Will Taylor from interiors blog Bright Bazaar guide to painting a striking feature wall read more
Paint is often feared for being a timely and permanent decorating method that isn’t worth the effort. In reality, paint is one of the quickest ways to bring a substantial new look to a space in a short amount of time. Granted, it’s worthwhile taking time over the preparation but the actual painting is the quickest part so if you don’t warm to the new look you can quickly paint over with a new shade or hue without having to repeat the earlier steps. Intrigued? Great! Read on for my tips on how to paint a standout feature wall with Laura Ashley paint…
Before starting any painting project it’s essential that you have the basic kit for doing the job at hand ‑ it will make your life so much easier, not to mention a more professional end result. So what will you need? If your walls are in fairly good condition (i.e. they don’t need filling or
re‑plastering) then the following will see you through the job:
‑ Basic white emulsion
‑ Dust sheet
‑ Screwdriver
‑ Paint brush
‑ Roller and tray
‑ Masking tape
‑ Cloth
‑ Paint of choice
Start by marking out the section of the wall you wish to paint. It may sound straight forward but it can get confusing if you’re not painting a simple one faceted wall, so remember to tape on the outside of the line to which you will paint up to. Also, loosen light switch covers and plug sockets; don’t take them off completely as they are troublesome to get back on again. Instead, just loosen them and cover with masking tape to protect from splashes when you paint behind them.
With your wall area marked out with tape, you can wipe the walls with a damp cloth to ensure all grease and dust is cleaned away. With the walls dry, you could start to paint. However, at this point I ‘paint in’ the masking tape with a cheap white emulsion as it creates a seal between the wall and the tape. Doing this helps to prevent any of the coloured paint seeping underneath, resulting in a nice and crisp straight line when you come to peel the tape off.
Now that your walls and ‘painting in’ have dried you can begin to add the first coat of your new colour. Start by cutting in with a brush around the edges and any hard to paint areas around sockets etc. Then you can begin to roller on the paint ‑ this is the quickest part and after spending considerable time on the prep you’ll be surprised how quickly your walls are transformed with the new colour.
Wait for the walls to be touch dry (it’s usually around four hours before you can add another coat but check on the back of your specific paint can to be sure) then paint the second coat. If you’re unsure about the new colour, before you clean up and take the tape off, consider waiting until the next day to see how the shade looks at different times of day. Then, if you still don’t like it, you can just paint over the area with a new colour without having to do all the previous steps. If you do like it then you’re set to carefully peal off the masking tape once the walls are dry.
If you’re a fan of this colour (Pale Cobalt) then you’ll like my next post for the Laura Ashley blog as it focuses on the new Coastal collection, which is a great match for this look. In the meantime, why not get painting with Pale Seaspray for a similar look?
// Photography by Will Taylor