Add a Dash of Splash

The wall finishes you loved five years ago seem a little stale now. Even though the walls have held up and don't need repainting, the look seems dated. Either that or your do-it-yourself gene wants to express itself again with something completely different. Go ahead. Splash some paint on those walls. Better yet, try a new finish to add warmth, depth, and sophistication to any room.

Decorative techniques

• Sophisticated stenciling. Instead of flowers, paisley, and fleurs-de-lis think techno dashes or graphic geometrics. Try a single wall in the bathroom, or above the backsplash in the kitchen. For a fanciful finish, wrap your design around a corner and fade into the larger wall.
• Stripes and checks. New painter tapes and smoother wall finishes lend themselves to stripes and checks. For an intricate detailing try graduating from wide stripes to narrow as you move up the wall or start with a darker color and move to a lighter one. Another sophisticated look is a plaid or check. Think gingham for a classic design. You'll need both a deeper and lighter version of the same hue to complete the look.
• Strié. Different from stripes, strié is a faux finish utilizing glaze and brushes in a horizontal or vertical motion to create natural striations—fine ridges or grooves—on the surface of the wall. Because the process removes glaze with each brush stroke, it is a "negative technique" rather than adding it. The simplest version requires rolling a layer of faux-glaze over the entire wall, then removing it in lines with a dry brush.
• Dots and harlequins. Add a bit of whimsy to the wall of a bedroom wall with polka dots or harlequins (elongated diamonds). Use a stencil for the dots and tap for the harlequins. Raise the bar a bit with your dots by placing them randomly rather than an evenly-spaced pattern or put larger groups of dots nearer the ceiling with fewer and fewer as they progress down the wall toward the floor.
• Metallics. A newcomer to the paint scene, metallic paints such as pewter or copper in a glossy finish add drama to a niche or alcove. Use a metallic bronze above a fireplace or paint a powder room ceiling antique gold.
• Sponging. Arguably one of the least complex finishes to master, sponging can date your home back to the 90s or move it into the modern era depending on the care and precision you use. A single color, say blue or green on a white wall, is the old version of this technique. To give a completely updated version, paint the wall a medium dark color, say an ocean blue, and then sponge on slightly lighter and slightly darker colors with a light hand to give the wall the look of aged azure stone. For a more formal look, lightly add metallic touches with a dry sponge to add reflective tones.
• Color wash. For textured walls and paintable wallpaper, color wash creates a beautiful finish. Paint the walls in a satin finish paint, then, brush over it with a glaze mixture to bring out the texture.
• Hand rubbed. Like color wash, the hand-subbed technique uses a soft cloth or old cotton sock, instead of a brush, to rub the glaze in a circular pattern onto the wall.

No matter what the technique, if you don't love the finished product, simply paint over it and start again. Before utilizing a specialty paint technique on the walls in a home you plan to sell, chat with your local real estate professional to see if it's the right choice for your home.