#ResidentialPaintingSydney – Decorative Finishes – Part 1 Techniques

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Decorative Finish Techniques

Sponging

If producing a \”sponge finish\”, the painter may use one colour or several colours to achieve the desire effect. There are several ways to do this.

1. (Water Base) After thoroughly wetting and squeezing the sponge in water, dab it onto a flat surface (glass pallet) charged with the appropriate coloured acrylic paint. Dab the sponge onto the pre-coloured ground coat in a manner which does not create a repetitive pattern. When the first colour dries, another may be added until the desired effect is achieved. This is known as the \’positive application\’ method.

2. A semi translucent glaze may be applied to the surface in the same manner as above.

3. A glaze is applied over the ground colour by brush, then by dabbing the surface with a sponge, you absorb some of the glaze, creating a patterned effect. This is known as the \”subtractive application method\”.

4. This effect is best done on a horizontal surface. Dampen the ground with the appropriate thinner and apply colour with the sponge. This creates a soft effect as the colour merges with the thinner. Alternatively, the colour may be sponged onto a dry ground and while still wet a light spray of the atomised water can be passed over the surface.

Bagging

These techniques use sheets of plastic or plastic bags for manipulating designs after the glaze has been applied to the ground colour.

1. Apply glaze onto the ground coat.

2. Bunch up the plastic and dab it onto the wet glaze, thus removing some of the glaze and creating the desired effect.

Ragging

Basically the same as for bagging but a softer image is produced. This is called Cragging\’  The chamois leather or muslin cloth must firstly be soaked in the thinner, rung out well, then either dabbed or rolled over the surface. If the pattern is considered too harsh it may be softened with a badger softening brush.

N.B: Rags used in oil based glazes should be disposed of Oil completion of the job by submerging in water in a metal container with a lid on it-this is to avoid spontaneous combustion.

Colour Blending

Choice of colours should be considered carefully when blending. Points to consider are colours of complimentary hue will neutralise each other and create either tertiaries or greys when blended together. An example is rose pink blended to pale blue-green would form a neutral grey in the middle, which would spoil the blending effect. Some satisfactory colour combinations for blending are.

1. Primrose through pale green to turquoise blue

2. White blended through primrose to pale apple green

3. Cream through pink to lilac or mauve

4. Ivory through pink rose to pale blue

5. Any 3 or 4 tones of one colour

Residential Painters Sydney, Professional home painting services Westmead
For more information about any Painting and Decorating tasks please Call Bloomin’Good Sydney Painters on 1800 204 145.