Scraping figures into view

For centuries, the Sgraffito technique of scraping has been used for decoration purposes. Introduced during the Renaissance, its most familiar examples are to be found on rendered facades of buildings from that era. The technique is also used in ceramics. In Sgraffito, two layers of different colours are used one on top of the other and some of the top layer is scratched away, leaving a design in the colour of the underlying layer.



Old technique, new tools

This time, an old and interesting technique was tried with modern paints. Sgraffito proved to be fascinating, as endless combinations of paints, colours and figures are possible. For this article, two different approaches were chosen to create a patterned wall, one with Tunto Fine Textured Finish and the other with Taika Pearl Glaze. You need to work quickly, as modern water-borne paints dry rapidly and it is better if two people work together. An ordinary rubber spatula is excellent for scraping when the top layer is still fresh, but other rubber or metal implements will work just as well.

A colourful and vibrant structured surface

The little princess’s room was provided with a modern “wall tapestry”, with stylized roses etched from a stripe painted with Tunto Fine Textured Finish. As usual, Joker interior paint was used as the base, and left to dry thoroughly. The “wall tapestry” was masked off with tape, and the Tunto Fine Textured Finish was lightly applied 50 cm at a time. Rose petals were etched into the wet surface using a rubber spatula. By twisting the spatula, it is possible to remove more filler at selected points.

The wisdom of life

Sometimes it is worth displaying something that rises above the ordinary and mundane. The bedroom was transformed by using deep shades of colour and metallic Taika Pearl Paint. Reveal your innermost thoughts in the way you decorate your living space. In this bedroom, we carried out the customer’s request for a philosophical statement. The wall was first painted using Feelings Interior Paint, and an area was masked off with tape and painted with the Taika Pearl Glaze, applied with a roller in a criss-cross pattern. The aphorism carved out using a rubber spatula is a quote from the novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: “Where your heart is, your treasure is.” The Taika Pearl Paint dries quickly, so the writing or patterns have to be executed rapidly.

“Treasure lies where your heart belongs” Paulo Coelho