Sponging

Sponging is one of the easiest decorative techniques, so it's a good choice for beginners. It's quick method for giving a wall the appearance of texture and depth. The technique involves painting the wall with a basecoat color, and then dabbing that dried basecoat with a sea sponge dipped in tinted glaze.

You can use regular paint instead of glaze, but the glaze stays wet longer, giving you time to move the color around and change effects you don't like. Glaze also is more translucent, so it has a softer effect. If you wish, you can apply more than one topcoat, in different colors.

Tip: Practice the technique on a board or cardboard before starting on your walls.

All You Need

Materials

• Semi-gloss or satin paint in desired color for the basecoat
• Tinted glaze for the topcoat
• Materials needed to prepare the walls, such as TSP substitute cleaner, sandpaper, patching compound, liquid de-glosser if walls have glossy surface and blue masking tape for protecting areas you don't want to paint

Tools

• Paint trays and liners for the basecoat and the glaze
• Roller frame and roller cover
• Sea sponge
• Drop cloth to protect floors
• Sea sponge
• Newspaper

Step-by-Step

1. To prepare the walls, wash the walls with water or a TSP substitute; patch holes; de-gloss if the surface is shiny; and prime if needed.

2. Using a regular paint roller, apply the basecoat. Let dry for 24 hours.

3. Dampen the sea sponge and then wring it out.

4. Dip the sea sponge into the tray of glaze and dab off the excess onto newspaper. Starting in an upper corner, dab the sea sponge on the wall in a random pattern, overlapping edges. Turn the sponge often to vary the appearance of the glaze.

5. Repeat on the next area, slightly overlapping the wet edge of the previous area. If the sponge becomes saturated, rinse it and wring it out.

6. If applying a second basecoat in a different color, allow first topcoat to dry for 2 to 4 hours.

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