The Degenerate's Guide to Painting Horizontal Stripes

I did it! I painted stripes in my hallway!

Obviously, this task did not go off perfectly. I really thought I had it together, but the good news is ... I SURVIVED.

Really, why would I think something involving home improvement would go off without a hitch in my life- especially after my degenerate attempt at painting an accent wall?

There are TONS of guides online on how to paint stripes. Some were easy, some were hard, some made me break out into hives. This is just how I made it work.

1- Pick out a base color that is the EXACT shade of cream that you already have in your hallway, even though you wanted something much whiter with less yellow undertones. Dedicate your entire Saturday morning to painting this NEW, EXCITING, FRESH base color (ideally it should be the lighter of the two colors for your stripes), and then realize an hour into painting that it's practically the SAME DAMN color. (Apparently I am colorblind).

2- Let the paint dry. Wait a day or two so that the paint can settle into the wall's pores or something. Then measure your wall and make another person, such as a husband or friend you want to torture- yourself, if you must, plot out the lines with a carpenter's level (we got one for about 8 bucks at Home Depot and it worked just dandy). Pick an odd number of stripes so that the two outer stripes won't have to be painted again (because they're already painted your new, exciting, fresh base color), saving you the hassle of taping off your ceiling/trim.

For us it worked out like this: Our wall from the top to the trim was 85 inches. I decided 9 stripes would look good, so 85 inches/9 stripes= 9.4444444 (foreverrrrrr) inches each. We said screw that and rounded up so that every stripe was 9.5 inches wide. The top stripe would be a bit off because of this but, honestly, so what? Unless you're having Martha Stewart over the exact measurements aren't necessary and won't be noticed. (I managed to completely mess this up though, but more on that next).

 I used Frog tape just because everyone seems to rave about it

3- After drawing the lines stick painter's tape all up and down your wall, periodically checking in with the level to make sure you are keeping things straight. Important to remember: You MUST put the painter's tape UNDERNEATH the pencil mark for the bottom of the stripe and OVER it for the top of the stripe.

Confused yet? Well, just look at this....

See where the penciled line is? Since I put the tape on TOP of the line, as opposed to UNDER it, the darker stripes came up short. KEWL. And, may I add, DURF! This is one of the reasons Magic Erasers were invented...

4- Before you paint in the darker stripes (stay in the lines, the lines are your friends), use a semi-dry brush to go over the tape with your base color. This will help "seal" in the paint so that the darker color won't bleed through.

5- Mark off which stripes are getting painted and go to work with some 90s music playing in the background, painting in one stripe at a time. (There's nothing like Brandy and Monica's The Boy is Mine playing in the background as you DIY something in your home to make you feel old as hell.) I used a small-ish foam roller and it worked great. Make sure not to miss the edges of the tape (using a small brush too, if necessary) or the stripes won't look sharp. Right after you apply the stripe's second coat of paint, pull the painter's tape off slowly and steadily. If you wait too long to rip it off the paint will dry over the tape, and possibly crack off your stripes as you pull it off, which will make it look  jagged/a hot mess.

After you've painted all your stripes, and are slathered in paint, go reward yourself with a manicure/pedicure. Pretty sure I alarmed the manicurist when she saw my fingers (and even toes).

Although the cream stripes are wider than the tan ones, I think it looks fine the way it is, blunder and all (note to self: drink coffee before home improvement projects). Jury's still out on if the stripes make the hallway feel longer, narrower, or more like that scene from The Shining.

Here's the hallway before, by the way:

 

And, after (new light fixture, and possibly a small gallery wall, to come)...

What do you think about the new stripe trend?

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