Decorative wall painting in an apartment is a great, albeit expensive, way to update a boring interior. This is an opportunity to realize the whole range of creative ideas and ideas. Very often, hiring decorators is quite expensive, and then the decision comes to handle this task yourself.
But where to start? What should be taken into account, what should I pay special attention to? How to be a beginner who first encountered the concepts of "trowel", "primer" and "water-based composition"?
First things first
Let's start with the types of decorative paints and how to apply them.
Decorative paint is a special paint composition applied to the surfaces of walls and ceilings. With it, you can achieve many interesting and unusual effects.
Viewsdecorative paints
Currently, the following types of finishing paints can be found on the shelves of hardware stores:
- Mother-of-pearl: at different angles of light refraction, they create a special iridescent effect of silk fabric. These are the so-called chameleon paints.
- Velvet and velours: these paints create the effect of rich depth and velvety tenderness due to the presence of tiny solid particles of different colors and shades.
- Mosaic: creates the effect of a granite or mosaic surface due to small acrylic bubbles, which, falling on the surface, seem to spread, leaving chaotically thoughtful colorful smudges. This type of finishing paint is applied using a special device - an airbrush. It should be borne in mind that working with it requires preliminary preparation and additional material costs for its acquisition.
- Paints with various additives: there is a wide range of mineral-based paints interspersed with sand particles, shells, glass crystals, etc., special glazing, glossy and textured, allowing you to create unique patterns and patterns.
The range of paints is updated annually, many manufacturers are trying to make their products more environmentally friendly, as safe and durable as possible.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of such paints are indisputable: first of all, they are safe and durable, easy to care for, and most of them are able to withstand aggressiveexposed to the sun and washable.
However, it is worth considering the decent high cost of coloring compositions, as well as preliminary thorough preparation in the form of leveling the walls. Considering the initial state of the surface and the cost of the required materials, the final price for the work done can be quite substantial.
Very often in interior design, not specialized, but ordinary water-based paints and varnishes are chosen for painting walls. Here it is worth stopping and understanding various kinds of nuances in more detail.
- Firstly, the use of foam and synthetic rollers and sponges is not recommended, as they form small bubbles, which will undoubtedly affect the result and quality of work. In this case, it is better to choose natural materials.
- Secondly, it is undesirable to interrupt the staining process: waiting for the intermediate layers to dry is not required at all in order to minimize the laboriousness of the process.
When taking into account the above remarks, it will be possible to avoid mistakes in the use of the paint and varnish composition, save time, effort and the amount of material.
Water-based paint
It is especially worth noting the properties, advantages and technology of painting walls and ceilings with ordinary water-based paint.
- It adheres tightly to the surface and practically does not peel off.
- Dries quickly - just a couple of hours.
- Alkali resistant.
- Eco-friendly and safe - after dyeing there is no need to leaveroom.
- No specific pungent odor commonly associated with paints and varnishes.
- The durability of the coating is maintained for 5-15 years.
- The ability to give any color and shade by adding special colors in the right proportions.
When painting walls with water-based paint, it is necessary to take into account the temperature of the room: it should not be lower than +5 °С.
Depending on the type of polymer that is part of the paint, there are several main types:
Acrylic paints - suitable for painting most types of surfaces. They are waterproof and moisture-repellent, resistant to mechanical stress, highly elastic, and easy to care for.
Latex paints - a type of acrylic emulsion with the addition of latex, quite expensive, but provide a very even color:
- water repellent;
- dense structure;
- widely applicable: on wood, concrete, brick, glass, plaster, pre-primed metal;
- highly resistant to mechanical damage.
However, it should be borne in mind that latex paints are afraid of exposure to low temperatures and sunlight. They are also more susceptible to fungus and mold.
Silicone paints - most often used when finishing the ceiling and painting walls in the bathroom and kitchen. They pass steam and air, repel water. A huge advantage of such paints is that they have antibacterial qualities. It is possible to apply such paint without preliminary priming on the basesurface.
Silicate water-based paints are suitable for painting plastered surfaces. They are distinguished by their low price, resistance to temperature changes, durability and the permeability of air and steam, but not moisture resistance.
Oil and enamel coatings
Oil paint is used in rooms of any type. It is not afraid of moisture and dampness, but it dries for a long time and has a pungent odor. After painting, the surface becomes glossy and cold to the touch. The undoubted advantages of this type of paint are low cost and ease of application.
For interior decoration, for safety reasons, experts advise using linen-based oil paints.
Enamel paints provide both glossy and matte finishes. It is very dense and durable.
You can see an interesting wall painting idea in the photo below.
Wall painting technology
First of all, you should prepare the surface of the walls and do it right. Usually finished paints do not require any tinting or any kind of final coating. A properly prepared surface is the main condition for a quality job. Where to begin? What should be done first?
The answer is simple and obvious: they start by removing the old paint. Next, the surface is leveled, carefully filling the existing cracks and cavities, and puttied. After drying, the surface is primed.
Remember to secure furniture, windows and doors frominevitable ingress of paint during work. This will help the usual plastic film, fixed with tape.
Then you will need the following set of tools:
- brushes and rollers;
- paint tray;
- protective clothing, gloves, goggles and mask;
- paper or newspapers;
- painting tape;
- ladder;
- texture rollers, brushes and sponges to create a decorative effect.
How to calculate the amount of paint
There is an "unspoken rule of painters": 1 liter to paint a wall of 5 m². It is worth keeping this calculation in mind when painting, but always keep in mind that in reality the amount depends on the type and density, absorbency and number of layers applied. It is also worth considering that bright colors require more material. Not the last role is played by the state of the original surface, its readiness, whether it be a wall or a ceiling. Textured plaster requires more paint, but to reduce material consumption, you can carefully pre-primed the wall.
For accurate calculations, you need to multiply the height of the walls by the perimeter of the room, and do not forget to subtract the area of doors and windows. The resulting value is multiplied by the amount of paint consumption, always indicated on the package. This value is also different and depends on its type:
- standard paint for indoor walls and ceilings - 120 ml per 1 m²;
- water-based wall paint - 170 ml;
- bath paint - 180 ml;
- latex paint - 125 ml.
Wall painting techniques
Beforethe beginning of work, the paint should be thoroughly mixed. Usually two types are used - light and dark tones - this gives the effect of decorative contrast.
The main tone is applied to the surface of the wall, and after it dries - the tone of the decorative purpose. At this stage, you can stop and finish the work, or you can enthusiastically continue decorating.
Let's note some of the most popular and effective staining techniques.
Stenciling
You can buy stencils in a store or make them yourself using a computer program and print them on a printing film. The presence of stencils greatly facilitates the entire staining process.
In order to apply a drawing not to a wall, the stencil is glued and the paint is carefully applied with a foam roller or swab. The roller should be well saturated with paint, but not too much, otherwise the paint will run off and streaks are provided, of course, if this is not part of your creative idea.
As soon as the stencil is painted over, they immediately remove it from the wall and admire the result.
Texture roller
Now you can find any kind of decorative texture rollers. For your choice of imitation tree bark, stone, leather, grass and so on. You can also purchase a roller from a store or make your own, which is quite simple.
Before applying to the wall, the roller is impregnated with paint, but not excessively. Then they draw along the wall, taking into account the uniformity and uniformity of the pattern.
Decorative paintingsponge
This is an old and proven technique used in interior art. The porous filling of the sponge allows you to combine several shades of paint at once.
To begin with, the sponge is slightly moistened, slightly squeezed on the tray and begin to stamp the wall.
Experts advise you to first practice applying paint on an unnecessary area of the surface in order to make sure: how much paint a particular surface will require, how intensively you need to wet the sponge, etc.
Decorative brush finish
When working with a brush, a flight of fancy and a splash of emotions are guaranteed. It is best to have brushes of different sizes. The technology of work is very simple: strokes are applied to the dominant color with an almost dry brush in a chaotic direction. This principle provides the effect of attrition and aging.
Marble coloring
A slightly more complex technique for painting and decorating walls. To achieve a marbled surface effect, the wall is first completely painted in the main shade. Without waiting for the layer to dry, stripes of a different shade are applied on top with a wide brush. During this process, the paints are mixed directly on the wall, forming different shades of color. Next, with a thin brush, lines are drawn that are similar to stone veins and bulges. After the pattern has completely dried, a layer of paint diluted with water is applied to the surface. Here experts advise to turn again to the use of a sponge to create a random "smoky" effect.
Photo wall paintingin various versions can be seen in the article.
Summarizing
If you do decorative wall painting with your own hands, this will significantly reduce financial costs. However, it should be borne in mind that it will require considerable expenditure of physical strength and strict adherence to the correct technology of work. No matter how thoroughly your instructions and wishes are followed by the decorators, the final result may not quite suit you. By doing all the work with your own hands, you can avoid this, realize your ideas with your own hands, adjusting or changing them as you go, improvise, in order to ultimately get great moral and aesthetic satisfaction.
