing paint for a basement floor, remember that dark textured colors will help hide dirty footprints.
  
• Forget contrast – your paint colors should be similar in intensity and tone.

2. The best sponge is a natural sea sponge, available in the paint departments of most hardware stores. For a small pattern, cut the sponge in half.

3. Buy your paint:

• For walls, purchase an interior base coat paint, either flat, eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss. Mix the topcoat, or sponge paint, with a faux glaze in proportions of one-part paint to four-parts glaze. The topcoat will be more transparent with more glaze or use less glaze to make it less transparent.
  
• For concrete floors, concrete paint is required and it is not necessary to mix a faux glaze into the topcoat.

Prepare the Room for Painting

1. With a pry-bar and a hammer, remove any baseboards that need replacing. Sketch a floor plan and carefully measure the amount of molding needed for new boards. Note the number of corners and whether they angle “in” or “out.”

2. For walls, use a putty knife to fill any cracks or holes with a product like Polyfil. Let the fill dry and then lightly sand the spots and wipe the area clean. For concrete floors, clean and use a concrete etching product before painting.

The Job

1. Apply the base coat to your walls or floor. When it’s dry, you are ready to use your favorite sponge painting techniques.

2. Mix the topcoat color with the faux glaze and pour a small amount into a pan. Divide your wall (floor) into four quadrants and work each area separately and paint small sections at a time.

3. Wet the sponge, wring it out, dab it into the paint, and blot off the excess. Experiment with different patterns by practicing on a board for a few minutes:

• Just roll the sponge over the surface.
  
• Dab in an “X” pattern and then fill in the spaces.
  
• Dab four corners of a section and fill in towards the center.

4. Tips

• Don’t press too hard on the sponge.
  
• Wear plastic or rubber gloves.
  
• Use a small piece of sponge to touch up and fill in any areas that need it.
  
• If you are interrupted before finishing, wash the sponge out well.
  
• After the sponge paint coat is dry, you can add a second color if desired.

5. After the painting is completed, cut and install your new baseboards. Compound miter saws make this job so much easier than other saws because they are mounted on metal stands with rotating tables that enable them to cut beautiful mitered corners – just what you need.

6. Be sure to pre-drill your molding especially on the ends with a cordless drill like Ryobi cordless drills to prevent splitting of the wood.

When the baseboards have been cut, installed, and painted to your satisfaction, there is nothing left to do but show the room to family and friends and wait for the applause. You deserve it.

This article was provided by Scott Gray. Scott Gray is currently a home improvement handyman enthusiast and freelance writer who enjoys providing tips to consumers who are in the market for hand and power tools like compound miter saws.

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