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You are here: Home / Interior Decorating / Pretty, textured walls, if I do say so myself

Pretty, textured walls, if I do say so myself

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Interior Decorating, The Victorian

I’m crazy about texture, and it’s especially important since we prefer neutral colors.  When Dad was visiting, he taught me how to texture walls with cheesecloth.  That’s all that’s on the wall!  Just cheesecloth held up and painted in place.

Cheesecloth textured walls

This photo is slightly dramatized, just so the texture will show up.  Otherwise, it’s very subtle, like this:

Cheesecloth texture on walls

Sounds super easy.  I wish it was.  Actually when Dad–the professional–was still here, it was super easy.  But they had to leave before the project was finished.  So while we did half the room in just a couple hours together, it took The Hubs and I two weeks to finish the other half without him.  (Don’t be scared off by that.  If you have a FULL day to commit to it, it can be done in a day.  If you only have a few hours each evening, it will take you 2 weeks.)

I purchased the cheesecloth at our fabric store, it was priced at $3 a yard, but we used a 40% off coupon for it.  I didn’t buy enough the first time.  As a matter of fact, I didn’t buy enough the first 3 times.  But you can buy it online for under $5 for three yards.

How to add texture to walls

Instructions, if you are so inclined to attempt this project:

Measure the height of your walls.  Unfold your cheesecloth and cut it into panels that equal the height of your walls.  Be very careful to cut the cloth as straight as possible.

This is definitely a two person job.  One person (the taller one) holds up the cheesecloth to the top of the walls as evenly as possible.  The other person then tacks down the corners and a few spots in the middle of the cheesecloth panel with a very saturated paint roller.

Painting cheesecloth onto walls for texture

Painting cheesecloth onto walls for texture

The non-painter evens out the cheesecloth panels as they are being painted on, making sure all the lines are straight.
Painting cheesecloth onto walls for texture

Once the corners are tacked in place, just fill in the rest of the panel with paint.  Easy part.

For the smaller pieces above and below windows and doors, we trimmed the cheesecloth to size first, and then painted it on with a mini paint roller (4”).  I do not recommend brushing at all (except for the edges if you need to), as even the softest brush will pull the cheesecloth and make it look wonky.
We overlapped each panel slightly.  I love the aged look it creates.  Small wrinkles and creases are okay too, they add more character.

Extreme zoom-in:

DSCF9017
We are so happy with the look.  It really brought some character and detail back into the house, but subtly, just like we like it.

So it’s a simple concept: cut the cheesecloth to fit, hold it up to the wall and paint it on.

What do you think?  Would you ever try this at home?

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  1. onshore

    February 7, 2013 at 7:54 am

    I must say that at first I thought this is a horrible thing to do, but it is only because at my parents’ they have sackcloth covered walls and those get dusty so easily and are really difficult to keep clean. BUT those are not painted! Cheesecloth painted seems very cool.

    Reply
    • Christina O

      February 8, 2013 at 6:38 pm

      Oh wow, keeping them clean never crossed my mind. But I did use satin finish paint, so if dust does stick, it should come off easily. I will watch for that though!

  2. Anonymous

    February 8, 2013 at 6:30 pm

    It looks fantastic! I would do it.

    Reply
    • Christina O

      February 8, 2013 at 6:38 pm

      Thank you!

  3. Sarah

    February 18, 2013 at 5:13 am

    What a great trick to keep in mind for damaged, cracked, or lumpy walls. I’ve heard of crumpling up tissue paper and then smoothing it back out and applying it to the walls for subtle texture, but never cheesecloth. I imagine it’s almost like faux grasscloth. Very unique!

    Reply
    • Christina O

      February 19, 2013 at 1:07 pm

      Grasscloth was what I had wanted in the living room, that’s why Dad suggested this. We’re so glad because I like it even better. It’s more casual than grasscloth with the inconsistent lines and seams.

      And yes, perfect for bumpy walls. Good point!

  4. Rhino Shield

    November 29, 2013 at 5:06 am

    Jenn Anderson
    Boston, MA
    I am having l nightmares over the Rhino Shield covering on my house, installed just over three years ago. Large bubbles are in the material that I can slit and hand peel the material, right down to the bare red cedar clapboards, which were also primed with an oil primer and finished with latex paint before the Rhino-Shield was applied. The material has a lifetime guarantee, so when I called several persons, including the owner Rhino Shield they all came over quickly.
    Rhino Shield said that the material was probably put on when the cedar was damp, and thus would strip everything and apply a new primer and finish coat, let dry, then apply new Rhino Shield, adding that there will be no more work till flashing is….
    Read more about my issue here
    http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/09/14/coating-home-bubbled-after-years/EvVT7CXrTWHf9A6Ky9eF9N/story.html

    Reply
  5. Melissa Nelson

    October 10, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    Can I use latex or does it have to be oil based paint? I’m redoing my bathroom in Old Victorian. Would this fit into the motif, or not? Please let me know, as I’m VERY IMPULSIVE and anxious to get started!!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Christina

      October 10, 2014 at 2:54 pm

      We love it in our Victorian, it really adds a vintage feel. It is hard to undo though, it will have to be mudded over if you don’t like it. You can always test a section first! And we used latex paint. Have fun!

  6. Rebecca

    June 1, 2015 at 2:24 pm

    I’m working on a friend’s kitchen in her old Victorian right now. The walls had 1970’s wallpaper that we removed and we love the rustic appeal of the wall underneath… except for a few spots that were patched – one with plaster, one with drywall. Trying to replicate the old texture of wallpaper paste and beautiful layers of blue and olive paint has been a challenge, but I’ve had the cheesecloth idea rattling around for awhile and I’m thrilled to see how well it can turn out! Another tool for my toolbox!

    Reply
  7. Kathleen R.

    March 16, 2016 at 7:14 am

    I am going to use this as my (small) kitchen backsplash with washable paint and a dark tan color between stark white cabinets and an earthy, busy granite countertop, anything else would be too much. We have under-cabinet lights to show it off. I plan to finish it with a scrubbable boat-grade polyurethane topcoat. What a great idea, thank you!

    Reply

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  1. Kitchen style - Little Victorian says:
    September 3, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    […] the walls light blue, but we’re going to go with the same warm white that’s in the living room.  We also decided to stain the wood shelves instead of painting them and we’re going with […]

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Finished! (ish) let's just pretend the new mantle Finished! (ish) let's just pretend the new mantle is painted a warm gray. It will be soon. 
It was $94 for the whole thing. 
Swipe for the before. See everything at littlevictorian.com
#100roomchallenge
So we were making great (though last- minute) prog So we were making great (though last- minute) progress. Then we're putting the picture hanger on the DIY art I made for the room when the 80-pound dog comes in and steps STRAIGHT THROUGH THE ARTWORK. 😵 

Hubs is trying to fix it as usual. But seriously...I don't know if any more obstacles could be thrown at us during this challenge. 😂 

3 hours to go. 
#100roomchallenge
Ugly photo time! We're doing the $100 Room Challen Ugly photo time! We're doing the $100 Room Challenge on our dining room (that you guys haven't even seen the "before" of yet). It's a super fun challenge to stay within $100 and makeover a room in a month. We're behind schedule, but there has actually been progress. I'll try to remember to share here, but there's more on the blog! LittleVictorian.com
#100roomchallenge
Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventua Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventually finish most of our restoration/renovation projects. I'll share the updates in the coming months as we get settled in to our new place. 😁
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