A statement or accent wall is a wall on the interior or exterior of your home that has a different colour, shade, design or material from the other walls around it. You can use a statement wall to really bring some colour and life into a room, with little effort!
This is an opportunity to turn your creativity to the max with your ideas.
1. Choose your wall
Think about what you plan to do with that wall, as this will inform the decision you make on the wall. Is it going to be the backdrop for a bookshelf or a set piece above your fireplace? And don’t be afraid to be bold with colours and patterns. If you aren’t happy with it later, you can always redo it!
2. Choose your design
For an ordinary accent wall, you would choose a single colour that compliments the colours already present in the room. However, if you’re going for more of a statement wall you may need stencils, or you may need to measure and tape out a design.
3. Choose your paint
There’s a lot to consider when picking paint. Are you looking for a matt or a shiny finish? Are you painting inside or outside? Are you painting over dark colours or light? Are you painting with one colour or more than one colour? This will follow in with your design and what you are choosing to do with your wall. If you are painting inside or outside your house you will also need to choose a paint that is suitable with the right kind of finish.
4. Gather your materials
Make sure you have your paint, the right amount of each colour that you might be using, masking tape, paint brushes, rollers, paint trays, sand paper, a damp sponge and drop sheets.
5. Prepare your wall
Clean your wall using the sponge. Repair any nail holes using putty or Polyfilla. Sand off any areas where paint is peeling or chipping. Make sure your wall is dry and smooth when it comes time to paint.
6. Cover and protect
Protect the floor below where you are painting with your dropsheet. Use your masking tape to cover up skirting, wall sockets, the roof and any edges you do not want to accidentally paint! So, use that tape to cover any corners as well where there is going to be a change from one paint colour to another, so that you have a perfectly crisp line where the two paint colours meet.
7. Place your design carefully
Watch those lines! If you are using a stencil or using masking tape to create lines for your design, take your time to make sure the lines are exactly where you want them to be. This part may take more time than you would expect, but it will be worth your while to make sure everything is as you want it.
8. Paint your wall
If you are going from a dark colour to a light colour, prime your wall with wall primer first, as this will make covering the darker colour over much easier. If you are going from light to dark, you can go straight to painting. When you are painting bright colours, using a tinted primer can help to bring those bold colours out.
Pro-tip: Use your paint brush first along the taped off edges, before you carry on with the rest of your design. This will make it easier to “colour in the lines” so to speak! From there you can use the roller to paint the rest of your wall
9. Clean up
Before the paint is completely dry, remove all of the masking tape. This will ensure beautiful clean lines where you have painted your wall. Remove the drop sheets and clean up any mess you may have made. If you have any edges that are not completely clean, take a small paint brush and clean up those edges to the colour you want them to be.
Well done! Your DIY project is a success and it looks great! If you are a little bit daunted by the steps involved, you can always hire a great
local professional painter. Think outside the box and be ready to talk to your painter about exactly what you want done.