This is true art and anytime you can blend colors to create a picture on your walls which is your canvas than you have created beautiful art. Even wood graining and marbelizing are a very old form of art.

So what you will see in these two photos I have provided is what I call hand painted wallpaper. I just created these two paintings for a current client. I have applied them and they are beautiful and give such beauty and depth to the rooms they are in. Wallpaper is a print and you can’t get the color depth and change from a print like you do with hand painted wallpaper which is true art.

In the future I will produce videos which will teach you how to create your own beautiful hand painted wallpaper. I hope you enjoy this blog and photos.

This Old Painter

The texture compound and certain other readily-available painters tools need to be purchased separately. Details are included in the toolkit. Click to learn more about the Wall and  Ceiling Texture  Toolkit from This Old Painter.

Price:  $29.95
plus shipping (scroll down to purchase)

This beautiful custom vanity was finished with a custom charcoal color stain made from a oil-base stain.

This beautiful custom vanity was finished with a custom charcoal color stain made from a oil base stain. For many years I have had great success making my own stains to fit the current project.

So why make your own stains?

First – have you ever wondered when you see a piece of furniture that had a bold color stain applied to it where that stain come from?
So here is some old world advice! When I was a kid, before there was so many ready made stains in a can, we made are own stain
out of a oil-based paint. Even today in most cases you can only find stains that are close to what you are trying to match and mostly wood tones. So any other stains in color would have to be made as a custom stain and cost you much more money.

This was a 1970's oak kitchen. We stained the cabinet bases, changed the doors, added crowns with the stains made from a oi-lbase paint turned this kitchen into a beautiful Italian kitchen.

You don’t have to limit yourself to what color a company puts on a shelf in a store. There are hundreds of paint colors and you can make any color of stain you choose from greens, black, purple, wood tones etc. Here is a formula to try: simply choose a color you desire and mix it 50/50 with mineral spirits (paint thinner), and you will have a beautiful wood stain of any color.

This was a 1970′s oak kitchen. We stained the cabinet bases, changed the doors, added crowns with the stains made from a oi-lbase paint  turned this kitchen into a beautiful Italian kitchen. I live in the northwest where people use fir or hemlock trim with pine windows.
Painters always ask me how I blend the fir with the pine so well. First, decide the final finish of the trim you are matching. After that pick out a color off a paint chart that matches the trim and buy that color in a oil-based paint. Simply put some in a bucket and start adding paint thinner until you get the depth you desire. Start with a 50/50 mix let it dry and if it is to dark add more thinner even up to 80% thinner to 20% paint. You are now making a toner to change the pine wood to the trim wood.

Staining!

First of all one big reason I like to use a oil base paint to make my stains is you have very little blotching. Have you ever wondered why woods like pine and maple blotch so bad with the stains that are ready made on a self in a store? Here is my thoughts on that – alot of the ready made stains are made with a clear oil base and than they add pigment to make the color. When you apply that stain what happens when you wipe it the pigment separates from the base and falls into the open pores creating the blotching.

So here is my solution to the blotching problem. Simply make your stain out of a oilbase paint! This is a floor that we stained to create a parquet look with stains made from a oil-base paint. Many of you have heard of control sealers which will help with some blotching. The problem with control sealers is you than have the problem of getting the stain your using to penetrate to get the depth of your color. The reason for using a stain made out of the oil-base paint is most paints are made out of a solid base not a clear oil with floating pigment. That means the pigment added to make the color you choose is mixed into a solid base and they become combined. So now with the stain made from the oil-base paint when you wipe it with a rag the pigment will not separate and fall into the open pores. This will help with most of the blotching. Be sure to always check with the store that the color you are going to use is a solid base not a neutral base.

This is a floor that we stained to create a parquet look with stains made from a oil-base paint.

Finishing!

If you are going to use a oil-base finish after staining then here is a great tip. Add a small amount of the paint you used to make the stain to your finish and stir it up. This will color your finish to
the tone of your stain. You only need to add around a tablespoon or two to a quart of finish, remember you can add a little more if desired to deepen your finish. This will give you a much
richer and deeper look to your wood and ties everything together.

Waterbase Finishes!

Yes, after the oil-base stain has dried for at least 24 hours you can use a water-base finish over the oil-base stain. Tip! If you choose to use a water-base finish over a oil-base stain you can purchase a water-base paint the same color as the stain was made out of and add a little to your water-base finish the same as you would do for the oil-base finish. This will add depth to your wood and help bring everything together. You can also do the entire process from staining to finish with a water-base paint to make the stain, and a water-base finish for the finish. However I have always found that the stain made out of a water-base paint is much harder to use, but the water-base finishes work great over any of the stains oil-base or water-base. So I would recommend you use a oil-base to make your stain
and than you can use any finish desired.

I hope this advice will help you with your wood finishing projects. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions,
Tracy Wickwire,
This Old Painter

A Color Wash is
Easy to Do!

Anyone can do a color wash …
just follow the simple steps
listed below.

Color Washes are very easy to do, and work on any type of wall. They’re just a blending of paints, and don’t require the use of any glazes.

A color wash is probably the easiest type of faux finish you can apply.  If you already have a well-painted wall, you can even do a color wash right over it without painting another base coat.

The type of feel you generally get with a color wash is one of movement.  So if you’re looking for a happy, uplifting look … one that energizes and brightens … a color wash would be a good choice.

For textured or untextured walls.

There are two basic types of faux glazing techniques you can use: Old World “Tuscan” style glazes and European glazes.

Tuscan glazes look best works best on semi-heavy  to heavy textured walls. European glazes work best on smooth to semi-heavy textured walls.

For the professional look you want!

With the help of this Wall and Texture Toolkik, you’ll be able to create beautiful, textured walls and ceilings that give you a rich, custom-designed, professional look and feel.

• Make your drywall look like the high-quality, solid plaster walls and ceilings found in homes years ago (see example below).
• Be able to both see and “feel” the difference.
• Open the door to a virtually limitless range of finished looks, from solid paint colors … to glazes to … faux-finished styles.

See How a Pro Does It …

Click on the video clip below to get a brief overview of the DVD you’ll find in your toolkit: How to Texture Like a Pro.

See how he tolds his tools, how much pressure he applies, how he mixes his texture material … everything you need to know to create great looking textured walls and ceilings for yourself!

Example Of a Textured Wall …

The types of textures you can create with This Old Painter’s tools are virtually limitless.

Shown below is one type of textured wall you can create, which is painted over with a Tuscan style glaze finish. Notice the thickness of the underlying texture and the random pattern.

If this wall is too thick for you, no problem, just mix a thinner batch of texture material, and spread it on using the same tools that come in This Old Painter’s texture toolkit.

What the Kit Contains

• Specially designed, easy to use tools to create a hand-style knock down texture for your walls and ceilings.
• Step-by-step written instructions for texturing any type of surface … including surfaces with wallpaper!
• A companion DVD that walks you through the texturing process, showing you exactly what to do and how to do it.

Buy Now!

Click to visit our online store.

It’s Easy to Use!

Instructions are easy to follow, and the tools are easy to use. Designed by a professional painter known for his attention to quality looks that stand the test of time.

Gives You the Help You Need

The kit contains everything you need to know to create professional looking textured walls and ceilings. The texture compound must be purchased separately. Instructions for what and how much to buy are included in the kit.

Don’t wait. What better time than right now to get started on your painting or faux finishing projects!

The texture compound and other readily available painters tools need to be purchased separately.

Price:  $12.95 with free shipping (scroll down to order)

Sample of Soft Style Texture on a Wall

Faux Painting 101

What every painter and do-it-yourselfer should know about faux painting.

There’s a lot of mystique about faux painting, and even professional painters are often lost when it comes to creating the textured, marbled, or mult-colored “faux” look that their customers might want.

I want to take some of the mystery out of the faux painting process for you, and also offer you some tools and videos to help you learn exactly how it’s done.

You’ll find lots of tips and tools here on my website, but first, let’s talk about some of the basics that everyone considering a faux look should know…

Color Makes the Difference

You can learn to choose paint color like a pro.

I started learning about paint color in the early 60′s, when my dad taught me how to paint. In those days, there was no such thing as a “color designer” … painters just did it all.

I kept the tradition of being both a painter and a color designer, and have been helping people choose colors for over thirty years.

The most important thing I can say to you about paint color is that you shouldn’t be afraid to use it. Color really does matter. It can make the difference between a room looking OK, and a room that exudes with personality and charm.

So, the first thing I want you to know is that if you have any color phobia, get over it!

Ways to Get Inspired

Practical tips to help you paint like a pro.

People ask me all the time what’s the most important thing you can do when you paint. I generally tell them it depends on what you’re painting. But if I had to choose one tip that was most important, I’d say … prep and prime!

Here are some of my prep and prime tips, along with others that might be useful…

Cleaning:

Always clean your woodwork and walls prior to sanding and painting with the “wonder product” ammonia. Use 1 cup of ammonia to 1 gallon of water to wipe down your woodwork and walls prior to prepping and painting.

Filling Small Holes:

When filling small holes like nail holes, fill them with a spackle, then take a damp rag and carefully remove the excess filler on the wall area around the filled hole, leaving only the filled hole. This keeps the patch from showing when it’s painted over.

Wet Areas:

When priming any wall or ceiling surfaces that might be in contact with water, be sure to use an oil base primer.

Glazing Windows:

When re-glazing exterior windows, after removing the old glazing, be sure to prime the window sash with an exterior oil base primer prior to re-glazing. This keeps the raw wood from drawing the oil out of the glazing compound and making it brittle.

Direction to Paint:

Always start from the top and work down. Paint ceilings first, and when painting walls, start at the top.

Cutting-In Ceilings:

When painting with a brush and roller, make sure you cut in your walls and ceilings before you roll them.

Woodwork

Making Stains

You can make any color stain with a quart of interior oil-base paint and thinning the paint one-to-one with mineral spirits. This can be done with water-based products as well, but oil-based products always works better.

Painting Over Stains

Water base finishes can be applied over oil base stains after they have dried for 24 hours.

Treating Decks

There are two basic ways to treat decks. Both work. The choice depends on the look you want.

Natural Look:

For a natural look, simply clean your deck each year with bleach, using a mixture of four to one, bleach to water. If you’re concerned about plants, you might choose instead to use one of the many biodegradeable products that are now on the market.

If your deck is cedar it will silver in color and doesn’t take long to clean. It will last as long as you keep the moss and mold under control.

Treated Look:

For a stained and treated look use a “Sikkens” product.

Thanks Tracy!

We took your advice and our house turned out even better than we had hoped. We absolutely LOVE it!