Visiting my designer friend at her home in Nairobi, I went from room to room trying to find out if she has changed anything since that last time I visited her over six months ago.

True to her ever changing décor, I found that she used one crazy idea to change the walls of her home, something that is usually used for the ceiling and not the walls.

"I was bored with the fine and smooth paint on my walls, because I needed to see something else so I decided to use textured paint to change the whole interior décor of my house,” she told me.

I found out that she decided to mix her paint with sand to bring out a textured feel on her walls which also creates some patterns making the walls have a unique design.
For some time textured paint was a great way to give a quick facelift to a ceiling in many saloons, bars and bistro’s.

Now many people have found that textured paint can also be used in homes not only for covering any flaws or damage in the walls, but also as a décor style. Using textured paint can eliminate the need for plastering if your walls are particularly rough and uneven.

But then this style is mostly used by people who dare to go out of ordinary to create their own unique sense of style.

There are different types of textured paint: sandstone, which is ready-mixed and gives your walls a gritty finish; smooth texture paint, which creates ridges and peaks in the paintwork; and Venetian plaster which is the most decadent of all the different finishes. It has an opaque, marbled look so I found out.

Another option is granite crystals, which you buy separately and mix into your paint. The finished product is a really magical effect with sparkling glints of light.
Texture in painting is a difficult element to define.

Texture does not just refer to the roughness or smoothness of a work of art, but also to the subtle gradations of surface difference, from the quality of the brushstrokes to the addition of foreign element into the work of art.

The most exciting aspect of texture is that, when used carefully, it adds to the meaning and depth of an artwork. On the other hand, if texture is used inharmoniously, then it can become a negative factor.

Textured paint is often applied with a textured roller, which gives a great effect. But different ways of achieving textured paint finishes require different methods of application.

Some paints are textured on application while others are basically just much thicker paint than regular emulsion, and these require specific tools such as brushes or towels to create the texture to the wall or ceiling.

It is not recommended to use a paint sprayer with textured paint as the sprayer could quickly become blocked. Using textured paint is a great way to make the walls of a home look great, at the same time change the whole décor theme without having to change many things at once. Try it in your home and get the desired walls that you have so much yearned for.

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