Can You Colour Wash a Wall?

Colour Washing Walls: What You Need to Know

A technique known as colour washing or glaze painting can bring an inviting look and feel to any room.

Drawing from Tuscan roots and sometimes referred to as “faux painting,” colour washed walls exude warmth and charm throughout any space.

Supplies for Colour Washing

Colour washing is achieved by sponge painting or brushing a latex glaze onto walls. A paintbrush will provide a more textured look, while sponges or soft rags will create a softer, more diffused appearance.

Supplies Checklist: Colour Washing

3-inch or 4-inch Benjamin Moore paintbrush or soft rags/sponges   Drop cloth   High-quality acrylic or latex paint, like ben® Interior paint or Regal® Select Interior paint in two or more paint colours. Use satin/pearl sheen for the basecoat, and an eggshell sheen to mix with the glaze

High-quality primer, like Fresh Start® High-Hiding All Purpose Primer   Glaze of your choice - visit your locally owned Benjamin Moore store for products and advice

Stays Clear® top coat (optional)   Paint tray   Painter's tape   Water for cleanup

Supplies Checklist: Color Washing

  3-inch or 4-inch Benjamin Moore paintbrush or soft rags/sponges
  Drop cloth
  High-quality acrylic or latex paint, like ben^® Interior paint or Regal^® Select Interior paint in two or more paint colours. Use satin/pearl sheen for the basecoat, and an eggshell sheen to mix with the glaze
  High-quality primer, like Fresh Start^® High-Hiding All Purpose Primer
  Glaze of your choice - visit your locally owned Benjamin Moore store for products and advice
  Stays Clear^® top coat (optional)
  Paint tray
  Painter's tape
  Water for cleanup

Selecting the Colours & Products

The quality of paint, and the just-right colour choice, are both important ingredients for any colour wash project.

For the basecoat:

• Select two shades from the same colour strip; this is the best way to combine hues that complement one another.
• Be sure to select eggshell or a higher sheen for the basecoat.

For the product:

• Use a high quality primer like Fresh Start^® High-Hiding All Purpose Primer for best results.
• Choose a premium top coat paint, like easy-to-apply ben^® Interior or Regal^® Select Interior paint for quality results that withstand the test of time.

For the glaze:

Benjamin Moore does not manufacture a latex glaze. Once you identify a glaze you will use from another manufacturer, consider the Benjamin Moore products on this page to help complete your color wash painting job. And check out our painting tools, which can be ordered online and picked up at a locally owned Benjamin Moore^® store.

More Colour Wash Painting Techniques

• For different visual effects, vary your wiping motions as you apply the glaze.
• To achieve the look of an aged patina, apply a lighter glaze over a darker glaze.
• For a look with richer colour depth, glaze walls with different paint colours: a base colour, a glaze darker than your base paint colour, and a third deeper glaze colour.
• You can finish your colour washed wall with a premium quality top coat like Stays Clear^® to protect the results over time, but this is optional.