The way to Make Stripes With Flat Paint, Semi Gloss and Tape

Stripes can be so much more stunning than switching between 2 colors throughout the surface. Create a stunning, unexpected effect by pairing flat and semi-gloss paints for a visual play in light and shadow, reflection and absorption. If painting walls, choose a place which receives ample lighting to flaunt the subtle changes in paint sheen.

Preparing the Space

Planning is vital to a gorgeous paint finish. Clean and prime the surface you wish to paint prior to starting with the base coat. On walls, dust the surfaces gently, then mask off areas that you do not wish to paint and protect the ground with a tarp. For other surfaces, sand gently to scuff up the surface slightly, wipe the dust off with a soft rag; subsequently shield areas that you do not wish to paint with painter’s tape. Employ a latex primer on wood or walls; for plastic, metal or laminates, use a primer intended for the stuff. Apply a second coat of primer if you’re able to still see the first surface through the first layer. Permit the primer to dry fully.

Setting Up for Stripes

Paint the project surface with the flat paint as the base coat, letting it dry fully. If necessary, paint a second coat atop the first to create a solid paint finish; the color should look constant over the painted surface, having no hint showing through. While waiting for the paint to dry fully, plot your stripe layout by measuring the project surface. Assess the width in case creating vertical stripes, then the height for horizontal stripes. Decide how many stripes you’d like — or the depth of every one — to determine where the stripes belong. Use a laser level and straightedge to assist mark the lines onto a wall in tape or merely a straightedge and tape measure onto a mobile surface. Draw a pencil line to help guide the tape positioning, or request a friend to hold the straightedge as you smooth the tape in place. The tape belongs on the exterior edge of every semi-gloss stripe to ensure the appropriate stripe depth. Place tape scraps along the regions that you do not wish to paint to help distinguish between the semi-gloss and flat paint areas at this stage.

Paint Them on

Use the semi-gloss paint in all the areas designated to the shiny stripes with either a brush or roller. Work at thin layers, as opposed to overloading the area with paint, to help prevent blobs along the tape which may produce the tape hard to eliminate; blobby paint may peel off with the tape, marring the look of your otherwise beautiful stripes. Add a second coat of paint if necessary; once all the paint is dry to the touch, then peel off the tape carefully to reveal the striped design.

Beyond the Basics

Rather than using two different paint colors, choose an elegant play in subtlety using the same paint shade in different sheens. The effect is most noticeable in bright illumination; at dim light, the stripes seem to meld together. Stripes should not be the same width, either — create broad bands of the flat paint, narrow stripes for your semi-gloss, for example, or change the width of each other stripe for an entirely different look. Diagonal stripes add a feeling of excitement or motion when utilized on a wall since they draw the eyes away from the average down or up visual scan of an area. Diagonals are best kept to one wall in a viewing area at one time or the effect may overwhelm.

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