Showing posts with label Painting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Painting. Show all posts

Decorative Wall Painting Techniques

Do your walls seem dull and uninviting? Do you long for a cozy, welcoming room? Consider decorative wall painting techniques, such as sponging, ragging, stenciling or stamping. Even if you have no experience, you can brighten even the dullest room quickly and cheaply with one of these easy decorative wall painting techniques.

Before painting your room, pick out a color scheme for your walls. When you chose your paint, remember that many painting techniques use two shades of one color. If you are using one of the techniques that does use two shades of color, you can pick a darker color than you normally would chose for your base color, since the lighter top color will make the final result much lighter.

Decorative

To sponge or rag a wall, paint on your base color and let it dry thoroughly. Then, dip your sponge or rag into the lighter paint color and sponge or drag the lighter color over the base coat until you are satisfied with the effect. If you are unhappy with your final result, you can repaint any areas that you don't like with the base coat. Once the repainted area is dry, repeat the faux painting technique.

If you are considering using a decorative painting technique such as stenciling or stamping, you may just want to create a wallpaper effect by stamping or stenciling a simple design over your base coat. However, you may want to go a step further with your project and use stencils or stamps to create a faux brick or stone wall. You don't need to be an artist to create one of these faux finishes. Just follow these simple steps. First, paint the walls with the color you chose for the mortar between the bricks or stones. Once the base coat is dry, stamp or stencil your bricks or stones over the base coat. Once the brick or stonework is dry, spatter a bit of the darker color over your faux art to give it depth and make it appear more realistic.

Creating faux effects such as making your walls look like they are made of plaster or suede can also really make your room stand out. You can easily learn how to create these seemingly difficult finishes at your local paint store. Paint bases that automatically give a suede or textured effect to the walls are a shortcut that even artists use to create fun finishes.

Finally, no matter which decorative wall painting technique you choose, remember that it is just a few layers of paint. You can always redo the finish on your walls as you learn more about the art of decorative painting.

Decorative Wall Painting Techniques

This article was provided courtesy PaintSplashes.com where you can find tons of information on faux painting and interior painting ideas and techniques.

How to Get Customers For Your Painting and Decorating Business

There really is no magic to getting good customers who want the work done and who are happy to pay.

No magic at all.

How To Decorate And Live Well

But there's a right way to do it and a way to mess it up - as usual.

Here's what you need to do:

• Have a quality handout or flyer which will get people to contact you asking for a quotation. I have an example of a flyer which will work well for you. It is in my manual 'How to set up and successfully run a painting and decorating business'. All you have to do is to insert your details in the appropriate places and get it printed off or print it yourself on a computer printer. Alternatively, get one good copy and go to your local photocopy shop. You should be able to get 1000 printed off for less than £25.00. Not a bad deal at all. Your first job should pay for this easily.

• Get it distributed reliably and to the right areas. By 'To the right areas' I mean through the letterboxes of houses where people live who actually have the money to pay for your services. These people will be: homeowners, In work, Living on streets where other homeowners like to take care of their properties.

• Place an advertisement in your local Thompson's directory. It's local, it gets read, and should get you business. You should expect to pay about £150 - £200.00 for a simple box ad. You can check this out with your local Thompson's Representative. It's also a lot cheaper than Yellow Pages (where your advertisement may get 'drowned' by all the others) and in my opinion, proportionately better value for money.

• In time, you can easily get a small website which promotes your services and contains pictures of work you have completed, contact details etc.

• When people respond to your flyer, or your advertisement make certain they get a good response from you or whoever answers the telephone. Courtesy is important. Take care to get their: Telephone number, Address, Full name, and establish a time to see them which you will of course note down and repeat back to them so you know you've got it right.

• When people call you to ask you for a quotation, make an appointment to see them within 48 hours. You want to appear interested, but not desperate. (Even if you are desperate!).

• Turn up at the time agreed.

How to Get Customers For Your Painting and Decorating Business

Lewis Stephens is a businessman and Author living in Devon, UK. He sells a manual 'How to set up and run your own successful painting and decorating business for £19.99. Visit http://www.paintinganddecoratingbusiness.com