
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 23, 1994                   TAG: 9411040003
SECTION: FALL HOME IMPROVEMENT                    PAGE: 6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TEXTURIZED PAINTING: YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF

As a do-it-yourself project, using paint to texturize walls or other surfaces isn't easy, said Nene Roe, of Nene Roe Custom Painting, but it can be done. Novices tend to choose easier methods, she said, such as sponge painting and rag-rolling over marbleizing and hand-painting.

"And you have to have an eye for color," she said.

Paint supply stores, such as Harwood Paint and Wallpaper on Grandin Road, can set homeowners up with all the necessary materials, as well as how-to books and videos.

But "use them as a guide," Roe said. "not a Bible."

During the past five years, said Allen Board, Harwood's owner, many customers have come in wanting to do texturized painting, and the numbers are increasing.

"We're getting them more and more," he said. "People want to cut the cost by doing it themselves."

Texturizing techniques are especially popular in older neighborhoods, he said, where they can be used to cover walls that are too rough to paper or as a cosmetic touch over peeling paint.

Some people even use texturized painting along with wall paper, especially in a dining room, where the two surfaces may be divided by a chair rail. But it's not something people want to do throughout the house, he said.

Don't expect the job to be done in a hurry, either. Doing it yourself can be time-consuming, Board said.

Jean Dodson of Lakewood interiors agreed. She and her partners spent four to five days doing one dining room, because they had to wait for the layers of paint to dry.

It's also very physical work, said Tracy Budd, of Lakewood Interiors. Sometimes, the paint has to be applied or removed with a good amount of force. "It's tiring," she said.

Roe said it's a good idea for do-it-yourselfers to make test boards for practice. "You learn by your mistakes."

Although some techniques are best left to professionals, "don't be afraid to try it," Roe said. "Don't feel discouraged. It's just paint."

by CNB