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How to Paint an Ombre Wall
One day, one change: Brighten up your bedroom by painting a pink-and-gray focal wall with these step-by-step instructions.
Materials Needed
- tape measure
- paint roller
- paint tray and liners
- wide paintbrush
- 1 gallon of gray paint
- 1 gallon of light gray paint
- 1 gallon of salmon pink paint
Get Started
Clean your surface. Wipe down and remove anything on the wall you'll be painting. Whenever possible, remove all furniture in the room to give yourself room to work. Cover anything you cannot move and all floors with thick plastic to prevent spills and slips.
Start With the Lightest Paint
Begin by painting the entire wall the lightest shade of paint and let it dry. Instead of using a primer first, buy paints that have primer mixed in. This ensures good coverage on the wall, which will make a fresh surface for your paint treatment to blend. Don't skimp on the paint.
Divide the Wall Into Sections
To achieve an ombre look, measure three equal sections on your wall and mark lightly in pencil. The top section will be the lightest color. The darkest color goes at the bottom, leaving the third color for the center.
Paint Middle Section and Blend
Paint the middle section with the second-lightest color, leaving 6" of room between the edges of each section. In a timely manner, hold a dry brush at a 45 degree angle to blend.
Go Dark at the Bottom
Paint the darkest hue at the bottom of the wall, leaving a foot between color sections.
Pro Tip - For a more subtle ombre that's in the same color family, consider choosing three colors that are on the same paint chip. Stay away from the darkest color if you can, for a more soothing palette. If drama is what you're looking for, then consider a bold hue for your darkest color, but select your color with care.
Mix Shades
The real trick to an ombre paint treatment is in creating two additional color blends by mixing the lightest color with the middle color, and the middle color with the darkest color. These two additional colors allow you to "blend" the three main colors on the wall.
Blend, Blend, Blend
Use the first new color to paint the 6" gap between the lightest and middle color. Then, taking a dry brush and holding it at an angle, quickly blend up until you meet the next color section. Use the second new color to paint the 6" gap between the middle and dark color and repeat the blending technique. Continue to brush the three sections together until you achieve the level ombre you desire.
