“If you want to test your marriage, don’t just paint a room, do a wall treatment.”
In 2006, when we moved into our townhome (an Urbandale’s Pacifica) we decided to take the room that was designed for the Master Bedroom and turn it into the Library/Office. We wanted the back room, which is the quietest and darkest, to be our bedroom. No problem. Before long, our Billy bookcases from Ikea that could no longer hold our growing collection of books and our hatred of the wall colour increased.
Quick note on our wall colour thoughout the WHOLE house. I believe the wall colour is Eldorado Tan by ICI (10YY 61/136) and it’s a warm colour with a definite pink cast to it. With gray light from a cloudy day, our home looks downright peachy. Not ideal. It’s gotta go. If you remember, I had already painted my studio be to bright and light to take advantage of the south facing window and something that worked with our neutral carpets.
With the library, we went in a completely different direction. We realize that the house might take on a bit of a schizophrenic feel with such contrasting rooms, but they can be contained behind closed doors and changed easily. Also, the choices serve the room. A light, bright neutral room to work on projects that need clear light. A dark, cozy room when you snuggle up to watch a movie or curl up with a good book.
Without a great “before” shot, here is the wall of doors before we started painting:
The wall of doors with the last coat of Ralph Lauren’s Stadium Red in semi-gloss (there was confusion on the paint finish, the pamphlet said you needed eggshell, but the boards at Home Depot said you needed semi-gloss).
The same wall of doors with the applied glaze. If you remember, there had been some confusion on the glaze as well. What none of us realized at the time was that the glaze is a just a shade of grey. We expected the glaze to look like ‘Moroccan Red’ but the name is the result of the glaze on the painted wall. This took a few days and a call from Home Depot to Ralph Lauren Home to sort out. It seems so simple now.
Applying the glaze to get the Antiqued Leather treatment took a while. We ended up devising our own techniques and in some cases contradicting the instructions in the leaflet. We didn’t have the luxury of taking pictures which, I realize, would have been helpful. Instead, bullet points of random tips of what helped us (which will only make sense for those considering using the same technique, feel free to skip). Ralph Lauren also has how-to videos for their techniques.
1. This is really a 3 person job: one applies the glaze with the roller, one rags the glaze off, and one pounces the wall with the fancy brush. Unfortunately, it was 2 of us and since the 2nd job is messy, the other person has to do the first and third job.
2. We got away with not buying the ‘Fitching Tool’ for the corners and trim, we used a wide, flat brush we had. We wanted to save a bit of money and it worked well enough.
3. You can only do one wall at a time.
4. Instead of ragging on more glaze in a pouncing motion, we ragged the glaze off by rolling the glaze off.
5. Use cotton rags and make sure they are cotton – Lee Valley is a good source for real cotton rags. No polyester
6. It is difficult to avoid ‘picture faming’ and/or creating columns. Don’t fuss too much and remember the wall will look different when furniture and art work is put up to break it up.
7. We worked top to bottom in columns, feathering the sides of the glaze so it didn’t dry into harsh lines, and leaving the glaze on the last 3 to 4 inches wet to work more easily.
8. Work as quickly as possible.
9. We used a 6″ roller for the glaze, it was easier to control than the 10″ and was faster.
10. If you’re doing the ragging, wear gloves.
11. Keep a wet rag around for accidental brushings of the trim, as for the ceiling, see #12
12. Decide to plan on installing crown moulding after you keep hitting the ceiling with the roller and/or rag. (Currently planned for the summer of 2010).
13. Keep your sense of humour, turn the music up, and mind your temper. It’s just a painted wall, not a masterpiece.
A lot of changes are still planned for this room, from hardware to trim, this is just the beginning. It’s a wonderful change, it already feels more inviting, more relaxed. A little bit of luxury for the two of us as we settle into winter here.
