DECORATING : Give Glazed Walls a Combing for a Fresh Look

If you loved finger painting or block printing as a child, you can relive the magic by trying decorative wall-painting.

More subtle than patterned wallpapers and more elaborate than plain painted surfaces, this popular art form is easy and can dramatically alter a room’s appearance.

All you need are glaze, a few improvised tools and a measure of playfulness--the same ingredient that made childhood art so much fun.

Glaze is a semitransparent paint that you apply over a base coat of ordinary wall paint. The two paints usually are different colors.

The most common method is to brush or roll on glaze and then rub, blot or scrape--or a combination of these techniques --before it dries, so that the base coat shows through, creating a pattern.

The base coat can be either latex or alkyd. It should have a satin or semi-gloss luster and be completely dry. Another method is to alter the glaze when applying it, producing a more clearly defined pattern. You can treat a whole room or decorate only one wall.

Among tools you can use are rags, sponges, brushes and combs. It’s a good idea for two people to work together when applying glaze. One brushes or rolls on the glaze while the other follows to create a pattern. When glazing an entire room, work on one wall and then the opposite to avoid overlapping wet glaze in the corners.

Paint stores carry glaze, or you can make your own. A simple and effective recipe is to stir together one part each of alkyd paint and paint thinner, and then add one part transparent glazing liquid.

Stir the combined ingredients thoroughly and then brush or roll some onto matte board painted with a sample of the base coat as a test. The glaze should be thin but not runny. To thicken glaze, add more paint; to thin, add paint thinner. To increase transparency, add more glazing liquid.

Alkyd glazes are rather shiny and dry slowly, allowing ample time for pattern changes.

Alkyd base products are toxic and have strong fumes, so it’s wise to wear a respirator and rubber gloves when handling them. Work in a well-ventilated area, and keep pets and children away. You can also concoct glazes from latex paint that are safer to use, but these are somewhat cloudy and may dry too quickly for beginners.

Here are the most popular ways of applying glaze:

* Simple patterning: Blot the glaze firmly with a wadded paper towel or lint-free cloth. Rotate your hand often, to keep the pattern random. Periodically expose a clean surface of the material or switch to a fresh piece.

* Sponging: Pat a sea sponge dampened with solvent against the surface, changing the position often. Avoid squeezing the sponge.

* Stippling: Firmly press a stippling brush or a stiff-bristled scrub brush into the glaze. Keep the brush from sliding. Clean the bristles frequently by wiping them on a clean cloth.

* Rag rolling: Shape a lint-free cloth about 1 foot square onto a loose cylinder, then roll it down the wall in vertical strips, overlapping each slightly.

* Combing: Hold a large steel or rubber graining comb at a 45-degree angle to the wall surface. Drag it down, forming straight or wavy lines as desired. Do not overlap rows. Clean the comb at the end of each stroke.

Stippling brushes and graining combs are available from specialty paint or art supply stores.