Using paint and everyday household items can create beautiful walls. How about putting brown paper bags on your wall? Or using a comb to create a textured look? You can create unique beautiful wall treatments with both of these items. The traditional brown paper bags you grew up with (at least those of us that are over 30) can be used in a number of ways to create amazing wall treatments. We will talk about two different uses for brown paper bags and paint. The first option is to use them as wall paper. First step is to take the brown bags (or you can buy rolls of brown paper), tear them into different sized shapes, and then crumple them up. Keep a few with straight edges for the ceiling and any place that might need a straight edge. Use wallpaper paste and adhere the paste to the paper (or the wall, or both) and randomly apply each piece slightly overlapping them to the wall. Do not try to straighten them out too much, you want that crumpled look to give the wall texture. After it has dried it is now time to have fun, it is time to paint. You can paint it with one single color; or do any kind of faux painting. You have a great canvas with the crumpled paper as a textured backdrop for your paint. A suggestion to enhance the look, after you have finished painting the wall always use either a metallic paint, darker color paint, or lighter color paint. Choose any color that is a contrast to the main color. Lightly go over the wall, rubbing it on with a rag, or dry brush the contrast color. Dry brush means to wipe off most of the color from the brush, before applying it to the wall. Less is more, you only want to highlight the texture created by the paper. The next use of brown paper bag is similar but different. This time paint the bag before you tear it up, while it is flat. With this technique the use of regular paint and metallic gives it a wonderful contrast. You want to blend the colors; the main goal here is unexpected color combinations and covering the entire paper. When you are finished and it has dried, start tearing and crumpling just like the other technique. Apply this paper exactly as we did before. This is similar but this will give you a completely different look. What about using a comb on your walls? This is very easy and fun. It requires a base coat color. Over the base coat you apply an accent color. Keep in mind when you finish you will see the base color slightly under the top coat of paint. Be sure to add paint extender (it is found in all paint and hardware stores) to the top coat of paint. You want the paint to stay wet longer and have a more transparent look. Work in about 12" wide segments ceiling to floor. Apply a thin coat of the accent color with a roller over the base coat, take your comb (it works best with a large comb that all the teeth are evenly spaced), start at the ceiling put your comb with teeth against the wall and simply pull down, all the way to the floor without stopping. This will leave thin lines that show the base color underneath it. Repeat the process, when you get to the edge roll another coat of paint and repeat. Always wipe the comb off after every line. This gives a textured look with a surprise of the basecoat showing through. When using the comb technique it really helps to have a friend standing by to roll the top coat of paint slightly ahead of you while you are doing the combing part. Note: you can buy specialty tools for this project or simply use a big comb it really works well. As always practice, practice, and practice some more before you attack the wall. In the big picture the time spent practicing is the difference from a great look that you will love and something that is only ok.
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