Sponge Painting How-To

Add visual punch to a plain-color wall with sponging. It's a quick and easy way to achieve a subtle texture and add depth to your walls. And if you mess up, it's easy to fix less-than-perfect spots. Just follow our no-fail steps and study the how-to photos for can-do confidence.

 

 

• Benjamin Moore paints: We use Jack o' Lantern 2156-30 and Harvest Brown 2104-30. Satin sheen is preferred but semigloss works too; flat is not recommended.
• Benjamin Moore Studio Finish latex glaze in Clear
• Paint roller for base coat
• Wide painter's tape
• 2 plastic paint buckets
• Paint stir stick
• Paper plates
• 2 natural sponges
• Newspaper
• Cardboard
• Trim brush or sponge roller

 

 

Using a paint roller, base-coat a clean, dry wall with a Jack o' Lantern; let dry. Apply a second coat if needed and allow to dry. Use wide painter's tape to mask around doors, windows, the ceiling, and the floor.

In a paint bucket, mix 1 part Harvest Brown and 4 parts Studio Finish latex glaze. Fill another bucket half full of water for rinsing sponges.

1. Pour a small amount of glaze mixture onto a paper plate.

 

 

2. Dampen a sponge with water and wring it out thoroughly. Dip the sponge into the glaze mixture and blot excess onto newspaper. Practicing on a piece of cardboard, dab the sponge lightly, overlapping edges of color and rotating the sponge for a random effect. When comfortable with the color intensity and texture, apply the sponging technique to the wall, beginning in an upper corner.

 

 

3. Cover 8-foot-square sections at a time, dipping sponge into glaze mixture as needed.

 

 

4. When the sponge becomes saturated with glaze mixture, rinse it in the bucket of water and wring it out thoroughly before continuing.

 

 

5. After sponging 8 square feet, dampen a clean sponge in clean water; wring it out thoroughly. Using the damp sponge, dab the wet glaze mixture to remove some of it from the wall so the base coat peeks through; rinse and wring the sponge as needed.

6. When finished removing glaze mixture from one area, continue the technique until the entire wall is finished, then move to an adjacent wall.

More Color Combos and Tips

When sponging, there's no magic formula for selecting the perfect color combination. If you favor subtle texture, choose colors with little contrast and use a dense application so less of the base color shows through.

For bold texture, choose colors that sharply contrast and use a sparse application. Or try anything in between. The key is to experiment with colors and coverage. In the meantime, let our color combinations inspire you.

 

 

 

Serene Blue

Base coat: Blue Jean 2062-50
Sponge glaze: Blue Daisy 2062-40

 

 

 

Eye-Popping Pink

Base coat: Bayberry 2080-50
Sponge glaze: Raspberry Truffle 2080-10

 

 

 

Sophisticated Yellow

Base coat: Mellow Yellow 2020-50
Sponge glaze: Jack o' Lantern 2156-30

 

 

 

Fresh Green

Base coat: Acadia Green 2034-50
Sponge glaze: Cedar Green 2034-40

 

 

 

Tips

• Paint a sample board to explore your options. Using contrasting colors or reversing base-coat and top-coat colors can make a big difference in the result. For example, sponge a warm orange base coat with a dark brown top coat.
• Consider using base-coat and top-coat colors from the same family. For example, a pale blue base coat can be topped with a darker blue or vice versa.
• Work with a partner and two sponges. One person can sponge on the glaze; the other can remove glaze.
• Use a trim brush or sponge roller along taped edges. This will ensure neat and consistent coverage.
• Work in organic-shape areas. If some drying of glaze does occur, organic shapes are less obvious in the end.

 

 

 

Freehand designs in abstract cloud
patterns add to the Asian theme.

Asian Clouds Wall Project

For centuries, Asian artists have captured nature's beauty in a unique, surrealistic style whose bold aesthetics, at once striking and serene, translate well to modern living.

These Asian clouds capture that style, and even if you are a novice artist, you can give them a try. Just express your creativity by painting a freehand design onto the wall.

The trick is to first draw the design on the base-coated wall using a colored pencil. When you are satisfied with the result, apply a stretchable automotive striping tape along the lines.

Brush an orange-red glaze mixture onto the wall using a horizontal dragging motion, then remove the tape to reveal the lines, seemingly etched in gold.

To increase the richness of the color, apply a dark brown stain to the entire wall. Use this technique to create any linear design or motif that complements your decorating style.

Download and Print the Cloud Pattern

 

 

 

• Create design with tape
• Drag glaze horizontally
• Add thickened mixture
• Remove tape and repeat
• Apply gel stain with cloth

 

 

 

• 2-inch blue low-tack painter's tape
• Drop cloth
• Stir sticks
• Paint tray
• Standard roller frame with 9-inch roller cover
• Paints: gold satin-finish latex paint for base coat; red satin-finish latex paint for glaze coat
• Colored pencil: tan
• 1/4-inch plastic automotive striping tape
• Crafts knife
• Glazing medium
• Plastic container with printed measurements
• Brush: 4-inch chip
• Minwax Aged Oak gel stain
• Small paint pan
• Rubber gloves
• Lint-free cotton cloths

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Prep: Mask ceiling, baseboards, and trim with painter's tape.
2. Paint the wall in the gold base color. Paint two coats if necessary. Leave tape on; let dry overnight.
3. Sketch the design onto the wall with a colored pencil. Tape along the lines with striping tape. Pull gently on the tape to stretch it around curves, pressing it firmly to the wall as you go. Cut the tape with a crafts knife to prevent tearing. Burnish the tape with your finger.
4. Mix 1 part red paint to 4 parts glazing medium in a plastic container. Using a 4-inch chip brush, drag the glaze mixture in horizontal strokes across the wall. Work down from the top of the wall. Keep the first coat light; let dry.
5. Add paint to the glaze mixture, thickening it to 1 part paint and 1 part glaze. Drag the brush lightly across the surface, varying the amount of glaze mixture and the pressure on the brush to create small patches of heavier color.
6. Remove the tape while the glaze is still wet, and repeat Step 3. Let dry.
7. Pour gel stain into a small paint pan. Wearing rubber gloves, apply stain to the surface with a clean cotton cloth. Work in small areas, feathering the edges to avoid overlapping lines. Continue until the wall is completed. Remove tape; let dry.