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Choosing Colors and Steps 1 & 2
The trouble with many do-it-yourself decorative painting systems is that they require more artistic skill than most of us care to develop for the occasional paint job. But some do-it-yourself painting systems can get you darn close to the high-priced expert effects.
A system that worked well for us was Wall Magic (Wagner Spray Tech Corp.). You can find it at most home centers and paint stores (see the Buyer’s Guide— you can also find kits in other brands that work well). The kit comes with everything you need to achieve beautiful painted walls that will look like you hired a pro.
The $40 price tag includes a dual roller, a single roller, a split paint tray, edging sponges and a variety of roller covers with unique patterns. An instructional videotape is provided to get you comfortable with how each tool works and to show you what effects to expect. I was impressed by the quality. Even after the foam rollers and pan were used about a dozen times, they didn’t deteriorate but instead cleaned up intact and ready for the next job.
Using this decorative painting system is relatively fast. I found that it takes only about twice as long as conventional painting. An average-size room can be painted in about four or five hours. Your only costs are for paint and the kit, plus masking tape and a dropcloth to protect against splatters. If you compare it with wallpapering a room, you’ll find it will be a fraction of the cost and will require about half the time and effort. And best of all, if you’re unhappy with the results, you can paint right over it. Try doing that with wallpaper!
Dual Roller Method
How the System Works
It may seem like a crazy concept, but the pattern-cut dual roller (Photo 1) lets you blend the two shades of paint over a base paint and leave the appearance of texture on the walls. The base paint can be an off-white flat or eggshell latex (we went over our existing white paint), or you can choose a complementary color for the base coat and allow it to show through the two colors used for the finished coat. A single application of the two topcoat colors gave us the beautiful blended results you see in our photos and hid our base coat completely.
Click image to enlarge.
It’s a whole different concept from using a traditional roller. You don’t try to hide the marks left by the roller edges; you want them to show, so the process is less tedious. I found the system pretty easy to use.
It’s up to you how much to blend the two topcoat colors. Back-and-forth diagonal strokes like those shown in Photos 3 and 4 blend the colors by “weaving” one color with the other. Less rolling will give you the highest contrast between the color; more overlapping will blend the colors further, lessening the contrast. Of course, you can overdo the weaving process, but that takes considerable effort. The whole process is forgiving, relatively mess-free and fun. You can even go back once it’s dry and rework areas you’re not satisfied with.
To get the hang of the tools and build your confidence, practice a bit on a primed scrap of drywall or a section of wall about 6 ft. wide. You’ll see how well your color choices blend. Don’t worry; you can always repaint the wall once you’ve finished practicing. Remember that the effect should be free and random, so don’t fuss over a small area. Work large areas at a time and enjoy the process. Just follow the instructions in Photos 1 – 9 to get great-looking results.
How Do I Choose Attractive Color Combinations?
Unless you’ve got a great eye for color, choosing combinations can be tricky. Bring home latex paint swatches from the paint store to see how the colors look in your room. The kit manufacturers suggest you choose your colors from the same swatch. You can mix a light shade with a dark for high contrast, or two closer shades for a more consistent tone. I found that experimenting with colors on different swatches but within the same color family gave the richest results.
Begin the color selection process by considering the fabrics, prints, carpeting, area rugs and furniture you’re working with. Find paint swatches that coordinate with these and give the colors a test. Before I painted the room, I purchased quart cans of chosen colors and tested them on a section of wall. If you don’t trust your judgment, ask your paint store professional for suggestions.
We provided the samples on this page to help you see the effect of certain colors when they’re blended. (The room shown was painted using the colors in sample No. 1 and the Tuscany roller cover.) Nos. 2 and 4 were also done with the Tuscany; the Fresco cover was used for No. 3. Note: The paint we used isn’t available nationwide, so if you like our choices, match them from the magazine to your own color swatches.
Color Samples
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To get similar results, match these samples to color swatches you find at local paint stores.
Buyer’s Guide
The Wall Magic Kit is available at most home centers and paint supply retailers. For more information on the Wall Magic Kit, call Wagner Spray Tech Corp. at (800) 328-8251 or visit its Web site at www.wagnerspraytech.com.
A company called The Woolie also makes a dual roller kit ($20). Contact the company at (888) 596-6543 for dealer locations or check out its Web site at www.woolie.com.
McCloskey Paints also sells several decorative painting kits. Contact McCloskey at (800) 345-4530.
Click image to enlarge.
1. Mask all your woodwork and the ceiling, lay a dropcloth on the floor and have some newspaper on hand before painting. Pour equal amounts of ordinary flat latex paint into the sections of the split roller pan provided in your painting kit. Evenly saturate the rollers with paint.
2. Roll the dual roller onto newspaper to get rid of the excess paint. This will prevent smears or runs on the wall.
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