How to Paint Perfect Stripes

ByAbby Lawson October 27, 2022

Use our simple step-by-step method to paint stripes on the wall that come out perfectly straight every time!

Perfectly Painted Stripes Above Two Twin Beds

We are currently in the midst of decorating our boys’ shared bedroom and with a “Let’s Go Adventuring!” theme. 🙂 You can see our plans for the space here, and our favorite choices for kids’ beds in this post.

This week is all about stripes! Painted stripes, that is…

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How to Paint Stripes on the Wall Step-by-Step

I knew I wanted to do something to make the walls look a little more fun for the boys, and I thought a little stripe would be the perfect detail.

I’m really loving how they turned out, so I thought I would share our process in case you have any stripe projects coming up in the near future!

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

Materials you’ll need

For this project we used:

our paint colors

I used Behr Marquee Silver City for the wall color and Benjamin Moore Hale Navy, color matched in Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint for the stripes, both eggshell sheen.

1. Measure and draw the lines for the stripes.

Donnie helped me with this part because he’s better with a level. 🙂 We decided on the height we wanted our lines to be and marked that spot on the wall. Then Donnie used a long level and a pencil to draw the line the whole way around the room. He repeated the process with the subsequent lines.

For reference, our top stripe is 8″ wide, the bottom stripe is 2 1/4″ wide, and there is a 1 1/4″ gap between the stripes.

measuring and marking straight lines to get ready for painting stripes on the wall.

When he was drawing the lines, he made sure that his ending point was on either side of the doorway. That way, if the lines didn’t match up exactly, it wouldn’t be as noticeable.

showing how the painters tape lines up around the door for the stripes

2. Tape tape off the lines.

Once Donnie had drawn all of the lines on the wall, I went around and very carefully put up painter’s tape just barely outside of his lines. This way, I made sure that I painted over the pencil marks so I wouldn’t have to try to go around and erase them later.

painters tape on the wall to mark off where the painted stripes will go

3. The Secret to Perfectly Crisp Paint Lines

This next step is the secret to getting perfect lines every time! Before I painted the stripes the color I wanted them to be, I painted over the edges of my painter’s tape with the wall color. This seals the edges of the tape and prevents the stripe color from seeping underneath it, giving me perfectly painted lines.

the sealer coat of paint over to tape to ensure perfect crisp stripes

4. Paint the stripe color.

After I sealed the edges of the tape with the wall color, I painted on my stripe color. I did one coat, let it dry for about 10 minutes, then did a second coat.

the blue coat of paint on the walls for the stripes

As soon as I finished the second coat of the stripe color, it was time to…

5. Peel off the tape.

I removed the tape, being very careful not to get the wet paint on anything else in the room, and I was left with my perfectly painted stripes!

blue stripes painted on the wall after we took the tape off

showing the blue painted stripes over the bed

It’s just a little detail, but I love the impact it makes in the room. And the Cs love it, so that is a win in my book!

Update: The boys’ room is finished! See their finished shared boy bedroom here.

Painting Crisp Stripes: Frequently Asked Questions

Anytime we are painting, we use blue painter’s tape. Not only does it stick well while the paint dries, but it doesn’t damage the wall when we remove it.

This really depends on the space and your personal preferences! Vertical stripes give the illusion that the ceiling is higher than it really is. Horizontal stripes make a room look larger and more spacious.

Use our same method above to paint a room with multicolored stripes. This may require a white base coat first. Then measure, mark, tape, and paint! The stripes can vary in width, so it’s up to your personal preferences on where to place the tape.

I would use a pencil to mark each section so I don’t forget the color pattern. I would also paint all of each color at one time, versus going back and forth between colors, as I move down the wall.

Even though it’s common to use masking tape (the off white kind) for painting, sometimes it can leave a residue. This is one reason we go with the blue tape! Certain masking tapes use different adhesives, which may damage the walls as well.

How to Paint Stripes on a Wall

Use our tips to learn how to paint stripes on the wall step-by-step that come out perfectly straight every time!

Materials

Roller pan
Pencil
Paint- wall color + stripe color
Painter’s tape
Dropcloth

Tools

Instructions

Prep the area with a dropcloth.
Measure with your level, and mark the stripe lines with a pencil.
Tape off the lines where the edge of the tape is barely outside of the pencil lines.
Paint over the edges of the tape with the wall color to seal the edges so the stripe paint does not seep.
Use the roller and/or brush to paint the stripes allowing time for it to dry before applying another coat.
Remove the tape, being careful it doesn't get on anything else.

Notes

I used Behr Marquee Silver City for the wall color and Benjamin Moore Hale Navy color matched in Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint, both eggshell sheen.
For reference, our top stripe is 8″ wide, the bottom stripe is 2 1/4″ wide, and there is a 1 1/4″ gap between the stripes.

More Painting Projects and Inspiration

Thanks so much for following along! Have a wonderful week!