How to Paint Wall Stripes

Painted stripes can add a shot of interest or color to a room, but you’ll be plagued by jagged lines or bleeding colors if you skips the essentials to getting wall graphics right. Learn how to paint wall stripes in this video by Ace Hardware:

1. Smooth base coat: Fill in and sand out surface imperfections. Paint can pool around bumps or seep through cracks and dents. Tape off the ceilings and baseboard and paint two coats of the base color over the entire wall for even coverage.

2. Even spacing: Balance the spacing of the stripes for professional results. If you’re planning vertical stripes all the way around the room, start with the wall that is the focal point and find the center of that wall. Measure the width of the wall, divide that number by 2, and mark the centerpoint. Plot the stripes out from the centerpoint. For 8″ wide vertical stripes, measure four inches on the left and the right of the center line, then measure off your 8″ stripes from there. If you’re planning for stripes on just one wall, divide the width of your wall by the number of stripes you want on the wall. Mark the spacing of the stripes on the wall with a light pencil.

3. Straight lines: If your stripes are even slightly crooked, it will be amplified once they’re painted on. Use a level to draw a light line for each stripe, or use a laser level and draw your line. Double check at different heights of the wall to see that the widths are the same.

4. Sharp edges: Mask the edges for each stripe with painter’s tape. Apply tape on the outside of the line on both sides. Roll the tape on in long strips, not small pieces. The fewer seams, the less paint will bleed behind the tape. Seal the edge by running over it with a putty knife. No matter what tape you use, gaps or wrinkles can form when you apply it, and paint will bleed too. Here’s an extra step to get extra sharp lines. Paint your base color on the edge of the tape where the second color will be. If it bleeds under the tape, the base color will just blend in. When you apply the second color over it, the extra coat of base color will have already sealed the edge of the tape.

5. Two coats of color: When the base color is dry, paint your second color. Let the first coat dry and paint a second coat to obtain true color and coverage.

6. Tape tricks: The way you remove the tape is just as important to getting a sharp edge as theh way you apply it. You can remove the painter’s tape while the last coat is still slightly wet. Score the edge of the tape lightly with a utility knife to prevent tape from lifting or peeling the paint. Pull off the tape at a 45 degree angle to the wall. If paint starst to peel, score it again with a knife.

Here are some more painting tips:

• When layering colors, paint the lightest layers first.
• Let paint dry between coats before applying painter’s tape.
• Try to plot your lines so your stripes won’t bisect light switches or permanent fixtures. Before you paint the second color, mark off the stripes you won’t be painting with a Post-It note or a strip of painter’s tape so you won’t accidentlly paint the wrong stripe.
• Premium painter’s tapes are worth the extra money because they are superior at preventing bleed-through. but any painter’s tape is only as good as the way it’s applied, so take extra care to tape right.
• Follow the specific label instructions for the products you choose to get the best results.