Different paint finishes can give your room and furniture a completely new touch. Whether your home renovations involve colourwashing, ragrolling or sponging, here's what you need to know.
Colourwashing
This is a two-step process where a colour is washed over a weaker basecoat colour. Resene Paint Effects Medium is used to produce an effect with different textures and tones. Usually, whites or off-whites are used as a basecoat, but lighter or more striking shades of colourwash can be used to create more interesting and dramatic finishes.
Use a dry brush or sponge to soften the effects of the colourwash, blending brushstrokes and heavy dollops of colour into the topcoat.
Ragrolling
Ragrolling is one of the more difficult and time-consuming paint effects, but its results are truly spectacular. It adds a textured effect that looks like marble and crushed velvet, and is achieved merely by dabbing a bunched rag or cloth over the wet paint.
Make sure you've got plenty of supplies of similar rags or cloths as you will need to change them frequently throughout the process. You can make rags from a bedsheet, or any other linen. Just make sure the rags are washed and free from lint.
Sponging
Use complementary colours to create a mottled or cloud-like effect. You can use this technique on furnishings and fabrics, or cover your walls in lightly sponged designs. A dark colour sponged onto a lighter background can have the effect of bringing walls in, whereas pale colours on dark backgrounds can give a cloudy or shadowed effect.
It's best to use a natural marine sponge for this process, and clean it regularly in freshwater during use and between coats.
With paint effects the only limit is your imagination. See the Resene Paint Effects section on the Resene website for more effects ideas
Get inspired ! 
