Old-World Walls

If you like the look of the Old-World, time-worn walls you see in English cottages and Italian villas, you'll love this trick.
It's easy and fun. And I just love the unplanned textures that result from this method.
Just purchase a bucket of spackling plaster, the kind you use to repair drywall. Take a trowel and spread the spackle over your walls in various directions. Don't be neat. You can leave streaks, air pockets and lumps to add character. You don't need to cover every bit of surface, either, just enough to give it a rough texture.
Next, choose a favorite paint color and either water it down or mix it with a glaze to dilute it. I've used both water and glaze, and, as far as I'm concerned, you can save your money on the glaze.
Then simply wipe the paint over the wall with an old rag. The paint will adhere to the plaster and give the wall varying colors and textures.
It takes just two days to complete a small room -- one day to spackle and the next day to wash with color. It's actually less tedious than painting with a brush where perfection is the preference. With this method, drips and "vacations" are perfectly acceptable. In fact, they add to that Old-World appearance.