I have six children and we are living in an old farmhouse. I am looking for ways to paint the walls so that the wear and tear from the children is not so apparent. There are two styles I have seen called antiquiting and crackling. I am trying to find some information on either or if you have some good ideas I would be glad to listen. I don't want anything fancy just easy to maintain and looks nice. Thanks.

Kathy

-- kathy (davidwh6@juno.com), March 09, 2001

Answers

I have just finished stripping, sanding, and repainting my kitchen cabinets and topped the coating of dark green with a coat of Polyurethane---which I think is great stuff. I can now just wash off whatever drips, spots, or blobs stick to them.

It's great to use on floors and stuff too. A good washable enable is a MUST for door facings and that kind of thing if you have a bunch of kids! Whatever style of painting you decide on, just make sure you finish with a top coat of something that is WASHABLE!!!

Our kids are all grown and on their own now and I find that I am messier now than I was when they were all here....so I can't blame anything on them any more! good luck! (oh---make sure you have a lot of ventilation when you're paining and don't be painting with even a pilot light on a gas stove, heater, or water heater nearby. turn it off until you get through painting!)

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), March 09, 2001.

The first two years we lived here I painted the hallway to the bedrooms three times. The third time I sponged the walls and it has lasted eight years. It hides a lot of scuff marks,doodling, etc. and looks like foil wallpaper when your finished. For the trim I used a semi-gloss paint that was washable and on the walls a washable satin. However most paint has to set 30 days before they can be really scrubbed. Last month I sponged again because I got tired of the colors and the trim was showing wear. I just put a crackle finish on a filing cabinet and had spots that did not take on the sides - so maybe you should try one section of the wall to see if you'll get the desired effect first. Good luck with the painting.

-- Lynne (lekhorse@yahoo.com), March 09, 2001.

Both of the above answers are tops when you have kids. I've done both and it works like a charm - even sponged my own bedroom cause I'm a clutz!!!!

If you want to have some fun, use two complimenting colors, one as a base, and the other sponged on. Take a contrasting color (just a little) and a chicken feather. Streak it on - just a line here and there. Take another feather and blend some in. Great look of marble at a MINUTE fraction of the cost!!

BTW - the Victorians used all these techniques and then varnished over them.... Perhaps (don't know) there is a poly that will work well on walls??

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 09, 2001.

I used an old t-shirt to rag paint my livingroom walls. You just krinkle up the rag instead of using a sponge. I used a piece of cardboard to dip the paint to lighten or darken the texture, putting the first applications around first, then blending it in with the rag until more paint is needed. I ragged the bottom half of the walls, then stenciled the break line.

I think if you use a urathine on the walls, it will be hard to paint a different color later on. I used enamal in one room for the bright colors but when I went to paint with a plain color, I had to break the seal with sandpaper first, then put undercoat, then two coats of paint.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), March 09, 2001.

Hello Kathy, A couple of suggestions would be to make the lower half of the walls paneled or wainscoted. That will keep most of the damage the children occasionally do minimumal. If you do not like the look of half paneled walls my other suggestion would be to instal chair rail horizontally about half way up the wall all along the areas that are heavily trafficed. Such as eating and playing areas of the house. Stuff that kids (or adults bag up against the walls such as chairs will not damage paint or wallpaper as the chair rail will stop it. Chair rail can be a wide decorative molding or just a simple stain 1x3 attached about waist high. I hope that I have help you a little. Sincerely, Ernest http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks

-- Ernest in the Ozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), March 10, 2001.

Have you thought about texturing the walls? My parents had them and believe me after one scrape against the wall,you learn quick not to touch it-because it hurts!

-- nobrabbit (conlane@prodigy.net), March 10, 2001.

texturing looks nice but is hardto keep cleaned, especially if you have wood heat. My friend sponge painted her kitchen ceiling. White base coat and blue accents. Looks so good she is going to do the dinning room as well. She also is going to redo the livingroom walls with cloth in place of wall paper. Just measure how much cloth you would need, dip it into a large tub of starch water mixture and place on walls, run your hand over the cloth to smooth it out. When it dries it sticks as good or better than paper. ANd when you wantto clean it peal it off wsh it and dip it into the starch mixture again and replaceit on to the walls. NO more scraping the paper off the walls and gouging the sheetrock under neath. Have fun!!

-- michelle (tsjheath@ainop.com), March 15, 2001.

I agree with the person that said to focus your treatment on the lower 36 inches of your wall. My mudroom looked like crap all the time because the walls were white (it came that way..wasn't my choice!). I took a medium green that I got for 5 bucks at a paint store and rollered it on the lower part of the wall then lay dry cleaners plastic or saran wrap on it, smoothed it onto the paint and peeled it off. it created a textured look that hides all the dirt and smudges from dogs, kids and us grownups too. Directly above the paint treatment is a border that goes with the wall paper I used above that. A border alone would work above the paint treatment. Good luck. PS: we sponged the bottom 36 inches of my son's bedroom walls with 5 different colors and it hasn't shown a bit of noticeable wear. Did the wood work too!

-- Alison in Nova Scotia (aproteau@istar.ca), March 15, 2001.

Our house is 130 years old. We have plaster of paris with horsehair in it. When we were cutting a hole for a furnace vent, some of it fell off and now my daughter has a 3 foot diameter hole around her vent. Behind the plaster of paris are these thin boards that look like 1x2s, alot of them. Then some (not much) insulation. I don't want to sheetrock the whole house, but I need to paint, paper or do something. I thought about sponging because the plaster has a 'smeared on' look. I'm afraid to sand it. We have rounded ceilings in the upstairs. No 90 degree angles there! My daughter wants a blue room with clouds sponged on. My son wants black 'granite', the cave man look. Sherwin-Williams can give directions to help with all these. I went there for instructions and then went to Wally world for the supplies. Wish me luck, it'll be a busy summer. carol

-- carol (fchambers@mail.janics.com), March 15, 2001.