The Art of Stripes

History
I started my stripe streak (pun intended) in 2006.  And I have averaged doing 1 striped room a year since then.

Something about stripes is a bit modern but still fits comfortably in my country chic style.

My first three striped rooms came while we were in NC. I striped my kitchen/ eat in dining room.  My second was doing an outline type stripe in Hunter's bedroom.  The third was doing just a big bold stripe in the middle of Ashton's room.  Since moving to SC, I striped my living room, striped our Sunday School class, and most recently did the boy's room.

Things you need.
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Level
- Roller/ Brush
- Paint
- Patience

The Process
Step 1- Measure your room to determine your stripes.  If all stripes are going to be the same size then take that measurement and divide by the width of your desired stripes (my stripes have stayed in the 8" (living room) to 15" (boy's room) range).  Make sure you have an even number of stripes if only doing 2 colors.

       Example- If I am doing horizontal stripes.  I measure the height on my room which is 88".  I want my stripes to be about 15".  Divide 15 into 88 which is 5.8 stripes.  I will round up to 6 and then divide the 6 into 88 which is 14.6".  So, I am going to have 6 stripes that are 14.6" a piece.

Step 2- With your pencil and tape measure, go around the top of the room and make a pencil mark for the stripes as well as labeling what color that stripe is going to be (example, on every other stripe make a "b" for blue or whatever color you want)... make sure that your last stripe is around the same size and that you have two different colors butting up to one another (remember even number)

Step 3- It makes very little difference where you start in your room.  I personally like to end at the most obscure point in the room in case I am a bit off.  This is also a point that if you have a laser level then you are way ahead of the game... I however, dont have one.  So, for the po' folks in the world.  If you are doing 11.75" stripes, then make between 4-6 marks on your wall.  Take your tape and hit each  mark on the edge of the tape.  I have 84 strips in my living room, meaning I made roughly 400 measurements to make sure I had a straight line. 
I also want to add to make sure that you start at the correct point on your mark. If you are taping a section that is going to be painted, then start taping on the outside of the mark.  If you are taping a section that is not going to be painted then start on the inside of the mark.  Remember, when taped, the non-painted sections are going to be smaller because the 1/2" tape (or whatever size you use) takes up part of the measurement.  There have been countless times that I have taped on the wrong side of the mark and had to yank my tape down and re-do it.

Step 4- After each taping, take your level and run it across/ down your tape to make sure you are level.  This also is good to press your tape down.  Kill two birds with one stone.  Your eyes will play tricks on you so I highly recommend doing this especially if you dont tape or paint much.

Step 5- Once your room is taped, you are practically done. The painting is quick and easy.  Slap your paint on the wall.

Step 6- Take your tape off.  I honestly dont know when the right time is to pull the tape. I am normally so anxious that I do it as soon as I am done and I have never had any problems with that method. 

Some other Hints

First, use Frog tape (the green stuff).  It is sooo much better than painter's tape (the blue stuff).  Honestly, masking tape works just as good as the blue painter's tape.  If your colors are similar then you can probably get away with using masking tape as the bleed through the tape will not be very noticeable.  But, if your colors are quite opposite, just invest in the good Frog Tape.

Second, Frog Tape may sometimes still bleed through a bit.  The only way to totally prohibit this is to paint over the edging of the tape with the color that you are NOT striping with.  For example, if you are have tan wall and you are painting a blue stripe, then after you tape the wall, paint the edge of the tape with your tan color.  This seals between the tape and obviously if it bleeds through it doesn't matter because it is the same color.  This is not a necessary step and one that I do normally skip. But, if you are striping a wall that has some texture, you definitely need to do this!

Third- I debated typing this but... stripes are actually pretty forgiving.  If you were to go around and measure my stripes, there are many that are not going to be the exact same size.  As long as you are not way off, it will probably blend in ok.  But do double check your measurements.

If any of you guys stripe anything or heck just paint anything, send me a picture.  I would love to see it! I am always up for new inspiration. 

Happy Painting and Striping!