Paint Technique: Striae Instructions

Materials:

universal wallpaper paste
paint tray with liner
roller cover (3/8" nap)
sash brush
wallpaper brush
paint (base coat: Moderate White SW6140; satin paint mixed with glaze: Tony Taupe SW7038) Sherwin-Williams
blue painter's tape
bucket
rags or paper towels
cording
straight pins

Steps:

1. Tape-off baseboards, windows and the ceiling. Also tape-off the adjacent walls to the one you're starting with as this technique is done one wall at a time.
2. Combine one part paint to four parts wallpaper paste and mix well.
3. Start by cutting-in about three widths of the roller (two to three feet), and then cover the area with a full roller. You may have to reload the roller to get an even coat. Once the area is coated, run the roller in separate vertical lines to eliminate any diagonal roller marks.
4. Immediately hold the wallpaper brush up to the ceiling and pull it down through the mixture vertically to the baseboard. Keep the brush marks straight or make them a little wavy.
5. Continue in this fashion around the room, making sure to just slightly overlap the previous section so they blend. Step back every now and then to check the look and make any necessary adjustments. Let the room dry completely before hanging artwork or window treatments (overnight in most cases).
6. As a final touch, use straight pins to hold cording in place along the base of crown molding.