Dear Debbie;
In our 12-year-old home, all the doors, mouldings and trim upstairs are wood. I prefer white trim but don't want to change everything at once. Can I mix and match? I want to add some colour to the walls but not sure what colour/s go with wood trim. Thanks.
Jane
Dear Jane;
Wood has a handsome character of its own, and I think you will be pleased with how well it complements colour on the walls. If your upstairs rooms are bedrooms and perhaps a den, then these are wonderful spaces to decorate with some drama. Red is a colour that can be moody and seductive or modern and cheerful, depending on the shade. A flat brick red has historical overtones, as do the deeper colours of burgundy and rust, any red with blue added. In an Elizabethan room that I designed, shown here, in order to replicate the look of old plaster and beams, I painted wood planks onto the walls to match the wood baseboards that were in place.
If you prefer a lighter effect, then look at the colour combinations found in Arts and Crafts style. Leave the doors and baseboards in their natural state, then paint the walls in fresh light shades of yellow or green, or look for embossed wallpapers that can be painted. Paint the window trim white.
Dear Debbie;
My husband and I loved the vibrant red walls in your recent column. Could you please tell us the step by step process of rubbing the paint on the walls to achieve the translucent finish.
Lori
Dear Lori
There are a few techniques that will produce a smoky, translucent paint finish. To replicate the red walls shown here, apply two coats of brick red latex paint and let dry. Then mix a grey glaze, 1 part medium grey latex paint, 2 parts water-based glazing liquid, and 1 part water. Roll the grey glaze over the red wall quite thickly with a foam roller, working in 3' patches. Dab and blend the surface with a rag to create a smoky, washed-out effect. A second technique is to mix a red glaze and roll that over a grey base coat. The grey will peek through the translucent red coat, adding texture and depth.
Dear Debbie;
I was a fan of your rag rolling technique and applied it in a number of rooms using latex paint and latex glaze. I have since painted over these walls returning then to a solid colour, again using latex paint. Unfortunately, when I wash these walls or bang them slightly, the new paint lifts right off. What causes this and how do I fix it? Shouldn't all latex products adhere to each other? Thank you.
Joanne
Dear Joanne;
You correctly applied latex over latex, but the problem is with the sheen of the glaze. Even a low gloss sheen makes the surface slippery. When covering any gloss surface, first apply a high adhesion paint primer.
Debbie Travis' House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com. You can follow Debbie on Twitter at www.twitter.com/debbie_travis, and visit Debbie's new website:
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