mr.montreal

I want to paint my walls with a sponge to give it that look. I'll be using a flat, red paint. Should I paint a coat with a roller first, or go ahead and proceed with the sponge?

Whats the procedure anyway?

As far as I know, you dip the sponge in a little water first, and then into a little paint, and then apply to the wall. Is that all there is to it?

thanks in advance.

mr.montreal

heres some info i found

Sponge Painting

The variations are unlimited depending on the color you select for your base coat, the number of glaze colors used and how lightly or heavily you apply the glaze(s). Armaly ProPlus Painting Sponges are available in fine, medium or coarse textures. The irregular shape and surface of the sponge will help you create effects from subtle to bold.

Supplies

* Armaly ProPlus Painting Sponges
* Latex Paint
* Latex Glazing Liquid
* Paint Tray(s)
* Palettes and/or Plastic Plates
* Armaly ProPlus Fiber Wipes for clean up
* Armaly ProPlus Fiber Drop Cloths
* Tape for masking

Technique


1. Paint your base coat with a latex satin or semi-gloss paint and allow to dry.
* Tip: If painting over oil base paint with latex use a primer first to promote paint adhesion.
2. Make glaze
3. Dampen the painting sponge in water and squeeze out excess.
4. Pour a small amount of the glazing mixture onto tray or palette. Dip the sponge into the glaze (do not overload). Blot excess glaze on edge of tray.
5. Dab the sponge on the wall, continually changing the position of the sponge by turning and twisting your hand between dabs to vary the pattern.
* Tip: Rinse the sponge if it becomes clogged.
6. Continue working the entire wall until finished. Stand back frequently to judge uniformity of your finish. Try to keep the pattern consistent and even.
7. When using more than one color, sponge the entire surface with the first color, then proceed with the second and/or third colors. Remember that the color you want to show most should be the last color used.
* Tip: A good way to achieve extra depth is by using several tones of the same color.
8. To vary the effects, use the fine, medium and coarse Armaly ProPlus Painting Sponge on the same wall.
9. To clean your Armaly ProPlus Painting Sponge, rinse with water until it runs clear.
* Tip: Always experiment first on sample board. Use a clean palette and sponge for each other. Don't ignore the corners. Use small pieces of sponge or q-tips to get into those small spaces

Courtesy of Armaly ProPlus


at http://doityourself.com/faux/spongepainting.htm

DDDDave

Easy answer, yes. But the devil is in the details.

It is a lot harder than just that. It is difficult to make sure that color remains even throughout the wall. Then the paint starts to dry and looks different and it is really hard to touch it up to make it look right.

My suggestion is to practice on a 4x4 piece of painted drywall. Then let your first project be a bathroom where the wall surfaces are fairly small and you can work on one wall at a time.

Good luck.

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bill96ab

We did a huge wall in our house with a feather duster... just got some cheap ones, and cut them off so that they were about 5 inch in diameter... then just dabbed the tip of the duster inthe paint, then on the wall.. it looks great.

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Bill

Ctrl-Alt-Del - works for me!

the420star

just make sure you twist your wrist... that is the most important thing... if you dont the pattern looks uniform... and you dont have to use the same side of the sponge the whole time... get messy, flip it over...

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mrdarcy

I've been doing faux finishes for 26 years.

The basics have been pretty much covered here.

I might add:

Start in a corner. You will never be able to duplicate the exact look that you had when you started. If you start and end at a corner, the difference between start and stop will be much less noticeable.

Don't work small. If you concentrate on the pattern in a small area, it's hard to spread out and keep that same pattern. Instead, work over a much larger area and fill in.

As you work, your sponge will become more saturated, giving you a less crisp and more filled image. You will need to occasionally change sponges, or clean out the sponge now and then as you work.

Most of all, have fun. Most beginners make the mistake of using too much contrast between their colors. This can be a nice effect, but it is much more unforgiving.
Start out with hues that are close to one another, then move to more contrast as you get experience.

If, when you get finished decide that there is too much contrast, water down some of the base coat and apply it as a wash over everything. I use a sponge mop to do this. Let it dry and do it again if necessary. You can also get a great effect by doing this and then going back over it with another layer of sponge painting. This gives you a nice feeling of depth as the colors seem to fade into the background color.

Most of all, have fun. Play with it. Don't be afraid to take risks. You can always cover it up and start over.

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