Builders Share: Color Wash

Last week I got started on painting the upstairs bathroom. This is (more or less) the last step to finishing this room. The idea of actually finishing work on one of the rooms in the house has got me re-invigorated in renovating. A glimmer of light appears at the end of the tunnel.

The walls in the upstairs bathroom are surfaced with veneer plaster. This gives the walls a nice texture and an old-fashion look. The original walls, which had to be demolished in order to update the house with insulation, modern wiring, and plumbing, were all covered with 19th century horsehair plaster and lathe. The veneer plaster helps to maintain the house's original appeal.

When I painted the two bedrooms that are also finished in veneer plaster, I applied two coats of acrylic latex paint over primer using a roller
--the standard paint job. The rooms came out fine, but the latex paint flattened-out the texture of the veneer plaster, and a little of the rough-hewn charm of the walls was lost.

With the bathroom, I decided to try applying a wash-- thinning the paint to a watery texture so that it would soak into the wall more than coat it with a layer.

The first step was protecting the other surfaces from splatters. Latex paint in its basic form is pretty easy to control so a few drop cloths can usually keep you out of trouble. Applying a wash, though, means thinned paint is going to be splattering and dripping all over. I had to take extra care with masking the trim and covering the bathroom fixtures and floor. And even with all my efforts, some of the very thin color wash seeped under the masking tape and got on the trim. Thankfully it came off easily with water and scrubbing with a dobie pad.

Once I had everything masked (which included removing the light fixtures and wall switch plates etc.) I was ready try out applying the wash.

I referred to the book, "Paint Magic" by Jocasta Innes for a brief primer on applying a color wash to a wall. She makes the point: "...expect the first coat to look a mess. The next coat makes a miraculous difference -- the color suddenly comes alive, and the walls knit together with the inimitable radiance that watercolor alone can give."

I'm not sure that our bathroom walls have an inimitable radiance, but they turned out looking pretty good. Without the encouragement that the second coat would improve the look, I would probably have freaked out some. The first coat looked bad.

I applied the wash with a large brush using a criss-cross motion, making sure to brush out any drips as they ran down the wall. The thinned paint dries very quickly and drips have a tendency to show through.

All the brushing was hard work. I found myself having to take a break after coating each wall. I also found it was helpful to wrap a small rag around the brush handle when working up high. That helped to keep the watery mixture from running down my arm.

One of the recurring thoughts I've had through this renovation project is that I'm at best an amateur at every task I undertake. It's pretty satisfying when the results look professional.