WALL FINISHES AND WALL PATTERNS

By Lakshmi Menon

Finish given to the wall to enhance the exterior look of the structure.

Wall finishes used for the interiors are quite delicate and need maintenance.

The new contemporary trend has brought about great deal of increase in the usage various types of wall finishes for the aesthetic purpose.

Concrete, masonry wall may be left exposed or plastered.

Wood or metal stud walls can support a variety of finishes.

Cement Textured Finish:This is a decorative finish and its mortar is prepared in cement based material. It is applied faced plaster with a trowel and after that it is coloured with paint.

Cement plastered Finish: It is prepared in the form of mortar with

cement, sand and water in proper proportions and masonry manually to achieve a smooth finish or sand faced finish.

Wood wall panelsConsists of a series of thin

sheets of wood framed together by strips of wood.

The vertical strips are know as stiles and the horizontal one as rails.

Wood panels include solid lumber panelling, wood veneer panelling and plastic laminate faced wood panelling.

Solid wood offers durability and creates texture.

PlywoodPlywood is a wood

panel product made by bonding veneers together under heat and pressure, usually with the grain of adjacent plies at right angles to each other.

Plywood core may be particleboard, medium density fibreboard (MDF), veneer core or lumber core.

Plaster of Paris Finish : Plaster of Paris or simply

plaster is a type of building material based on calcium hemihydrates. This is a smooth finish achieved by plaster of Paris generally applied on internal

Gypsum Plaster : Finish This just like plaster of Paris finish but gypsum based material is used to prepare mortar. durable and finer as compared to Plaster of Paris Finish.

PLASTER FINISH

Designer Mirror Finish

Designer mirrors are obtained by small pieces on walls to create mural like design.

Laminate Finish

Laminate comes in various colours and designs. It comes in the form of sheet and is pasted fevicol on Plywood.

Marble Powder Finish

This is a very smooth finish. The finish looks like Marble flooring. This finish is obtained by marble powder, white cement and water. It is applied manually.

Flexible wall coveringsPlastered walls and gypsum board walls

can be finished with a variety of flexible wall covering.

Examples:⁻ Wallpapers⁻ Cloth/paper backed vinyl wall covering⁻ Fabrics⁻ Cork

Wallpapers

Wallpapers have a paper face and a paper back.

It is not commonly used in commercial design as it is subject to soiling, abrasion and fading.

Cloth/Paper backed vinyl wall covering

Designed for serviceability and durability.

It is flame resistant.

Easily cleaned and resistant to fading and abrasion.

Fabrics

Fabrics like wool, linen, cotton, burlap and grasscloth are used.

they require back coating as a barrier to prevent adhesive from bleeding through fabrics face and to improve dimensional stabilty.

Cork

Cork from renewable bark of the cork oak tree is used.

It is durable and resilient.

Accepts either wax or polyurethane finishes

Posses excellent acoustical and thermal rating.

Decorative Paint Finishes

Transparent Paint layer

Can be applied in multiple layers to create a complex coloured surfaces.

A coloured glaze can be applied in a broken pattern with a rag or sponge, dragged with a tool, or painted as colour wash.

Trompe lóeil

It is French for “fool the eye”.

This technique uses perspective and shadow to create the illusion of three dimensional architectural objects.

Stenciling

Can be used to apply border or larger repeating patterns

Distressing Techniques

These are used to give a painted surface the appearance of wear and tear.

Mosaic Tiles Mosaic tiles are one of the most

attractive wall coverings. The very small size of the tiles can

create great compositions by pieces with different hues.

Can also be used as wall decorative element and be combined with ceramic tiles of more big size.

The size of the one glass tile is 10×10 mm and before application these tiles are mounted on berglass sheet of 327 x 327 mm.

Mosaic tiles are more difficult to fix than usual ceramic wall tiles but these glass tiles can create an amazing energizing effect and give unlimited creative freedom.

Glass Mosaic Finish

Glass mosaic tiles are small 1”x1” on a cloth to get a workable size 12”x12” and this tile with an adhesive on wall surfaces. It can also be pasted on curved surfaces.

MuralsA mural is any piece of artwork painted or

applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface.

A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.

Traditional Murals

Many people like to express their individuality by commissioning an artist to paint a mural in their home, this is not an activity exclusively for owners of large houses.

Private commissions can be for dining rooms, bathrooms, living rooms or, as is often the case- children's bedrooms. A child's room can be transformed into the 'fantasy world' of a forest or racing track, encouraging imaginative play and an awareness of art.

Public commissions of murals in schools, hospitals and retirement homes can achieve a pleasing and welcoming atmosphere in these caring institutions.

Graffiti style muralsAs graffiti/street art

became more main stream in the late 1990s, youth oriented brands such as Nike, Red Bull and Wieden Kennedy have turned to graffiti/street artists to decorate walls of their respective offices.

This trend continued through 2000's with graffiti/street art gaining more recognition from art institutions worldwide.

Tile MuralsTile murals tile paintings, which cover complete walls and

give a wall painting-like impression. Tile murals are typically found in countries around the

Mediterranean Sea such as Morocco, Tunisia and Arabic countries, in Portugal and Spain mostly in an often monochrom colored form, the Azulejo.

Custom printed tile murals can be produced using digital images for kitchen backsplashes, wall displays, and flooring.

Digital photos and artwork can be resized and printed to accommodate the desired size for the area to be decorated.

Custom tile printing uses a variety of techniques including dye sublimation and ceramic-type laser toners.

The latter technique can yield fade-resistant custom tiles which are suitable for long term exterior exposure.

.No. 9. Lakshmi Menon.S6 Architecture.