Ask the Builder: Jazz up Your Interior Walls

With paint, wallpaper, or even tiles, the possibilities of jazzing up your walls are endless.

This is a custom hand-painted tile backsplash. The owner had a local artist paint the white tile with durable oil-based paint. Tim Carter/Tribune Content Agency/TNS

Not long ago I was skim coating hundreds of square feet of new drywall in my son’s basement. I added water to the thick drywall joint compound so it was the consistency of latex paint. Investing in this extra step makes the new drywall satin smooth because the paper face of the drywall ends up with the same texture and porosity of the taped joists and filled screw heads.

I thought about how the walls in his basement could come alive in any number of ways. Many people hang paintings or posters to break up the monotony of a painted wall. That works, but framed artwork can put a serious ding in your budget.