Drywall may have a smooth finish or it may have a texture applied to it. When you have textured walls in your home, take advantage of them by adding a wall glaze. When you use wall glaze, it emphasizes highs and lows of the wall’s texture. Glaze-textured walls take on different shades of the same color, much like you find in nature. The glazed wall color changes as the light in the room changes. Because glaze-textured walls have an organic feel to them, it’s best to use colors that you would find in nature.
Remove lightweight objects from the room and as much of the furniture as possible. Cover the remaining furniture and the floor with drop cloths. Remove electrical outlet covers with a screwdriver. Put painter’s tape along the wood trim and other objects you don’t want to paint.
Give the walls a base coat of interior latex paint that has a sheen finish, such as eggshell or satin, using a paintbrush and roller. As soon as the first coat of paint dries, apply a second coat and let it dry as well.
Select a color for the glaze from the same chip chart as the base coat. Since these colors are in a similar color range, they should provide the subtle contrast you want.
Mix glazing liquid with the glaze color you selected in the previous step. The ratio depends on how transparent you want the glaze to be. Mixing 1 part paint to 2 parts glazing liquid produces a light color that provides minimal color contrast. Adding more glazing liquid produces a more pronounced contrast.
Brush or roll the glaze onto the wall in a small section. Apply the glaze with crisscross strokes. Let the glaze set for no more than two minutes, then wipe it off with a clean, slightly damp sponge. Only remove the glaze from the raised surface, leave the rest in the indentations to provide the contrast.
Continue to apply glaze mixture and wipe it off before it dries until you finish the room. Make each section a different shape and size to make the finished product appear more natural. Blend the colors of each section together as you wipe off excess glaze with the sponge. Let the glaze dry.
Things You Will Need
- Drop cloths
- Painter’s tape
- Satin or eggshell finish paint
- Glazing liquid
- Create a practice board out of a piece of scrap plywood. You can try different ratios of glazing liquid to get the mixture just the way you want it. The practice board also enables you to perfect the glazing process before you start on your walls.
- Drying time for both the paint and the glaze varies based on the room’s relative humidity and temperature. The paint dries faster in a warmer environment.
- Wear protective gloves to keep the paint and glaze off your hands.
- Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images