New Technique

Posted by Kristin Abraham Jun 9, 2006

If you read the previous blog and article you know that I had a problem with the color my home's previous owner painted the bathroom. I was going to keep a part of the orangey-peach and do a glaze over it. But I changed my mind. Oh, the orangey-peach was still going but I decided against the glaze.

First I painted a nice white on the ceiling (yes, that was orangey-peach too). I was halfway done with the first coat and it was as if the sun were rising. The entire room just lit up. And even though one coat was clearly insufficient it looked so much better and brighter.

I then finished the ceiling and while that dried I took down every fixture I could, mirrors, shower rails, outlets, etc. If you want a professional looking job then you have to do what the professionals do and take those little extra steps.

Then I began my new technique. I had already selected 3 colors that went well with the existing tiled floor. A putty, a lighter grey and a neutral peach. All of the colors were actually quite similar in tone and saturation. I painted 1 foot long, irregular "stripes" of each color overlapping them and making sure nothing looked patterned. Some spots may end up as large blobs and others might be brushwide strips of color. Because the colors are similar there arent any real edges or sharp color divisions.

I did a fairly large area, maybe 3 foot by 3 foot and then began the denim technique. I have a denim effect brush that has acrylic bristles which create soft lines in the paint and help to blend and smooth the colors. I always used the denim brush in an up and down direction so there are slight, almost imperceptible, stripes running through the technique. In my small bathroom this creates an illusion of height, and with the crisp white ceiling there is an even greater feeling of height and therefore space in my tiny loo.

So now I have a freshly painted bathroom that is much more pleasing to the eye, feels and looks bigger and brighter and one home interior project crossed off my list.