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Painting a Striped Wall Painting a Striped Wall From "Weekend Decorating" episode WDC-209

The idea for the bright focal wall came from the striped fabric used to cover the existing futon (figure A). The bold colors of the stripes (figure B) can be seen as you walk down the hall, easily identifying the space as a playroom.

Stripes have a striking first appearance, but they also create a balanced well-organized feeling while adding vertical height to a room. The color palette used here is a mixture of yellow, red and blue. Different colors evoke different emotions: yellow evokes excitement, red represents energy and blue stirs creativity. Just imagine what artistic energies this vibrant room will produce!

Figure A

Figure B

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The stripe pattern here varies from 4"-6" for the smaller stripes to 12"-18" for the larger stripes. When painting stripes, be sure to use a minimal amount of paint on your brush to prevent drips or runs from ruining your pattern. Also, be careful not to leave the painter's tape on too long, or it may begin to pull off the undercoat of paint. Golden is using a latex paint that can be wiped down, but if you are worried that crayons could become a wall-art project, you can use a high-gloss paint that can be scrubbed.

Tip: There are also paint additives available that can allow you to magnetize paint (figure C), and chalkboard paint (figure D) has also become a popular choice. Check with your paint dealer for these and other fun new choices.

Figure C

Figure D

Steps:

1. With the yellow base coat already in place, tape off sections for the red stripes.

2. Paint the red sections (figure E), remove the painter's tape and allow them to dry. Check the paint information for drying time.

3. Then tape off the blue sections and paint them (figure F). Remove painter's tape and allow walls to dry.

Figure E

Figure F