Decorative patterns and textures for wall decoration

Lace pattern using a tablecloth

A budget, quick and effective way to decorate a wall is a homemade stencil from a rubber kitchen tablecloth, tulle or napkin. This type of decoration has many advantages. The tablecloth costs pennies and can be used repeatedly. Even an amateur decorator can handle the pattern application algorithm.

1. The wall surface is primed and after drying, covered with the first layer of putty.
2. A stencil is attached to the wet solution.
3. The tablecloth is covered with a second layer of putty and smoothed tightly with a roller.
4. The stencil is removed and the pattern is allowed to dry.
5. The wall surface is lightly sanded with sandpaper, covered with primer and tinted.

To ensure that the image is transferred with greater accuracy, the top layer of putty is made thicker or mixed with a small amount of PVA glue. It is important to create a smooth transition between the flat surface of the wall and the relief; the edges of the pattern are blurred with a slightly damp sponge.

If the relief is not needed, the tablecloth can be used as a stencil for painting.

Sponging

Another budget option for transforming your walls yourself is a print using a sponge. The sponge is lightly dipped into the paint and pressed with light movements onto a single-color base. In order for the texture to be visible as clearly as possible, it is important to follow a few simple rules:

• Before painting, the wall is leveled, cleaned and degreased.
• Let the base color dry completely.
• Pre-soak the sponge in water or, when working with oil paints, in a solvent.
• After picking up paint on the sponge, remove the excess by blotting with a napkin.

If a streak or drip remains somewhere during work, after complete drying it can be easily masked with the base color.

Using a roller

Decorative rollers for painting walls can be purchased at any hardware store. They are easy to use, durable, functional, and often come with several attachments. The mark left by such a roller can imitate an animal skin pattern, a floral pattern, or be geometric or abstract.

You can make a decorative roller yourself by wrapping the surface of a regular attachment with thick threads, a piece of fabric, or a mesh. Knitted fabric, pieces of foam or leather, and plastic bags are used. The effect of bursting soap bubbles is left by a foam roller with holes, and a fur coat is left by a fleecy one.

Stencil patterns

Interiors with stencil painting are always unique. The pattern can be spread across the entire wall or made a small accent. The color is taken 1-2 tones darker or lighter than the base, although sometimes collaborations of two completely different shades look good.

The type of pattern should be in harmony with the surrounding interior. It often finds support in small decorative details: vases, textiles. You can draw the pattern yourself or choose from thousands on the Internet. The drawing is printed on paper, and then transferred to thin plastic or cardboard. Small details are not always painted neatly, for them it is better to stock up on a thin brush. You can add volume to the pattern using latex putty.

Creating a brick texture

Decorative brickwork is appropriate in the bedroom, living room, and nursery. You can apply a pattern of identical rectangles to the wall using a homemade stencil made of tape, foam rubber, or by drawing each brick by hand.

Volumetricity is achieved by lightening the upper edge and darkening the lower edge. The masonry joints are drawn with a thin line. The aging effect is created by adding small abrasions, strokes and shadows.

Decor with a spatula and trowel

By experimenting with the size and frequency of strokes, as well as the nature of the hand movement when applying putty, you can create dozens of original textures. The most popular are arcs, waves, fish scales, etc.

Using a trowel and spatula, it is easy to create the most traditional options for applying decorative plaster: “grotto”, “bark beetle”, “ottocento”, etc.

Texture options with a brush

You can get an original texture using a regular paintbrush or brush. Simple techniques will help hide unevenness of the relief, visually stretch or, conversely, narrow the space.

Hard bristles are suitable for applying an abstract pattern or, when painting first with vertical and then horizontal lines, to create a fabric effect. If you don’t have a brush at hand, you can use a household broom.

You can decorate the entire wall surface with a brush or create individual patterns. As a rule, patterns in the form of waves, multidirectional lines or circles are chosen. After drying, small irregularities are polished with a spatula with rounded edges. The surface becomes shiny and is not afraid of moisture.

The “sgraffito” technique

A labor-intensive, requiring certain skills, but incredibly beautiful way of decorating walls is “sgraffito”. At the preparatory stage, the decorated surface is putty in a couple of layers. The color of the bottom layer should be different from the top. After drying, the top layer is scraped off with a sharp tool according to a pre-selected pattern, obtaining an original pattern.

To create a multi-colored “sgraffito” you should use several layers of putty, and scratch them to different depths.

You will need more materials for this type of finishing than usual. The first layer of putty should be about 8 mm, each subsequent layer – at least 5 mm.

Dripping

Dripping is a spattering technique that came to design from painting. It is actively used in bold interiors with rich colors.

By experimenting with the size of the drops, the density of their application and the number of shades used, you can create a bright, picturesque accent on the entire wall.

For inspiration, you should turn to the works of abstract expressionists, who added sand, crushed glass and other materials to paint to create dense, relief canvases.

Texturing a wooden wall

Finishing verandas and baths, as well as interiors in the loft, hi-tech, country styles rarely do without wooden surfaces. To decorate walls, designers use solid wood of expensive species, more budget plywood, decorative panels made of slats and bars. If there is little wood in the interior, you can make an accent on it by adding relief and texture. It is enough to have the simplest metalworking material and a little imagination.

• Using an awl, create many small depressions on a flat surface.
• A drill or a nail with a blunt end is used to give the surface a relief of small rounded depressions.
• A round file or chisel is used to grind down the corners.
• A corner chisel is used to create a wave-like texture.
• A router and grinding machine are suitable for a ring relief.
• A wood burning machine can be used to make original “prints” on walls and furniture.

All of the above methods of wall decoration are not only highly decorative, but also relatively inexpensive. With minimal costs, textured painting helps to hide surface defects, add liveliness to the interior and even zone the space.