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Project Difficulty:
Difficult
Estimated
Project Time: Varies with size of project and drying time
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Clean rags
Gloves
Safety goggles
Drop cloths or sheets of plastic
Ladder, as needed
Flat or eggshell latex paint, for the base coat
Custom-mixed eggshell alkyd paint, for the glaze and overglaze
Oil varnish, polyurethane, or acrylic varnish as a topcoat
Mineral spirits
Paint brush or roller and pan
Paint buckets
Mixing sticks
Natural sea sponges
Oval sash brush
Clean stick
Chamois
Cheesecloth
Electric blow dryer
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This decorative paint process produces the look of watered silk. It is achieved by spattering mineral spirits over a surface covered with a slightly dry, transparent oil glaze, and then lifting off the mineral spirits. This technique looks best on small- or medium-sized surfaces, such as accent walls, furniture, architectural elements, and accessories, which you may be able to handle by yourself. You may want to work with a partner, however. Although not recommended for covering large areas, it can be done if you work in 3-foot-square sections at a time, paying particular attention to overlapping and blending the edges of each section into one another. Before starting to paint, use drop cloths or sheets of plastic to cover everything that you want to protect.
When selecting paint, choose base-coat and oil-glaze colors that are from the same color family and are only slightly different in tone. In the example shown below, a gray oil glaze goes over a paler gray, flat latex base coat. The glaze (see Step 2) is a mixture of an alkyd paint and mineral spirits. For the overglaze (see Step 6) use either the same color of paint as the first glaze to deepen the overall effect, or use a different color to add additional highlights and subtleties.
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1.
Apply a Base Coat
Using a paintbrush or roller and pan, cover the surface with a base coat of flat or eggshell latex paint. A pale gray, flat latex paint was used for this project. Let the paint dry thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.
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2.
Mix the Glaze
Using equals parts of custom-mixed eggshell alkyd paint and mineral spirits, mix a thin, very translucent oil glaze to the desired color and thickness. (The paint used here for the glaze is slightly darker than the base coat paint.) Pour a small amount into the paint bucket. Reseal the containers to prevent evaporation.
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3.
Apply the Glaze
Dampen a natural sea sponge and wring out excess moisture. Use the sponge to apply and add texture to the glaze as follows: Holding the sponge flat and working from your wrist, quickly and lightly pounce it straight on and off the surface. Each hit of the sponge should just barely touch the last one; don't let the sponge slide on the glaze. To avoid creating a pattern, turn the sponge and your hand slightly before each time you pounce the glaze onto the surface. Work consistently so that the total effect will look even (Fig. 1). To pounce into corners, first trim the sponge, flattening its edge.
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4.
Spatter the Surface
The trick to success here is to add the mineral spirits at the right moment when the glaze just begins to mat down, a sign that it's approaching snap time. Snap time is the point in time when a glaze has begun to dull down and becomes tacky. For an alkyd glaze, snap time is reached within 20 to 35 minutes and the glaze will feel dry to the touch.
Load a paintbrush, such as an oval sash brush, with mineral spirits and tap the side of the brush's ferrule against a stick so that tiny dots of mineral spirits spray over the surface.
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5.
Pull Off the Spatter
Using a chamois carefully pull off the spattered mineral spirits (Fig. 2). Hold the chamois, and pounce it in the manner as described in Step 3. Be selective about how hard you press, and don't move the chamois around on the surface. You want to remove the mineral spirits and just enough of the glaze to create a watermark effect. Let the surface dry.
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6.
Apply the Final Finish
If desired, apply an overglaze the next day. The more layers to your painted design, the more complex and sophisticated it becomes. Make the overglaze thinner than the original glaze (Step 2), mixing 1 part paint with 9 times mineral spirits. To deepen the effect, use the same paint color as was used in the original glaze; to add highlights, choose another paint color. Spatter the overglaze onto the surface, and use cheesecloth to pick it up. Cut the cheesecloth into 6-foot lengths. With each length, tuck in its raw edges. Then either softly fold the rest of the cloth in your hand and lift off the overglaze, or roll the cloth and gently roll off the glaze. (Fig. 3)
Dry the overglaze using an electric blow dryer. Complete the project by applying a clear, protective topcoat of oil varnish, acrylic varnish, or polyurethane, referring to the instructions on the package label.
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