OK, so it took me a week to paint one (very small!) wall but I finally finished! See the last post to get the full story if you didn’t yet; I was experimenting with a line of paint called “Brilliant Metals” from Valspar on the entry wall in my home.
The goal was to add an effect of strong color as you enter our home without overdoing it. A standard paint didn’t seem like the way to go, it all just looked so flat. Since I needed to do it on my own (cost savings) and I’m not good with applying the cool faux effects that are out there I was hopeful when I came across the “Brilliant Metals” line. All said and done, I’m really pleased with the results!
The color I chose is called “Copper Gleam”. The line requires a basecoat of a regular paint with a topcoat of the metal paint. The basecoat for getting the Copper Gleam color is called “Tawny Bluff” and went on like any standard paint. The metal paint, however, is a little trickier to work with and I had to go over it three times to get the right consistency and eliminate the lines between roller strokes.
When applying the metal paint you first use a brush to work around all the trim and edges. Don’t skimp on the brush, your edges are very important. Even when you tape off with painter’s paint, you need to be careful not to load too much paint on because the texture of most walls doesn’t allow the tape to lie perfectly flat and you can get drips behind the tape, especially on your baseboards. The brush I use is a 2.5″ 100% dyed nylon by Purdy. They are more expensive, I think about $12 a pop if I recall correctly, but worth the investment. I’ve had the same two brushes for five years. If you take good care of them and rinse them properly they’ll last that long. And I’ve done a TON of painting with those brushes!
After working around your trim and edges let it dry. Then use a roller to apply the rest. I went ahead and bought the roller sold by Valspar supposedly just for metallic paint. You may be able to use a standard texture roller but I didn’t want to chance it. When applying the paint you need to make long strokes and never roll side-to-side, only up and down. Try to apply with an even hand. When I pushed harder in one area than another I ended up with big streaks between strokes and had to go back to even it out.
Here are the after photos of the wall. I thought there was a before shot but the only one I can find is with the original tile (before we ripped them out and went to acid stained concrete) so it’s not a fair comparison photo. I really like the depth of the color due to the metallic effect. Again, I would limit the places you use a finish like this but in the right spot it can really dress up a room!
Entry wall in "Copper Gleam"
Close up of brilliant metal paint in "Copper Gleam"
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