How to Paint Green & Brown Stripes in a Girl's Room
- 1). Prepare your room and its walls for painting. Lay down drop cloths, tape off windows and woodwork if necessary and remove light switch and outlet covers. Fill in any nail holes and repair any plaster damage. Sand uneven areas smooth. Clean the wall if you will be painting directly over existing paint or prime the wall white.
- 2). Determine which color is lighter, as this color will go on over the whole wall and make painting your stripes easier. Use your roller to paint this base color on the wall using wide "W"-shaped motions. Let this coat dry and apply a second coat if necessary. Do not move on to the next step until both coats are dry.
- 3). Determine where you would like the stripes to occur. Measure carefully and apply a line of painter's tape so that the right tape edge becomes the left side of your first stripe. Make the next stripe so that the left side of the tape is the right edge of the stripe. Continue taping in this manner until you have outlined where all your stripes will go. Use a level and a tape measure to make sure your stripes align properly.
- 4). Dip a paintbrush into your stripe color and tape off any excess that might drip off. Hold the brush sideways so that bristles are perpendicular to the floor rather than horizontal. Paint along the tape at each stripe as if you were outlining your stripes with paint. This forms a paint seal that creates clean edges. If you simply roll paint on without doing this step, the roller will force paint under the tape and your stripes will not be crisp at the edges.
- 5). Use a second roller to fill in the stripes the rest of the way with paint. Use miniature versions of the "W" pattern to prevent creating uneven lines with the roller. Allow to dry for about an hour. Add a second coat if necessary. Be careful not to get paint outside the tape lines.
- 6). Wait until your paint is almost dry but not completely (still slightly tacky) and remove the tape lines slowly and carefully. If you wait until the paint is dry, it may chip off as you remove the tape. Use a straight edge and a paintbrush to touch up any edges that might not have come out as clean as others.
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