How to paint with metallic paint
Accent walls are very vogue right now. With all these neutral colored walls, we somehow need a punch of color in our room so that we don’t go stir crazy. What better way then to create a wall that will make the room stand out.
I’ve always wanted to try painting with metallic paint but was a little apprehensive. So after much internet research, I came across a picture of an entry wall on the Ralph Lauren website where I fell in love with the metallic accent wall and the stunning accessories. I decided to give metallic paint a try.
One design aspect I learned at college was that it’s okay to have an inspiration piece like a picture, pillow, rug etc. Something that gives you an idea as to what you want your space to look like, or colors or furniture that you want to incorporate.
Here is my inspiration picture below:
Photo via: Ralph Lauren Paints.
The first step to painting with metallic paints is to clean and prepare your wall like you would with before painting using any paint. I taped off the sides since I was doing an accent wall and just wanted paint to be on the one wall. Using a roller I started at the top and painted in a “V” shape working my way down the wall. See how fast I was going? My arms are a blur LOL
Here is the other wall after one coat of paint. I let the paint dry for a couple of hours in between coats. The instructions said not to paint right up to the edge of the wall. I actually touched the side of the wall after the photo below was taken.
The next step is to put on a second coat of paint using the same “V” method of rolling the paint from the top down. For the second coat, Ralph Lauren sells a special roller for the walls and a sponge for the edges of the walls so you “dab” the edges with paint. I’m not sure if I put the paint on too thick, or if the paint color was too dark, but I didn’t get the “special effect” that this $20 Ralph Lauren roller was supposed to give me. I actually like how it turned out better without the special effect.
I decided on the color Copper Luster. It goes on quite bright but dries darker. I chose the color because it went beautifully with the pictures that I hung on each accent wall. Metallic accent walls on it’s own are not the current trend, but one of my favorite go-to decorating tip (especially when I’m staging and getting a house to sell) is to put a large trendy “wow” picture on the wall.
So what do you think? Are you willing to give metallic paint a try?
Love the effect you get with the metallic paint In the first pic [ look like tulips] how do we figure out what size the art work should be? Is there a formula ?
Great question Jean! Typically the rule of thumb for artwork is that it should be 2/3’s the size of your space. For example, a picture should be 2/3’s the size of the wall, or a picture should be 2/3’s the size of a couch for artwork going above a couch. Does that make sense? You can use 2 pictures in that same size of space instead of 1 if you have 2 that would fit the 2/3’s rule. When you put two pictures together, leave approximately 4″ apart. Most people space co-ordinating pictures too far apart.