Rag-Rolling Paint Technique

Whether you're living with a color you just want to jazz up a bit or you want to start from scratch, rag rolling is one of the easiest and fastest ways to bring drama to a room. You can add more than one top coat color, but the most sophisticated results come from layering a single color over the base coat.

Materials and Tools:

lint-free towels
roller
satin latex paints
plastic tray
paper towels

Steps:

1. If applying a new base coat, roll on the base coat color and let dry.
   
   
2. Pour the top coat color into a plastic tray. Dampen the rag and wring it out well. Bunch the rag into random folds and creases (the fewer flat areas, the better the look). Dip the rag into the paint and dab excess onto a paper towel.
   
   
3. Start at the center point of the wall and press the rag on the wall gently, working in about a 2-foot area. The first blots will be heavier, so space them out a bit. As the rag loses paint, fill in the areas between the heavier spots to create blending by rotating your wrist to vary the ragging pattern. Re-bunch the rag once in a while to create different textures and shapes.
   
   
4. Step back to check your work, and fill in where needed.
   
   
5. Rinse the rag out every so often so it doesn't get too saturated and start to blob the paint.