Inventive and decorative painting techniques

Description of various decorative painting techniques using sponges and textured rollers to give your room a custom look.

If you are looking for fresh and novel ideas for painting your walls, there are many innovative ways to work with paint that will make your room look professionally decorated for a fraction of the price.

One technique is sponge painting. You can accomplish this two ways: If you just want a "sponged" effect on your wall, simply paint the wall and then use an ordinary sponge to get a textured effect; it is easier, however, to buy a few larger sponges to make the job go faster. For a special custom look, go to your local craft store which stocks a variety of sponges in various shapes and sizes. For example, if your child loves dinosaurs, purchase a few small dinosaur sponges, then paint the room one color and trim the tops and bottoms of the wall in a complementary color with the dinosaur sponge. Another method would be to wait until the initial coat is totally dry, then with a darker shade of paint, sponge the dinosaurs intermittently throughout the room.

For a faded look to a wall, one that starts with one color and fades to another, start with two shades of paint. For example, tomato red and yellow. Paint the top of your wall with the red paint. Then mix some red paint with a little bit of the yellow to obtain a dark orange shade. With a rag, apply the dark orange to the middle section of the wall, blending with the red. Next mix a small amount of red with a larger amount of yellow to obtain a lighter orange shade. Again with a rag, apply the light orange blending into the darker shade. Finally, on the bottom of the wall, apply the yellow. This technique transforms an ordinary room into a custom-made dwelling and works particularly well in a breakfast nook or family room.

Another method for obtaining a textured look for your walls is to use a textured roller. You can purchase these at any of the home improvement stores and they come in a variety of sizes and designs. Use these rollers as you would a regular roller, but keep in mind that the entire wall will have the design of the roller. Sometimes it's good to use these custom rollers for bordering your walls. Paint the wall with a regular brush or roller, then use the design roller for the top and/or bottom of the walls.

If you think you are not creative enough to get the "marbleized" look with sponging your walls as described above, you can purchase a "marbleizing" kit at a home improvement store that comes with all the tools you will need and step by step instructions on how to apply.

Do not be afraid to experiment when you are redecorating. Just remember, whatever method of painting you choose, if you don't like it, simply paint over it. That is one of the many benefits of do-it-yourself remodeling - you won't incur additional expenses for having to do it over or have to settle for something you don't like simply because it was done by a professional. So get your drop cloths out and have fun!