The term ‘paint effects’ refers to a set of historic skills which in some cases date back hundreds of years and in others, date back thousands. In their earliest iterations, during ancient Egyptian and Greek times, decorative paintings were used as a means of communicating or recording events, and in Renaissance Italy, frescoes were painted directly on walls. It is also during this period that techniques such as marbling were used to create the effect of stone, when means to buy the actual thing were lacking.
Effects such as sponging and rag rolling, which create an aged, mottled look, were particularly popular during the 1980s, before falling victim to the rising appetite for clean, white lines of minimalism. Slowly but surely, paint effects have been creeping back, in tandem with the growing appreciation of craft and all things handmade. ‘I think people are getting tired of grey interiors and that whole airport vibe we’ve seen. They are seeking out things that are beautiful and luxurious, and finished by hand rather than mass produced’, suggests Emma Burns, Managing Director at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. We take a look at the effects which we’re seeing the most of at the moment, and turn to the experts to find out whether they can – or, importantly, can’t – be done yourself.
Lacquering
Lacquering is a technique whose roots can be traced back thousands of years to East Asia. Traditionally it involved applying several layers of a shiny coating – called ‘lac’ – to a surface to create a protective layer on the top. These days, it tends to refer to a special shellac that is painstakingly applied to a wall, door or object, dried and sanded down several times to achieve a hard, glossy finish. It requires absolute precision and lots of patience, and is not the kind of thing you want to attempt yourself. According to lacquering expert Henry Van Der Vijer ‘it would be a waste of time to attempt to lacquer a wall without an expert’. To achieve the perfectly glass-like appearance of his walls, Henry uses up to fourteen layers of a custom water based paint, which he polishes between every layer.
If budget – or timing – doesn’t stretch to calling in the professionals, a gloss paint will create a similarly shiny effect. It may not have the same depth that the umpteen layers of shellac will bring, but it’ll be quick and much, much easier.
Marbling
As its name suggests, marbling is a paint effect which will give a wall, architectural feature (such as a column or fireplace), or piece of furniture the veiny appearance of marble. ‘It’s a challenge’, says the specialist painter Matthew Collins, who has noticed an uptick in the number of commissions for Italianate painterly, faux marble. On a large scale, such as a wall, it can be tricky: ‘to get it right you need to understand the geology behind a block of marble, and why veins go in a certain direction’. For this kind of project, it is worth turning to practised hands.
He does, however, suggest that DIY attempts be made on a smaller-scale, such as a fireplace: ‘you want to start by very loosely applying paint: if you get a rag and tumble it against the surface, when it dries you might be able to see certain lines and structures. You can use these as a guide for your veins’.
The decorative painter Meg Boscawen believes we should all be trying marbling at home. ‘Hold the brush loosely and let it move almost of its own accord. You can't control nature so you shouldn’t be too controlled with your brush strokes’, she says.
Stippling
Stippling is an effect which is often employed to add a sense of depth and intrigue to an otherwise plain wall. Rather than using a paint brush to lay the paint flat, you repeatedly strike the surface with the end of the bristles. It starts with a dry base coat, topped with a tinted glaze, which is then quickly stippled when wet to create the textured surface. ‘Over a large wall you start to see a very soft movement developing’, says Matthew Collins. ‘Although it’s probably the most simple specialist effect you can do, the larger the surface, the tricker it becomes’, he explains. On a piece of furniture, for instance, ‘almost anyone could do it’. If it’s a stippled wall you’re after, Matthew suggests it is worth turning to a professional: ‘You have to work quickly because if you slow down and the paint dries you’ll end up with tide lines’ (lines where the paint has dried but not been softened with stippling. ‘You can’t go back and correct it – you have to get it right with the first coat’.
Antiquing
Also known as ‘ageing’ or ‘distressing’, antiquing is ‘putting a mucky coloured glaze on top of paint, to give it depth and add a patina to the walls’, say Emma Ridley and Gaby Gatacre, founders of decorative paint specialists RAG Arts. ‘Working with a glaze and pigments is probably not for the amateur’, they advise. But, if you’re determined to give it a go yourself, they suggest a more approachable method: mix your base colour with a slightly darker tone, and water it down (‘you want a ratio of 30% paint and 70% water’, they say) and sponge it on the wall. ‘Don’t go overboard - start delicately with this ratio of paint to water and you can always adjust it, or go over it if you want something with a little more impact’.
Stencilling
If you don’t have much faith in your artistic ability, stencilling is a great and easy way to create a lovely pattern or motif on the wall which requires relatively little skill. ‘The best stencils are made from mylar, which is a thick version of acetate’, says the decorative painter Tess Newall. Tess makes her own stencils using a sheet of mylar and a scalpel, which she then sticks to the wall with masking tape or adhesive spray. Annie Sloane sells her own ranges of ready-cut stencils, which range from Chinoiserie birds to meadow flowers and a paisley garland.
‘The key thing’, advises Tess, ‘is to make sure there’s relatively little paint on your brush. Dab it onto a folded up piece of kitchen paper before taking it to the wall. Otherwise the paint might seep underneath the stencil and it will look a mess’.
Trompe-l'oeil
Trompe-l’oeil involves creating a three-dimensional optical illusion on a flat surface, and examples can often be found in the pages of House & Garden, evidencing its playful and fantastical effect on a room. Though there is a certain level of artistic skill required to perfect the drapery of a painted curtain, or the detail needed for the landscape beyond a faux-window, there are some versions of trompe l’oeil that can be done by the amateur.
‘The easiest trompe-l'oeil is a panel’, says Tess Newall. ‘You want three shades of a similar colour: a light, a medium and a dark. Once you’ve chosen where the light would be coming from, you can draw on the lines of your panel. The lightest colour will go on the edge of the ‘panel’ where the light is hitting it, and the darkest colour will be in shadow, with your medium colour in the middle. The edge will look as though it’s 3D’.
Dragging
Dragging is when a dry brush is used to pull a lighter or darker colour, or a glaze over the top of your (wet) emulsion paint. It creates very fine, blurry lines of different paint or finishes. A rather beautiful way to add texture to a wall, it is among the finishes that rose to popularity during the renaissance in Europe.
A professional, such as RAG Arts, ‘would do it with a gloss and possibly several pigments’, which is possibly a little complex for the layman. The good news is, according to Gaby and Emma, ‘the finishes which require less precision are the easiest to do yourself’. While your base coat is still wet, add your top coat - be it another colour or a glaze - to the top and drag a dry brush from top to bottom through your paint. ‘Don’t forget to keep the woodwork clean’, advise Gabby and Emma, and ‘always have a rag nearby for clean-ups!’.
