·

DIY Painted Striped Curtains

Make these easy DIY painted striped curtains to add some extra pattern and interest to your space!

DIY Painted Striped Curtains

If you’ve been around blogland for any amount of time, you’ve probably come across a striped curtain tutorial or two. Or 100. I hear it all started when The Nester used horizontal striped fabric to create some absolutely beautiful drapes in her home, and everybody went crazy with it from there.

I, too, fell in love with the look of striped curtains but wasn’t sure if I wanted to tackle them since they have been done so many times before. Then I picked up the May issue of Better Homes & Gardens and saw Beckie of Infarrantly Creative and her lovely, gorgeous, stunning painted striped curtains and I just couldn’t help myself. I had to have them.

Here’s how I created my DIY striped curtains…

How to Paint Curtains Step-by-Step

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

supplies needed to paint striped curtains

I decided to use acrylic paint + a textile medium (as opposed to wall paint) so that my curtains could be washable. (I have two little boys, people! White never stays white for long!)


what is textile medium?

  • Textile medium is a liquid solution that is added to acrylic paint to create a paint to use on fabric.
  • The purpose is to help the paint adhere to the fabric, remain flexible after drying, and resist fading or cracking over time.
  • It can be used on a variety of fabrics, including cotton, linen, silk, and synthetics.

1. Measure and mark the curtains.

I started by measuring the curtains and using a pencil to mark the curtain where I needed to put tape to form the stripes, being sure to mark both edges of the panel. I wanted a total of nine stripes on my panel, making each stripe 9.5″ wide with my curtain length.

2. Tape the curtains.

Thankfully Donnie was around to help me with this step because it was a lot easier with two people. He sat on one side of the panel, and I sat on the other. We stretched the tape between us and each carefully lined up the tape with our marks.

Then we measured to make sure our tape lines were the same distance across the entire stripe and then moved on to the next tape line. We made sure to press down the edges of the tape really well to prevent leaks.

a curtain that is taped and labeled to be painted

It’s important to remember to tape outside of the marks for your painted stripes. When you finish taping, the stripes that will be painted will look wider than the stripes that will stay white. But that is necessary to make sure that once you pull your tape up, all the stripes are the same width.

3. Paint the stripes on the curtains.

Mix the textile medium and the paint together (1 part textile medium to 2 parts paint) and get rolling! Each of my stripes (9.5″ wide by 57″ long) used about two ounces of paint mixed with the textile medium, plus a few extra ounces for touch-ups.

curtain laying on the floor, half painted with the tape still on.

4. Remove the tape.

painted striped curtains after the tape was pulled off

Once I finished the paint on one panel (and Connor woke up from his nap–biiiiiiiiggggg stretch!), I immediately removed the tape while hyperventilating because I was so nervous that it had bled and wasn’t nervous about the paint bleeding at all. 😉

I let the paint dry completely. Then I hung up the curtain in front of the window. When the light shined through the curtain, it allowed me to see which spots needed to be touched up with more paint. Using my roller, I filled in the splotchy areas and left the curtains to dry fully again.

5. Iron the curtain to set the paint.

As with my stenciled pillowcase, I had to set the paint after it dried. In this case, I just flipped the curtain over and ironed the back side with the iron on the “wool” setting.

6. Hang the curtain panels and enjoy!

These curtains will be part of the redecorating I’m doing in our bedroom, but since our room currently looks like a tornado hit due to the master bath reno, I hung them up in Caleb’s room to get a preview.

Curtains with Painted Stripes hanging in the bedroom

Aaaaannnnnddd I fell in love all over again! (So did Caleb!) I can’t wait until the primary bedroom space is finished so I can hang these babies in their new home!

Painting Curtains: Frequently Asked Questions

Technically, you can, but it will need to be mixed with the textile medium (as with acrylic) to help with flexibility.

Also, the cost of wall paint will likely be higher versus acrylic craft paint.

There is no hard and fast rule that curtains should be lighter or darker than walls, as the best choice will depend on your preference.

Avoid curtains that are close to the exact same shade as your wall color, as they will blend in rather than adding a layered look to your space.

For a refreshing and airy feel, go with lighter curtains. Those wanting a more dramatic look could choose darker curtains to achieve that effect.

Want to save this post to revisit later? Be sure to pin the image below so you can find it easily!

DIY painted striped curtains with text overlay

Have you done any fun DIYs lately?

Thank you so much for following along! Have a wonderful day!

Abby Lawson at Abby Organizes, justagirlandherblog.com

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

76 Comments

  1. Lori {Vintage Charm Restored}Lori says:

    I love them!! I need to do this for my boys room too!!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks so much, Lori! Go for it! They are a fun addition! Hope you’re having a great night!

      ~Abby =)

  2. Those look great girl!!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks so much, Erin! Hope you’re having a great night!

      ~Abby =)

  3. Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted says:

    Woot! They look FAB! One of my first big home decor projects after starting my blog was striped curtains for our living room. Heavens, I looked at sooo many tutorials! I ended up sewing mine. Yours look fantastic! Makes your heart happy every time you see ’em, huh?

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks, Jaimee! You are totally my hero for sewing them! I am a dummy with a sewing machine! Maybe someday I’ll “get it”! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  4. Inspired! Love the color too.

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you so much, Tammy! Hope you’re having a wonderful evening!

      ~Abby =)

  5. Heather @ Southern State of Mind says:

    They turned out awesome! This is on my list to tackle for a room in my house- this is great motivation to get started on it!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks so much, Heather! DO IT!! We love ’em! Thank you for stopping by the blog! Have a great night!

      ~Abby =)

  6. Emily West (@sparklemeetspop) says:

    Love how they turned out! I have some plain curtains that could definitely be improved a bit by some paint. Maybe stripes will do the trick…

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you, Emily!! Thanks for hosting such a fun link up today! Definitely go for the stripes! We are loving them!

      ~Abby =)

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you! I say go for it! We are loving them over here! Thanks for stopping by the blog!

      ~Abby =)

  7. Sarah @ An Inviting Home says:

    I can totally relate to your love for striped curtains…I am about to take the plunge soon and finally create some. Pinning your post! 🙂

    ~Sarah

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you, Sarah! Totally do it! They’re awesome! Thanks for stopping by the blog!

      ~Abby =)

  8. Kelly @ View Along the Way says:

    I know lots of people have the striped curtains, but I just never get sick of looking at them! Yours look absolutely perfect! Thank you so much for the link love and kind words, my sweet friend! <3

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you, Kelly! I had the best teacher! 🙂 I was so nervous the whole time about screwing it up…I can’t believe they turned out! Lol. Hope you’re having a wonderful evening!

      ~Abby =)

  9. Chrissy Floyd says:

    Lovely, lovely, lovely! I’ve been too scared to attempt these myself, so I’ll admire yours. 🙂

  10. Krista thehappyhousie says:

    Totally fabulous Abby! I am majorly inspired to try this myself… maybe for my older son’s bedroom:) Great tutorial too!!
    Krista

  11. infarrantlycreative says:

    They are fabulous Abby! Thanks for linking to me. P.S. Even though I didn’t use fabric medium they are still washable. The fabric medium just makes them less stiff.

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you so much, Beckie! I’m so flattered that you stopped over! Thanks for the tip on the fabric medium. 🙂 Have a wonderful, wonderful Mother’s Day weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  12. Kirstin @ Things Made New says:

    Wow Abby, those look great! I always wanted to try striped curtains, and after reading your post, I just might have the courage. Thanks for sharing!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks, Kirstin! I say go for it! We are loving ours! 😉 Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  13. upcycledtreasures says:

    Hi Abby! Thanks for checking out my blog! These curtains turned out awesome, as did your stenciled pillowcases. I haven’t tried stenciling on fabric yet, but after reading your tutorial I think I may be ready to test it out 🙂

    ~Katie

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks, Katie! Have fun stenciling! I love that the possibilities are endless! Have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  14. Melissa @ Keep Calm and Decorate says:

    Um…Abby you are amazing! These are beautiful! I have been wanting to do this for so long! Thanks for the great tutorial.

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks, Melissa! I was nervous about attempting them at first {I had visions of myself dropping the paint tray and ruining them…lol!} but I’m so glad I ended up trying them! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  15. Great job Abby!! Can’t wait to see the whole room!~~Angela

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks, Angela! I was just checking out your new office chair–it is so cool!! Wow! Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

      ~Abby =)

  16. Sharon B. says:

    I love striped curtains, and yours turned out so great! Sharon

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks so much, Sharon! I’m loving them too! Thank you for visiting my blog! Have a wonderful evening!

      ~Abby =)

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you! 🙂 I’m a fan of stripes too! Hope you’re having a great day!

      ~Abby =)

  17. Elizabeth Fountain says:

    Hopping over from Give Me The Goods Monday! Love your curtains! I too have fallen in love with the horizontal stripes but have none in the house yet. Boohoo! I am determined too someday…

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks for popping over from the party, Elizabeth! Definitely go for it! We love them! 🙂 Have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  18. Angela Says says:

    They look gorgeous!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks you so much! Have a great day!

      ~Abby =)

  19. titicrafty says:

    This looks like so much fun!!! I love it it really changes the vibe in the room! I would love to make them when I get the chance! I have a Link Party every Sunday to Wednesdays, It would be so cool if you could join me if you’d like!

    Hope you are having a lovely day

    Hugs
    Cami @ TitiCrafty by Camila

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks so much for the invite, Cami! Have a great day!

      ~Abby =)

  20. Awesome! I’ve seen these around too and have been wanting to try them. Just haven’t worked up the courage yet. Thanks for sharing! coming over from Give me the goods monday

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks for popping over from Give Me the Goods! I was so afraid I was going to mess them up, but it all worked out! And I’m not even a great painter! 😉 Hope you’re having a great Monday, Alex!

      ~Abby =)

  21. Lolly Jane says:

    Love it, Abby! They are AWESOME!! I need to try my hand at stripes! We’ve done a patterned version but the stripes are classic!

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you! Ooh I’d love to see your patterned ones! Popping over to your blog now! Thanks for reading!

      ~Abby =)

  22. Christine at First Home Love Life says:

    They look gorgeous! I’d love for you to share this and any other projects you’d like at my House Party—https://www.firsthomelovelife.com/2013/05/house-party-3-b-y-o-p-features.html XO

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks so much for the invite, Christine! Have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  23. rainonatinroof01 says:

    I love your curtains!! I am the same way – I’ve seen them all over blogland and want to make a pair myself! You did a great job! Thanks for always linking up at Give Me The Goods Monday! Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks so much for hosting a fun party, Jenna! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  24. Artsy Chicks Rule (@artsychicksrule) says:

    They are awesome Abby! I love them. What a great little helper you had there. 🙂
    And I agree about Kelly! Love her and her blog! She’s a hoot! 😉
    Thanks so much for sharing these on Project Inspired !
    xo
    Nancy

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks, Nancy! Those boys love to “help”! 😉 Thank you so much for reading! Have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  25. Pudel - design says:

    These look beautiful!
    I think I have to give this a try too;)
    Thank you for your lovely comment Abby;)
    Love and hugs
    Lydia

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thank you so much, Lydia! I’m so glad you stopped by! Hope your weekend was wonderful!

      ~Abby =)

  26. Pingback: WATF Wednesday – The Epic DIY Fail: The Striped Curtain Goes Terribly Wrong | whyallthefuss?
  27. I want to do these soon- SUPER CUTE!! Did you wash & dry the curtains before painting them?

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks, Jennifer! Yes, I washed, dried, and ironed them before I started painting. Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

      ~Abby =)

  28. Pingback: It's Goal Time Again! | Just a Girl and Her Blog
  29. Pingback: At Last…The Master Bedroom Reveal! | Just a Girl and Her Blog
  30. Hi Abby,

    How much were the costs? if I may ask… Thanks!

    1. abbylawson says:

      I spent $25 on the curtains and about $15 on paint. 🙂 Have a great weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  31. Lee Brown - Window Treatment Ideas says:

    I’m in love with how your room looks. DIY curtains are one of the best things you’ll ever get into doing for two main reasons:

    1) You’ve got total control over your project
    2) You save a whole heap of money

    Need I say more?

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks! I totally agree, Lee! Thanks for stopping by!

      ~Abby =)

  32. Awesome! What brand/color is the paint on the walls in the last picture?

    1. abbylawson says:

      Thanks, Mary! The paint color is called “Barnwood” and it is Valspar brand from Lowe’s!

      ~Abby =)

  33. So cute!! Stuff is bought just need to paint. Do u reccomend washing curtains first before you paint?

    1. abbylawson says:

      Yes! I washed and ironed mine before painting. Have fun with yours!

      ~Abby =)

  34. Melissa Y. says:

    You did a great job!! How many bottles of acrylic paint did you end up using for the 2 panels?

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks, Melissa! I used about 2 ounces of paint per stripe plus a little more for touch-ups, so I would go with about 30 oz. of paint to play it safe. Hope that helps! Have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  35. I love these! What material are the curtains? Also, where did you buy them at?

  36. Amanda at Momnotonylove.blogspot.ca says:

    Wow! Love these curtains. I’d like to repurpose some blackout curtains I have. I’m going to try painting over the entire curtain (since they are currently several different colours).

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks so much, Amanda! Good luck with your curtain project!

      ~Abby =)

  37. Pingback: Pinterest Success! - Nickwilljack
  38. Pingback: Striped Curtains DIY | Glitter Coated Lenses
  39. I went from sewing my own curtains, to drop cloth curtains, and then when I saw your tutorial with the IKEA curtains? SOLD! That being said, this is one of the more tedious crafts I’ve ever undertaken. Wash. Iron. Tape. Paint. Iron again! It easily took me 2-3 hours for one panel, but I have more time than money right now, so I am ok with that. Thanks again for the tutorial!

  40. Hi! Can you tell me if other types of curtain would also work? Also, can you tell me exactly how much paint and textile medium to use for 2 panels? Do the IKEA curtains block out light?

    Thank you!! 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Hi, Anabelle! I’ve just used the IKEA kind for this project, but I’m sure other curtains would work as well. Since they are white, the curtains do not block out the light completely, but the material is thick, so they do hinder the light somewhat. As far as amounts go, I used about 2 ounces of paint on each stripe, plus touch ups, so 25 ounces would probably be a safe bet. And I used half that amount in textile medium. I hope this helps!

      ~Abby =)

Comments are closed.