How Do I Colorwash Walls?

Sometimes we get a question that is very general… a true call for help from someone who has never done a faux finish… ever.

Hi Debra and Tawn,

Thanks for your emails.  I love all the great hints in your newsletters and articles.  What I would like to do is a colorwash on a wall.  Could you tell me what I need and how to do it?
Thank you,

Rachel

It’s pretty hard to explain anything to do with painting…. with just words.  But we want to help everyone so we’ll give the old college try!
Colorwashing is a pretty broad subject.

Essentially, it is washing the walls with thin watery paint instead of soap. You can use brushes or rags to apply the paint. It is not a faux finish where you are removing paint, just applying it.

After many years of applying paint with brushes and sea sponges… Debra found the Woolie Tool.  If you haven’t tried a Woolie – get thyself one and play.  You will have so much fun with your painting projects.  After Debra discovered the Woolie she shared it with me and it is absolutely my favorite tool now!

The Woolie creates smooth washes of color and you can use it to pat out any harsh places in the color washing.  It’s so easy to use!!  You can use one for all layers of color washing by washing out the pad and shaking it out very well.  You want it “just damp” and NOT soaking wet when you use it so make sure you push the water out after you clean it and then shake it and shake it to get it dried to the point of “damp” and not soaking wet.

Or you can have 2 or 3 on hand so you can just move from color to color… like painting with a paint brush and using a different one for each color.  It saves time and frustration to have more than one.

Woolie Decor Faux Paint Kit

They have even come out with a Faux Technique Paint Kit with a video showing some basic painting techniques. Very cool!

Now… back to colorwash walls.

Colorwash on walls is a pretty broad classification in the faux painting world.  You’ll need to think about how you want the end result to look.  Think of these things:

• Are you going to use one, two, three… or more colors?
• And what do you want the finish to look like when you are done?
• Do you want a soft finish, or a textural looking finish.

The way you apply the paint and how you dilute the paint and how many colors you use… affects the outcome of the final painting technique.

Paint is pretty cheap and you can paint right over it if you hate the outcome.

That said… we will explain a basic two color – color wash technique.

First… you must understand that when using 2 separate colors – part of the wall will be covered with both colors which creates a third color. So… you must use colors that will blend together well.

You might think that…oh…say… pink and green look good together, but when layered over each other they will be brown and not so pretty.  So be careful of the choices you make in color.  I’d suggest using a sample board to test out your colors before making them BIG on the wall.  Easier to change your mind now rather than after you’ve applied two coats on your wall! 

Also… a color wash is applied with one color first on the entire wall and then the other color applied over the first color.  This second color is usually a softer… lighter color.  This then knocks back the brighter first color.

Second… When you first start painting the brighter color… it will seem to harsh and very messy looking.  You have to wait for the final coat to be applied to realize the beauty of a two color wash.

• Mix one part paint and 2 parts glaze in a bucket.

• Slip slap this color onto the wall with a large brush and then pat out the strong paint strokes with the Woolie pad. A strong color might be a burnt orange.

After the entire wall has dried… you will be applying the second color wash. You might choose a yellow color. Not pale, but sunny yellow.

By applying this second color you are knocking back the strong burnt orange color.  The entire wall when complete will be a lovely “Under The Tuscan Sun”  look (just had to throw that image in… I loved that movie!).

I know this isn’t a full color washing tutorial… just some basics. You really need to get a book and practice on a sample board until you find a technique you love.

Now get out there and splash some paint around!

Tagged as: Choosing Colors, colorwashing, faux painting, Painting Advice, woolie pad