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You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Paint Your Walls » How to Paint Perfect Stripes on Textured Walls

How to Paint Perfect Stripes on Textured Walls

by Lindsay Ballard on June 9, 2011 114 Comments

Painting textured walls can be a challenge.  Every time we paint, we think that we have the walls perfectly covered, until a few days later when we find tiny little dots that we missed due to the “knock down” texture.  It’s become such a routine with our painting that touching up a few days later is one of our expected steps.

So, you can imagine how nervous my husband was when I told him that we were going to paint huge zig zag stripes on two of our master bedroom walls.  Textured walls can be a bear to paint when you need lines with perfectly crisp edges, and Mr. Perfectionist wanted it to be 100% perfect.  Perfect, perfect, perfect.  Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.

Luckily for him, he has perfected (heh) his crisp line painting technique over years of my crazy decorating schemes.  He agreed to let me photograph the process so that I could help you create the most perfect lines ever.

1.  Paint your entire wall the base color.  If you don’t know which color should be your base, always go with the lightest.  In our room, our stripes are dark gray and white, so we painted the walls white as the base color.

2.  Tape off your stripes with the blue Scotch 3M Delicate Surfaces with EdgeLock painters tape.  No, the company did not ask me to say that, nor did they give me anything for saying that, but it is our tried and true tape.  You can pick it up anywhere that sells interior paint.  We generally just buy the 1″ width.  We’ve used the more expensive green tape before, but I’m going to tell you right now that we do not think it is worth the extra expense when you use this method (and it certainly doesn’t work on textured walls without using this method).

3.  With your finger, press down on the inner edges of the tape on the stripe that will be your secondary color (gray) to make sure that it adheres to the lower portions of the texture.  When I say inner edges, I mean the edges that will come in direct contact with the alternate paint color.  In my example, you’d press down on the areas highlighted in red.


how to paint perfect stripes on textured walls

Don’t just use a straight edge, credit card, brayer, or the like to try to do this.  It needs to be your finger so that you can reach down in the lower texture.

4.  Using a foam brush, dab your base color into the area of your tape you just pressed down.  What you are doing is letting a little bit of paint seep under the tape.  Once it dries, it seals the line, so that your secondary color won’t run underneath and ruin your line.

how to paint perfect stripes on textured walls

5.  After you dab the paint, run the brush back over your dabs to smooth the paint.  You don’t want it to dry all lumpy.

how to paint perfect stripes on textured walls

6.  Paint the edges of each stripe in the way described above and allow the paint to dry completely.

7.  Using your secondary color, paint your stripes inside the tape lines and carefully remove the tape before the paint dries.

how to paint perfect stripes on textured walls

Clear as mud?  It is a much simpler process than it seems.

For our chevron stripes with the silver accent line, we painted the walls as if there were only going to be white and gray chevrons, as detailed above.  Then, we retaped underneath each gray stripe and followed the above technique to add the silver line.  In that case, we dabbed the gray paint on the top tape line and white tape on the bottom tape line.

The process will the the same for any type of stripe you attempt – vertical, horizontal or zig zag.  In fact, this is a great way to tackle any wall where you need a perfectly, crisp line.

Do you have any painting stripes tips to add?  Let us know in the comments!

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

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Comments

  1. Ruth says

    June 9, 2011 at 7:10 am

    All I can say is wow!! It looks amazing but it’s a lot of work. Not sure I have patience for that.

    Ruth

    Reply
    • Kayla Dehnert says

      November 11, 2017 at 12:42 pm

      I used these steps this past week on my laundry room walls and they turned out BEAUTIFULLY! Worth every minute it took to do it! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING!!!!

      Reply
  2. Kim @ Everything Etsy says

    June 9, 2011 at 7:18 am

    You’re amazing! I love stripes, but I’ve always had a fear of just going for it! 🙂 You are going to get so many compliments on it from guests…it’s fabulous!

    ~Kim

    Reply
  3. Janell Beals says

    June 9, 2011 at 8:02 am

    This is just beyond amazing, I’ve never seen such crisp lines before!! Looks perfect! Janell

    Reply
  4. Elizabeth says

    June 9, 2011 at 8:11 am

    What a great tutorial! Thank you for your willingness to post such great step-by-step instructions. I know it seemed like a lot of work, but boy did it pay off! I can’t wait to see the whole reveal!

    Reply
  5. Michelle says

    June 9, 2011 at 8:21 am

    Wow, great technique.

    When I had a friend come paint our house he showed me the trick he used to get perfect lines. Use the same tape as you mentioned, on the edge that is getting fresh paint, squirt a very fine bead of paintable caulk where the tape meets the wall. Run you finger over the caulk/wall. Don’t use much caulk, just enough to cover the tape/wall seam. Paint like usual, then when you peel the tape, the caulk will have sealed the tape. We had very heavy texture on our walls and this worked wonders for the wall/ceiling corners.

    Reply
  6. Rez says

    June 9, 2011 at 10:33 am

    I’ve used white spray paint to seal the edge of the tape on a white wall. Also used artists gel medium (which is clear).

    Reply
  7. Erin at YAYDIY says

    June 9, 2011 at 10:40 am

    I SOOOOOOOOOOO wish I had read this before I paited my striped bathroom walls. The tip about blotting the same color paint on first is genious. My paint totally bled through! Just a bit, but I know its there! 🙁

    Reply
  8. Megan@reFind says

    June 9, 2011 at 11:18 am

    Love the Chevron – with the thin third color – genius!

    Reply
  9. Pamela says

    June 9, 2011 at 11:36 am

    Love these tips!!! I have knockdown texture walls and I’m about to stencil on them… really nervous about it and think I can steal some tricks from you…

    I recently started a new type of link up party and would LOVE for you to share this and spread the word! http://pbjstories.blogspot.com/2011/06/secrets-of-diyer-2.html

    Pamela @ pbjstories.blogspot.com

    Reply
  10. Regina - Fauxology says

    June 9, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    I do this for a living and it is the best advice you could give anyone. It seems like a lot of work but it is SO much better than cleaning up all the run-ons, trust. I love the addition of the third color, it adds a great bit of interest and pop. Just found your blog & will subscribe! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 10, 2011 at 4:55 pm

      Thanks, Regina! That means a lot coming from a pro!

      Reply
  11. melonbelly says

    June 9, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    GENIUS!

    Reply
  12. Lindsay says

    June 9, 2011 at 4:05 pm

    I’m so glad I found your post since I’m planning a painting project soon. If I want to paint a single wide horizontal stripe around the whole room, do I still need to paint the base color on the entire wall or can I get away with painting it only over the area where it will show? Thanks for your advice!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 10, 2011 at 4:57 pm

      Hi Lindsay! 🙂 No, if you are just doing a single wide stripe, you don’t need to do the whole wall the base color. I’d paint it down an inch or so past where your paint colors will meet (i.e. where your tape line would be).

      Reply
  13. Katie @ Newcomb Home says

    June 9, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    I use this method too and swear by it. I find the taping off is the hard part! Going over the edge with the base color isn’t so bad 🙂

    Your stripes look georgeous! I love the silver line!

    Reply
  14. Susan @ Lighten My Life says

    June 9, 2011 at 7:48 pm

    Great tips! I’m about to do a two tone paint in my daughter’s room and wasn’t sure how I was going to get a straight line – using the base color to seal the tape….brilliant!!

    Reply
  15. Kelly@TearingUpHouses says

    June 9, 2011 at 10:18 pm

    these are really good tips, lindsay!

    kelly

    Reply
  16. Stacey says

    June 9, 2011 at 10:40 pm

    This is a great idea! My house is over 80 yrs old and with all the layers of paint it is impossible (or so I thought) to paint around trim without bleeding. I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
  17. Joy B says

    June 9, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    Great step by step tut! Once you see your trick to getting a perfect edge, it’s like—DUH, why didn’t I think of that! Thanks so much!
    XoXoXo
    Joy

    Reply
  18. Gala Van Eaton says

    June 10, 2011 at 7:58 am

    Thank you for sharing this stripe-painting method. I’ve painted lots of rooms with lots of stripes or big blocks and had just begun to accept “fuzzy” lines. Can’t wait to try this.

    Reply
  19. Krista @ Blue Eyed Yonder says

    June 10, 2011 at 8:47 am

    I may be the only person with this problem, but when I have used painter’s tape before, as I pull off the tape it ends up pulling off some of the newly painted surface as well. For that reason I always try to pull the tape off before the paint has dried. What am I doing wrong?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 10, 2011 at 5:02 pm

      Hey Krista! Yes, you definitely want to pull the tape before the paint dries. If you are doing something like stripes, you’ll want to wait until the base coat has dried before you tape over it – and then you are going to want to use the “delicate” labeled tape. It is made specifically for freshly painted surfaces, and doesn’t stick as strongly as the regular painters tape. Also, if you are painting a single color and just using the regular tape, you’ll want to make sure that the paint isn’t super thick up against the paint line – that could cause the peeling problem, too.

      I hope that helps, and let me know if I didn’t answer your question!

      Reply
  20. Ashley says

    June 10, 2011 at 10:23 am

    Great tutorial – thank you!!

    Reply
  21. Elizabeth says

    June 10, 2011 at 10:56 am

    OMG, your walls are amazing. No wonder it took so long for them to be finished. They are perfect.

    Krista, I had the same thing happen the first time I painted my bathroom and not only did the tape take the paint but also some of the top layer of sheetrock as well!

    Reply
  22. Emily @ Newlywife says

    June 10, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    That’s a great idea! The funny thing is that we’ve had the opposite experience with the blue/green tape. In my experience, the blue not only didn’t get a straight line, but it was so thin that tiny pieces would stay stuck with the paint and I’d have to get tweezers to rip the pieces out. My husband read something about the green tape being designed for use with water-based paint. Not sure about the blue tape. One method for getting a smooth line between a ceiling and a wall that we learned from a pro painter is to put a link layer of caulk in the corner and then flatten. You won’t notice the caulk if it’s the same color as the ceiling, and it provides a flat surface for your tape and paint.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      June 10, 2011 at 5:09 pm

      Oh, man! We always use the blue tape for delicate surfaces, so perhaps that’s why. It sticks well enough to paint, but not so well that it’s stuck forever. That stinks that you had to use tweezers.

      We do the caulk thing, too! I had forgotten that I took pics of my husband caulking the ceiling, so I should do a post on those. It really finishes off the paint job nicely!

      Reply
      • Julie says

        June 10, 2011 at 10:31 pm

        Could you please explain the caulking on the ceiling…about to tackle repainting the kids bedrooms and I hate painting! lol

        Could also use some tips for painting along trim, etc. because we never have any luck with the painters tape…bleeds through to the trim.

        Thanks for your help….appreciate it!
        Julie

        Reply
  23. the inadvertent farmer says

    June 16, 2011 at 9:22 am

    Brilliant! Seriously I am about to strip my dining room and will certainly give this a try…thanks so much for sharing. Oh and do we get to see your room all done??? Kim

    Reply
  24. Claygirlsings says

    June 16, 2011 at 9:33 am

    So simple and so genius! Thank you for sharing! I’m here from Tip Junkie today.

    Reply
  25. L.Lane Designs says

    June 16, 2011 at 9:43 am

    Wow those look AMAZING! I am about to repaint one of my boys rooms and I wanted to do stripes but I am a perfectionist too! Definately going to use this method!

    Reply
  26. Angie says

    June 16, 2011 at 9:32 pm

    Love it!!!!

    Reply
  27. DDekor says

    July 4, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    Great tutorial!!! i love it, thank you

    Reply
  28. Morgan Cullen says

    September 6, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    Lindsay, We’re mentioning this post tomorrow on our blog because it was so helpful this past weekend! We’re also in Austin and have a mutual friend (Ellie Vixie) who sent us over to your site after we posted about loving grey stripes (http://www.casacullen.com/2011/08/casa-cravings-interior-inspiration-grey-striped-walls.html) … Thanks for having this awesome info in such a great tutorial! It really helped us create crisp, perfect angles! Cheers, Morgan @ CasaCullen

    Reply
  29. Nicole says

    November 8, 2011 at 6:39 pm

    I have been wanting to paint stripes in my entry way for quite some time and after doing them in my kitchen, which was a nightmare, was scared to do it again. I found this info, summoned my courage and tried again. The results are astounding and not nearly as time consuming as straightening lines with a small brush….Thanks!!!!
    PS i did it when my husband was out of town, i think he’ll be impressed.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      November 9, 2011 at 4:37 pm

      Woot!!! Way to go!

      Reply
  30. Sheri says

    November 15, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    Lindsay,
    I am painting my living room wall a soft white with a tan horizontal stripe about a third of the way down and about 36″ wide. My question is that I have gloss white crown molding and still want for it to be lighlighted. I have cathederal ceilings and wondered if you have any suggestions for painting an additional stripe under the molding. Will it just look crazy?

    Reply
  31. Dana says

    December 21, 2011 at 5:45 pm

    I just googled “how to paint stripes on textured walls” and your tutorial came up. I’m looking to tackle my master bedroom this weekend while on my Christmas vacation and I really wanted to make it sophisticated and romantic, thanks so much for the step by step, I am really excited to get my room done now!

    Reply
  32. sherwin williams coupons says

    December 22, 2011 at 11:05 am

    Wonderful! Great painting 🙂

    Reply
  33. Jeanette says

    December 24, 2011 at 8:14 am

    You think about home decor as much as I do. I LOVE the walls and finally Thank you so much for the step by step instructions. I think I’m going to try it now! Your chevron walls are bold and I love love love it!

    Reply
  34. DC123 says

    January 9, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    Thank you, thank you, thank you! I followed your directions to the last sentance, and it worked! I have perfect stripes in my new nursery.

    Reply
  35. Fireman says

    January 20, 2012 at 7:48 pm

    I am getting ready to paint stripes in a room. Glad I found your site. Seeking a bit more advice though. I read where you said to peel the tape before the paint dries. The paint I am using as the top color is a thin paint and will need 3 or more coats. Would it be necessary to peel and re-tape the lines every time in order to get the most crisp lines? Or do you think it might be ok to just leave it in place while I paint the subsequent coats?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 20, 2012 at 7:55 pm

      Hi! We actually have painted this metallic stripes that required like 5-6 coats. Yikes! So, we just left the tape up for all the coats and then waiting until it was completely dry before removing the tape. It worked like a charm!

      Good luck!

      Reply
  36. Christina says

    January 24, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    Lindsay, this is so beautiful! Looks absolutely perfect. I am inspired and your tutorial is making me think I just might be able to do this! How wide are your chevron stripes? I love exactly how you did it and would love to emulate you!

    Reply
  37. Sherwood says

    January 27, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    Lindsay — I’ve read to pull the tape and redo each time. I’ve found that if you cheat and repaint as soon as possible, then remove the tape at a right angle flat to the surface (The lifting edge of the tape forms a 45 degree angle with the edge of the tape.) Anyway, the tape edge is moving sideways, not UP from the newly painted edge.

    Repainting as soon as the previous paint gets to the, just tacky stage (if you touch it, you don’t get paint on your finger, but a fly that lands on it stays…) the solvents in the new paint will keep the first layer from getting too strong and attached to the tape.

    I just did 4 doors that needed 4 coats this way. Latex paint. One coat on each door, coffee, start the next round.

    Reply
  38. Mary says

    January 29, 2012 at 3:57 pm

    I had problems with that exact tape sticking to the walls! My walls are textured just like yours in the picture and I couldn’t even get the tape to stay on for 1/2 hour prior to painting. The tape was pressed on really hard, but by the time I got to the last of the taping off, the first part was hanging off the wall. HELP!!!

    Thanks!!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 1, 2012 at 7:06 pm

      I’ve run into that problem, too. It makes you want to just give up, doesn’t it?

      I think it has to do with the humidity (or maybe lack there of) in the room. We actually ended up having to turn the air conditioning off in the room, and then it worked fine.

      Reply
  39. Kacey says

    January 29, 2012 at 8:24 pm

    I tried painting stripes on textured walls once, and it was a disaster. I’m planning to give it another shot thanks to your tutorial.

    By the way, I tried pinning your post to Pinterest but I get a Javascript alert that says it can’t see any big images on the page. Not sure if that’s intentional or not.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 1, 2012 at 7:22 pm

      Hi Kacey- Thanks for letting me know! Not sure what that’s all about, but I’ll check into it.

      Reply
  40. Teresa says

    February 10, 2012 at 5:52 pm

    Thanks for sharing this! I painted two stripes (one wide blue and one thin red) on my son’s gray walls for a sports-theme look. It looks great! My only problem was this: The first day, I taped and painted one wall — no problem. The second day I taped the other three walls and then waited a day to paint. The tape loosened overnight and my lines weren’t as clean as the lines that I painted right after taping.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      February 11, 2012 at 8:26 am

      Yes, that’s a good point. It will loosen (or completely fall down!) over time. I have walked into a room the next day and half the tape has fallen down. Makes me want to cry.

      Reply
  41. Vee says

    February 17, 2012 at 1:30 am

    This works like magic!! Thank you so much for this very easy to follow “how to”. I painted 18inch stripes on a 30 foot wall today. They look fantastic!

    Thanks again,
    V-

    Reply
  42. Tim says

    February 23, 2012 at 9:30 am

    Amazing tips, my wife tasked me with painting our babies room with black and white stripes. If it wasn’t for your advice it would never have happened. The lines are so clean I feel like a pro. Thanks again. One tip I can add is, if your laying crown molding or a chairail over your stripes, make sure you tape off the wall before you caulk, nothing is worse then caulk smudges over your perfect stripes.

    Reply
  43. Jeaneane says

    February 28, 2012 at 10:33 pm

    Thanks for this great tutorial. My new 6-color striped accent wall really looks fantastic!

    Reply
  44. Isabel says

    March 6, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    wow, amazing! I am going to use this technique to update my bedroom wall before my mum visits me. what’s the measurements of your zig zag? width and heighth?
    Thanks!

    Reply
  45. Dez Donnell says

    April 2, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    Man I wish I would’ve seen this before this weekend – we have a big mess on our hands with lumpy lines where the secondary color seeped under our expensive green Frog tape – we did press really good with our finger…but didn’t get your tip with the paint over….I’m gonna do it all over tonight and see if I can fix this mess…thanks for your tutorial!!!!

    Reply
  46. Jessica Fosdick says

    May 4, 2012 at 3:00 pm

    Thank you for this post…I’m trying to must up some courage to paint stipes in my home. Pretty sure you just made it official. I’m doing it. Thank you again!

    Reply
  47. Erin says

    May 12, 2012 at 12:18 am

    I found your site a couple of days ago and this gave me the courage to paint the purple, blue, and green stripes my four year old daughter wants on her bedroom wall of our new house. I have painted on orange peel textured walls and the paint ALWAYS bled under the tape. My lines had just a couple of places where the new color bled, but nothing like my previous experiences. I just need to touch up a couple of places and I’m good! Thanks again!!

    Reply
  48. Carie says

    May 19, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    What are the demensions you used?

    Reply
  49. Lisa~ says

    May 27, 2012 at 3:13 am

    Hello! I was Googling how to paint chevron stripes and found this! Hooray! I am going to use your method for painting some stripes on my porch this weekend and you will see it when you come. I can’t wait to meet you and give you a big ol’hug! Lisa~

    Reply
  50. Dianna says

    July 8, 2012 at 12:38 pm

    Love the method for painting stripes with crisp edges! Wish I would have known this one for my son’s nursery. It was such a headache!

    Reply
  51. Stephen says

    July 30, 2012 at 2:53 am

    I just got done painting our babies room and did a blue, cream white, and custard stripe pattern. Your technique is awesome! Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply
  52. Kristine says

    August 4, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    Thank you for the step-by-step instructions on how to paint on textured walls. We are first time painters and our colored squares came out PERFECTLY in our sons playroom! It was very time consuming but so rewarding in the end. Thank you so much for your guidance! Here’s a link to the final result in the playroom: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4485225053738&set=a.4485224293719.2182744.1383504119&type=1&theater

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 6, 2012 at 9:22 am

      YAY! I’m so glad! I can’t see the link, but I bet it’s beautiful.

      Reply
  53. Joanne says

    August 16, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    Thank you soooo much! I’m a faux paint maniac but just bought a new house with textured walls and did not know where/how to begin! Such a great idea!! Can’t wait to get started! You’re a lifesaver!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 17, 2012 at 9:05 pm

      Yay! I hope you are able to do wonderful things on your new walls.

      Reply
  54. Ang says

    August 19, 2012 at 2:51 am

    Hello!!!! First off..I absolutely love this blog!!! I was looking for good tips on painting stripes on textured walls and there you were, lol. But I am having a big problem. 🙁 I painted the base color a few days ago, then I measured and taped (doing as you suggested and pressing the tape in the texture w/ my fingers) the entire room and then followed the steps in regards to painting the edges of the tape w/ the base color; but now the tape is all wet and wrinklie (sp). And now I’m afraid to put my 2nd color of paint on; worrying that the 2nd coat will seep through AND my lines will not be straight.
    Any tips, advice, comments, suggestions are all welcome.
    Thanks so much,
    Ang

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 20, 2012 at 6:27 pm

      Hi, Ang!

      Probably what has happened is that the tape is actually sealed underneath by the paint. You may have used too much paint, which is why they are wet and wavy, but it will hopefully be okay. Paint just a little bit of stripe on one of the lines and peel the tape, just to see if it is okay. Without seeing it, I have a feeling you’ll be fine.

      Reply
      • Ang says

        August 22, 2012 at 1:32 pm

        yeah, i probably used too much paint, lol. i was trying to get into all the crevices of the orange peel wall. i will just have to bight the bullet and peel the tape, lol. thank you so much for your help. i’ll let you know how it turns out.

        Reply
        • Lindsay says

          August 23, 2012 at 7:55 am

          Please do. I have my fingers crossed for you, Ang! Textured walls are such a pain.

          Reply
  55. Brittany says

    August 27, 2012 at 12:48 am

    I love your walls!! You did such a great job, with your husband of course! 🙂 but I was wondering what measurements you used to make your zags? I’ve seen a lot of different angles but some seem too steep for me, if you get what I mean? Your seem like the perfect zags!

    Thanks,
    Brittany

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 27, 2012 at 3:07 pm

      Hi Brittany! I honestly don’t know what kind of angles we used. We measured the wall across and then divided it so that we would have a complete V on both sides. I didn’t want it to end without the pattern being finished. I think that’s probably the best way to go about it. What worked for me probably won’t work for you, unless your walls are exactly the same dimensions. Does that make sense?

      Reply
  56. Marie D says

    August 30, 2012 at 8:05 am

    I am thrilled to have come across your website! We moved into our new house a year ago. I’m in love with the house but I am itching to jazz up our builder grade beige too. I’m am going to paint stripes on the walls of the second story using your technique for textured walls. But first, I’ll bookmark your site….

    Reply
  57. Rachel Laughlin says

    September 8, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    I love your chevron walls and I just painted my own on my master bedroom wall. I am also wanting to do the silver stripe. However, I started at the ceiling and measured down 1 inch. And at my point of my chevron, I measured down 1 inch. Then, I connected the 2 dots with painters tape. However, I guess my stripes are at a wrong angle or something because at spots between the 2 points, what will be the silver line is only 1/2 inch. I hope all of that makes sense.

    So, how did you do the silver lines? I’m not quite sure what I’m doing wrong or how to fix it.

    Reply
  58. Lindsay says

    September 11, 2012 at 2:21 pm

    You know what we did? I think (if I remember correctly) took a ruler or something that was an inch wide and laid it underneath the bottom of a chevron. Then, we taped under that. Try that and see if it works. I’m sure there’s some math trick to it, but I don’t know what it is.

    Reply
  59. Andrea says

    October 6, 2012 at 7:59 pm

    Please share the dimensions of your zig-zag!! Thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      October 8, 2012 at 7:59 am

      Hey Andrea! If I were you, I’d measure the wall and divide it by the number of repetitions you want. You’ll be able to figure out how far to space them from point to point. That way, you won’t run into a wall and have a non-completed V. I think mine are about 6 inches wide.

      Reply
  60. David says

    November 20, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    I used this technique and it worked beautifully! Can’t stress enough dabbing the base coat on the tape. Thank you sooo much for sharing this information.

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      November 21, 2012 at 10:48 pm

      I’m so glad it worked for you, David! Yes, the dabbing is totally key.

      Reply
  61. Laci says

    December 5, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    Can you share how to measure/lay out the chevron stripes before you tape? What measurements did you use?

    Reply
  62. Carla Tillman says

    December 17, 2012 at 1:28 am

    Thanks so much for this tutorial. I just tried stripes for the first time in the bathroom and it worked like a charm.

    Reply
  63. marti says

    February 5, 2013 at 7:22 pm

    I will be using this technique on CINDER BLOCK walls. Lots of pock marks. I’m using acrylic paint. Would you suggest using something else other than paint to seal the rough texture before painting the secondary color?

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      February 6, 2013 at 3:14 pm

      Hi Marti,

      Is the cinder block raw or has it been previously painted? I’ve heard of people using a thin layer of clear caulk over the tape line. That might be a good solution for you.

      Lindsay

      Reply
  64. Miriam Schulman ( SchulmanArt) says

    May 22, 2013 at 8:44 am

    I share this tutorial on my blog about DIY chevron decorating ideas!!! thanks for the help!! http://schulmanart.blogspot.com/2013/05/decorating-idea-painting-diy-chevron.html

    Reply
  65. Deborah says

    July 26, 2013 at 10:21 pm

    This was a lot of work upfront but worked perfectly. Thank you.

    Reply
  66. lesley says

    December 13, 2013 at 11:59 pm

    I just reviewed the Frog Tape for textured surfaces and all though I have flat walls I tested it on an extremely bumpy “canvas” I made. It worked amazingly well. So glad to know there are products and techniques out there now for these types of surfaces. Lesley

    Reply
  67. Me, Myself & DIY says

    February 27, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    I’m definitely linking back to this on my post today. So much better than me re-writing the whole thing! Thanks for the great tutorial.

    Reply
  68. Jordan Bussanmas says

    August 29, 2014 at 7:22 pm

    Hi there!

    I found this post admist my own painting project on a textured wall. My question is if I tape the walls and dab the paint, can it be left overnight? Will the tape fall off? Also my project starts with painting lines, covering these lines with tape and (then dabbing thanks to you!) and then painting over with our base color. I think we ill have to do a few coats of the base color to cover the orange lines. You say to take off the tape before the paint dries, but what if we need multiple coats! Hope that all makes sense! Sorry for the novel, thanks so much for this tutorial.

    Reply
  69. Maria says

    December 29, 2014 at 4:43 am

    This is an awesome tutorial! Thank you for sharing your expertise. I am going to tackle navy diagonal stripes on an accent wall in my daughter’s new bedroom and was actually contemplating wallpaper because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get perfect lines with paint. You made me realize that it really is possible!

    I need to paint a hot pink wall with large white dots in another room. I will paint the wall white first, of course. Any ideas on how to get perfect dots with crisp edges on textured walls? Can you think of a self-adhesive material to cut the dots out of? I thought about contact paper, but am worried that it will be too thick to press into the textured wall. I’d LOVE any ideas or advice you can share!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      December 29, 2014 at 8:43 am

      Hi Maria! I think I would probably use a stencil for large dots. You could use something like this if the dots are the size you want and sort of space them out wherever you want (if you don’t want the all over design): http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/products/polka-party-stencil Or, you could get a blank stencil at a craft store and make one yourself.

      Here are some tips and a video I put together for stenciling on a textured wall – mine turned out great! http://makelyhome.com/how-to-stencil-on-a-textured-wall/ You just have to go slow and steady and not use too much paint at a time. You can also use a stipple brush instead of a roller.

      I hope that helps!

      Reply
  70. Elaine says

    February 12, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    This worked perfectly! We have concrete walls that are not even close to being smooth. I took the time to do your suggestions, and the lines came out perfect. Thank you for such great instructions.

    Reply
  71. Sarahjk says

    April 27, 2015 at 9:35 pm

    Hey Lindsay thank you for your tutorial I will definitely be trying it once my room is done. I was just wondering how you feel about the strips or zig zags going vertically instead or horizontally. I have looked at a number of tutorials and none seem to do it that way and i was just wondering if there is a reason for it. I am new at this and any help will be appreciated. Thank you

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      April 28, 2015 at 7:08 am

      Hi Sarah-

      I think they look great either way! The techniques would work the same way, so do what YOU want to do!

      Lindsay

      Reply
  72. Debbie Borato says

    August 11, 2016 at 5:58 pm

    Hi Lindsay, I emailed you because I couldnt find the end to the comments. But here it is.
    I just finished my base paint. However, looking at the edges I see tiny little gaps in the tape. Will that be okay or do I need to repaint these spots with base paint?

    Reply
  73. Boya Badana says

    July 8, 2017 at 2:10 pm

    Paints are very good. My wife love it.

    Reply
  74. boyacı ustası says

    September 19, 2018 at 3:30 pm

    herşey zamanla öğrenir insan yeterki azim ve cesaretin olsun

    Reply
  75. dekorasyonum says

    December 8, 2020 at 6:03 am

    A Different Look Beige Living Room Decoration

    Reply
  76. https://www.dekorasyonum.net/ says

    December 8, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    wasn’t that bad. And the lines came out really crisp, even on my textured walls, thanks to this tutorial I found over at Living With Lindsay. I did this all by myself so I imagine it would be

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My Master Bedroom Funkified! « says:
    October 19, 2011 at 4:41 pm

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  2. El Salón V « decoalive says:
    November 15, 2011 at 8:46 am

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    March 1, 2012 at 6:28 pm

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  4. Sharing is Caring | Dog, Farm, Canvas, Quilt says:
    May 31, 2012 at 10:09 am

    […] Best Internet Painting Tip EVER. If you search this there are a ton of folks who extol the virtues of this method, so I’m not sure where the origin of it was, but either way it is THE BEST way to paint stripes (or chevrons or whatever whacky thing you want to do) EVAH. We used this method whilst painting my best friend’s nursery and the stripe was a serious navy blue going over pretty muted neutrals. In other words, any bleeding of the navy under the tape would have been crazy obvious. So we used this method and it was the crispest line I’ve (we’ve) ever painted. Zero touch-ups. It was that good. So do this next time you have to paint stripes- 100% worth the little extra time it takes. I promise! […]

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    September 4, 2012 at 6:49 pm

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About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


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