Can You Color Wash a Wall?

Color Washing Walls: What You Need to Know

A technique known as color 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,” color washed walls exude warmth and charm throughout any space.

Supplies for Color Washing

Color 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: 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 colors. 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 colors. 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 Colors & Products

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

For the basecoat:

• Select two shades from the same color 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 Color 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 color depth, glaze walls with different paint colors: a base color, a glaze darker than your base paint color, and a third deeper glaze color.
• You can finish your color washed wall with a premium quality top coat like Stays Clear^® to protect the results over time, but this is optional.