How to Paint Ombre Walls

1. Determine the Color Flow

   Decide which way to direct the flow of color. Transitioning from dark at the bottom to light at the top makes the ceiling seem higher and the space appear larger. Transitioning from light at the bottom to dark at the top can make a large room feel cozier.

   Tip

   Using oil-based paints may be advisable, as they dry slower than latex paints. Creating the ombre effect will require blending two sections of the painted wall, and you'll need the paint to remain wet to do it well.

2. Prime the Wall

   Cover the wall with an even coat of white primer, using a standard roller and paintbrush. Beginner painters should consider using painter's tape. Tape off the baseboard and other trim before priming. Let the primer dry completely. While the primer dries, wash the roller, paintbrush, and tray and let them dry, so they're ready for the painting steps.

   Tip

   You can forego the painter's tape if you've painted before and have a steady hand. You could also consider using special brushes, such as an angle brush or an artist's brush. A small artist brush or angle brush can cut into the edge with some painter's precision.

3. Section the Wall

   Divide the wall into three equal horizontal sections using a measuring tape, a pencil, and a yardstick. Measure vertically and make light pencil marks for each section. Use the yardstick and pencil to draw light horizontal lines through the marks.

4. Paint the Top and Bottom Edges

   Similar to the priming step, you can use painter's tape to protect the baseboards and ceiling or cut in around the base of your wall, using a small paintbrush and the dark shade of paint. Then, use the light color to cut in along the ceiling. Let the paint dry.

   What Is Cutting In?

   Cutting in is a painter's term for freehand painting the edges without using paint edgers or painter's tape. You can use a regular paintbrush, angle brush, or artist's brush for carefully painting up to the edge. It can save time since you don't have to wait for the paint to dry before removing the tape, and you save money since painter's tape can get expensive if you're painting a large space.

5. Mix the Paint

   Set out three paint trays. Fill one tray with the dark color and fill another tray with the light color. Using a measuring cup and a bucket or recycled container (a large yogurt or cottage cheese container works great), mix a third color by combining the two shades in equal parts, then stir thoroughly with a paint stir stick. Pour the mixed paint into the third paint tray.

6. Roll Each Section

   Roll the bottom section of the wall with the darkest shade, using a paint roller. Keep the edge of the paint about 1 inch below the lower horizontal pencil line. Without waiting for the paint to dry, immediately roll the middle section with the blended paint, then roll the top section with the lightest paint. Use a different roller for each color. Keep each band of paint 1 inch from the marked lines, creating a 2-inch-wide strip of bare (primed) wall between the sections.

7. Blend the Sections

   Use a large, dry paintbrush to blend the two colors between the bottom and middle sections, making crossing X strokes centered over the strip between the sections. Work quickly so that the paint does not dry. Immediately do the same to blend the middle and top sections, using a different dry brush. Blend as much or as little as you like, but do it quickly, so the paint does not dry before it is blended. After blending, let the paint dry completely.

Painting More Than 3 Sections

If you’re blending a single color with white or two completely different colors (like blue and green), you will need more than three color sections. Choose an odd number, like five, seven, or nine. The more sections you create, the more gradual the color change will be. Start by combining equal parts of your two original paint colors to create a custom half-and-half blend. If you have seven sections, mix six cups of light paint and six cups of dark.

Paint the center section of the wall with the half-and-half blend. Add one cup of dark paint to the blended color, mix well, then roll the area below the center section. Add one more cup of dark to the remaining tint and roll the next section down. Repeat for the bottom section, then blend the adjacent areas with dry brushes, using "X" crosshatched strokes.

Mix another batch of the half-and-half blend, and repeat the same process, starting at the middle section and moving up. For each section, add one cup of light color to the paint mix, so the color gets softer as you go up.

Rolling vs. Spray Paint

If you look online, you may see that some people opt for using spray paint for creating the ombre effect, but that painting method is primarily used for objects like lamps and picture frames, not walls. Ombre applied to a very large area is best developed when you can smudge with wet paint between two colors, using rolled or brushed paint. With spray paint cans, you can vary your spray concentration in the border between the two areas by moving the spray closer or farther from the object. A paint sprayer works the same way, but you will waste more paint when it atomizes the paint, and the spray gets everywhere, requiring the masking and covering of everything, including furniture in the room, trim, flooring, and ceiling.