Thursday, October 24, 2013

Bold Stripes In Our Entryway

I am so excited to show you this amazing DIY today! It was a lot of work and my calves were sure barking the day after, but SO worth it.



If you remember our Hallway use to look like THIS. It wasn't bad, but needed a little statement. I was so pleased with how the stripes came out that I needed to show you just a few tips on what worked for me. I was very intimidated on tackling stripes until I saw this tutorial and these tips! So helpful!

First, I started with a clean slate. Took all of the artwork and nails out of the walls. I repainted the walls with the base coat in Valspar's Bonsai. It is hard to tell in these pictures, but Bonsai is a wonderful neutral with gray and green undertones. Love the moodiness of it!
Next, I measured from the ceiling to the top of the wainscoting. I then divided that measurement by 7. Why 7? I decided I wanted an odd number of stripes somewhere around 10-12 inches wide. Not too wide, not too narrow. 


I then started measuring from the ceiling down every 10 1/4". I made little tick marks all the way across the wall and then used a level to draw my straight line while matching those tick marks.


(This was the tedious part ya'll! Up and Down my ladder a ba-zillion times!)

Then was the semi-fun part....Adding the Frog Tape! A tip on this also...it would be great to have two people adding the tape to the wall. One person holding the tape, the other actually lining it up and placing it right under the penciled line. I did this by myself and it just took forever dispensing the tape and adding it on the wall. Also, be sure that you don't tear the tape until the end of that stripe! Use a really long piece from start to finish!


Two things about the above pictures: 1) Those small pieces of tape are to warn me not to paint there! 2) You will notice that the stripes look uneven here. One larger than the other. It looks this way because I placed the tape inside the stripe that wasn't going to be painted. The tape is now inside the line I drew. Does this make sense? If you don't do it this way, then you will end up with uneven lines in the end. 



Next trick I learned...before you start with your darker paint, use your original wall color to edge the painters tape to seal in the color. Even though Frog Tape is suppose to be amazing with stripes, the darker paint can still bleed under the tape and then you will not have a clean straight line when you pull off the tape. It might take a bit longer for this step...but So worth it when you pull that tape off and squeal with delight!!


I then edged the darker stripes with a brush and then rolled the insides. I chose Slate by Restoration Hardware for the dark stripe and had it matched at Sherwin Williams. 


I am pretty excited to show you the end product! Sorry (not sorry) for the overload of pictures!!!




















Next on the list..getting rid of the boob lights!




And of course I couldn't possibly say good-bye for the day until I gave you a little before, before and after!






Tell me...have you ever painted stripes? Any tips or tricks you learned?

Have a fabulous day!


23 comments:

  1. Love it Amy! Huge transformation. We have a narrow hallway like yours and I want to add some molding below the chair rail. Yours (and its stripes!) is gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks sweet lady! You should go for it! It has totally transformed the entrance into my home and I love it!

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  2. I love this! Stripes are always a win, and so easy to do with the masking tip you used. I have something similar in my hall, but with vertical stripes.

    I love that mirror too. Great after :)

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    1. Thanks! I debated on vertical stripes as well, but I think the feel of my home didn't quite lend to that..but definitely love both!

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  3. Looks great! Question about your tip about edging w/ the main color before painting the accent/2nd color....What if I have an existing main color and not planning to repaint it and just add the accent color? Do edge it w/ the accent color? Hope this makes sense.

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    1. It does make sense! So..you would edge with the already existing color on your walls, even if you don't plan on repainting. If it bleeds a little, it will match the existing wall and you won't even notice when the tape is pulled off. Email me if you have any other questions!

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  4. It looks absolutely wonderful ! Great job - Hey, doesn't everyone have a boob light ? We have a few !

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    1. Ha! Yes I suppose everyone has a boob light...but I am determined to get rid of them one at a time!

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  5. Absolutely gorgeous! And all by yourself? Incredible.

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    1. Yes Ma'am! All by myself. It was a lot of work, but I actually completed it all in one LOONG day! Not as hard as it looks, just tedious! Thanks for your kind words!

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  6. Loving these stripes! Such a huge difference! Great job! Happy Friday and have an amazing weekend! Happy to have found you via Blissfully Ever After! Hope you'll come and say hello over at my place! New follower! -Kennesha, Restoration House Interiors

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    1. Thanks Kennesha! So glad you stopped by! Heading on over to your blog!

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  7. Amy, I LOVE how the stripes turned out and the colors look so good. Excellent tutorial as well! I'm featuring this today on Involving Color. Thanks so much for sending my way!

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  8. I love the stripes, they look amazing! I need to find a place in my home for some.

    Tammy @ thecoloreddoor.blogspot.com

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    1. Yes you do! They really make an impact when entering our home. But I also love them in bathrooms or as an accent wall in a bedroom!

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  9. Nice....I love it and it looks amazing.

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  10. Hi! Found you on Pinterest. This is a great project and you were very brave to do this. I am a professional decorative artist and designer...and I have to tell you that I cringe every time a client wants me to do stripes of any kind (horizontal or vertical). So, you did a great job. I totally understand the calves hurting. I also come home with incredible cramps in my feet, legs, calves (that up and down on the ladder is a killer). Best thing to combat this - if you attempt more - is to stretch before and after your time on the ladder and drink plenty of water - and take vitamin B complex tablets...always. Great for de-cramping cramps!

    I did harlequin diamonds in my entryway - it's a smallish space - a bit narrow and in doing so, the diamond pattern really helped make it seem like the space is wider. If you come to my blog - just do a search for entryway or Harlequin diamonds and it will come up. This pattern took a lot more time (lots of math - not my forte) but it was so worth it. I also did it in textures, which took even more time - multiple layers. I always do the really complicated stuff in my own house, just to see if I can pull it off easily. If I can't - I don't attempt it in a client's home. After I was done - I put upholstery tacks at every join of the diamond. Another time killer - but it looks great.

    I love how in your dining room you repeated the horizontal look with your grid pattern of your photos. Very professional. Beautiful. Love the colors in your home as well.

    Hope to see you on my blog as well!

    Linda

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