Feature wall

Transform a plain wall into a bold feature with a little bit of help from Resene.

How to paint a feature wall

Weekend DIY with Mark Rayner - Project 79

Difficulty level: Moderate

You will need

Bucket with warm water
Clean cloths
Paint roller and tray
Paintbrush
Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner ready to use
Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tinted to your choice of colour, Mark used Resene Paua

Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel or
Resene Enamacryl gloss waterborne enamel in your choice of colour for the trims
Resene Quick Dry
Rubber gloves
Sandpaper

To get the look: Mark painted the ceiling and coving with Resene SpaceCote Flat tinted to Resene Alabaster.

Other ideas: For a deep red feature paint the wall with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tinted to Resene Pohutukawa.

How to paint a feature wall

Step one: Working on a small area at a time, clean the existing paintwork with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner. (a)

Step two: Rub thoroughly with a clean cloth to remove any dust and dirt, continuing until all the painted areas are clean and ready to paint. Allow to dry. If the existing paintwork is waterborne and in good condition, no sanding is required. (b) and (c)

If the existing paint is a solventborne finish, then sand the surface to provide a 'key' for the paint and wipe off all sanding dusts. (d) and (e)

Photo (a)
Clean with Resene Interior Paintwork Cleaner

Photo (b)
Cleaning skirting boards

Photo (c)
Cleaning walls

Photo (d)
Sanding skirting boards

Step three: Spot prime any areas of bare wood with Resene Quick Dry and allow to dry. (f)

Step four: Paint the skirting board and cut in around the edges of the wall. Mark used Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen to match the wall, but you could use Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel or Resene Enamacyl gloss waterborne enamel in a neutral colour for a crisp contrast to the feature wall colour. (g)

Step five: Apply one coat of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tinted to Resene Paua to the main body of the wall using the paint roller. Once dry, apply a second coat to the wall and trims. (h)