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Walls
As with other room elements, you have many choices when it comes to decorating walls. Your options for decorating walls go well beyond deciding what color to paint them. (Although painting the walls a different color is a relatively quick and inexpensive way to make a dramatic change to a room.) Walls can also be covered with wall coverings, fabric, tiles or wood. They can also be decorated with stencil designs, or covered with a "faux finish" that can create looks ranging from a stone wall to a villa in Tuscany.
Paint
As Debbie Travis, from the popular TV show Debbie Travis' Painted House, says, painting a room is one of the easiest ways to transform a space. It is also one of the easiest ways to bring in color and add life to a room. Some of the advantages of painting a room are that it is relatively inexpensive and it doesn't take much time (compared to some of the other wall treatment options). Many people prefer to have their room(s) painted the traditional way with brushes and rollers. Depending on your client's wishes, they may choose to use an oil-based paint (which takes longer to paint with but is durable) or water-based paint (latex) which is a lot quicker to paint with and easier to work with.
You may need to help your client with choosing what type of finish to have (from flat, to semi-gloss, to gloss to high gloss). It is preferable to use flat or semi-gloss paints in main living areas such as a living room, dining room or family room and a higher gloss paint (which are easier to clean) in an area like the kitchen. However, everyone has their personal tastes and preferences. There are many different colors and types of paints to choose from. Some of the more popular paints used today are Benjamin Moore, Behr, Martha Stewart, Pittsburgh Paints, Pratt & Lambert and Ralph Lauren (this line has some incredible suede style paints!).
If your client wants to have their room painted but would prefer something more unique, there are a variety of decorative faux techniques that can be used to add depth, interest and beauty to a room. To create a faux finish, a water-based paint color is mixed together with a "faux" glaze (the ratio is normally one part paint to four parts glaze) and then the mixed glaze is applied in various ways. Some of the more popular techniques are:
Ragging On
This involves painting the wall with a base coat color and letting it dry (or using the base coat that is already on the wall) and then using a damp rag dipped in the mixed glaze and applying the glaze mix to the wall by blotting the rag either evenly or randomly over the wall to get the desired effect.
Ragging Off
This involves painting the wall with a base coat and letting it dry (or using the base coat that is already on the wall) and then rolling on the glaze mix and then using a rag (or crumpled up plastic bag) to blot off the glaze mix.
Sponging On
This involves painting the wall with a base coat color and letting it dry (or using the base coat that is already on the wall) and then using a dampened sponge dipped in the mixed glaze and applying the glaze mix to the wall by blotting the sponge either evenly or randomly over the wall to get the desired effect. Although this sounds the same as ragging on, the effect looks quite different.
Sponging Off
This involves painting the wall with a base coat and letting it dry (or using the base coat that is already on the wall) and then rolling on the glaze mix and then using a dampened sponge to blot off the glaze mix in either a random or even pattern. This sounds the same as ragging off; however, the end result is different.
Dragging
This technique is used to give a distressed or antique-like look and involves painting the space with a base coat and letting it dry (or using the base coat that is already on the wall) and using a nylon or polyester brush (approximately six inches wide) dipped in the glaze mix and then dragging the wet brush around, followed by using a dry brush to drag the glaze mix around until it dries and until the desired look is achieved.
Combing
This technique is virtually identical to dragging, however, instead of using a wet brush, an item with teeth is used to drag until the desired effect is achieved.
Color Washing
This technique is used to give a rustic, worn, faded and "washed" look and involves painting the wall with a base coat color, letting it dry (or using the base coat that is already on the wall), and then using either a nylon or polyester paint brush to apply the glaze mix with random brush strokes and altered stroke patterns to get the desired look. Alternatively, instead of a paint brush, a wet rag dipped in the glaze mix can be used and by simulating washing motions (or outlining figure 8's) over the wall, can give the desired "washed" look.
Spattering
This involves painting the wall with a base coat color and letting it dry (or using the base coat that is already on the wall) and then using a damp paint brush dipped in the mixed glaze and spraying on the glaze mix by flicking the brush with your fingers or simply flicking the brush to apply the spattered paint.