How to Paint Stripes on a Wall

Painted stripes on a wall creates a bold look with minimal effort and low commitment. Whether painting one accent wall or an entire room, stripes can enhance your space by adding color, depth and visual interest. Striped walls work with nearly any design style, and depending on the colors and size of the stripes you paint, the result can feel traditional, modern or whimsical. Bonus: Stripes can create a optical illusions that can make your ceiling seem taller (vertical stripes) or your room more expansive (horizontal stripes).

How to Paint Stripes on a Wall

1. Choose Your Colors

Selecting the right color combination is an important first step. To create a cohesive look, think about using adjacent colors on the color wheel or two shades of the same color (like pink and red or light blue and navy). Use the lightest color you choose to paint a coat on the entire wall, cutting in the edges with an angled paint brush and painting the expanse with a roller. Paint two coats for full coverage, then let it dry.

Pro tip: Do not apply tape to the wall until the surface is totally dry, at least 48 hours.

2. Measure the Walls

Measure the width of the wall (or walls) and determine the best width for your stripes. The stripes should be equal in size all the way across the wall. For example, if your wall is 10 feet wide (120 inches), you'll want to create 12-inch stripes. Mark the width of the stripes onto the wall with pencil, taking the width of the tape into account. Say you’ve decided on 12-in stripes and are using 1-inch painter’s tape. Starting from the left corner, measure over 12 inches and mark it. Draw an arrow to the right because the first piece of tape will go to the the right of this line. The first section will be painted the darker color.

From that first mark, measure 11 inches and mark. The tape will again go to the right of this line. This section will be the base wall color. When you add tape in the next step, this stripe will seem smaller. (It is, but area beneath the tape will add an additional inch of unpainted area.)

From the second mark, measure over 13 inches. Again the tape will go to the right of the line. This section will be the darker color.

Continue repeating this pattern across the wall, always measuring from the last marked point and alternating between 11 and 13 inches (to create 12-inch stripes).

3. Apply the Tape

Using a cross-hatch laser level set away from the wall, line the level up with the first mark. Make sure the cross-hatch laser beam is level with the floor. Use a straight edge to mark this line on the wall. Continue to mark each line on the wall, taking care to check that each remains level. Apply tape to the right of each line. (Working with a partner to hold the tape taught will make this step easier.) Take a few extra minutes to ensure there are no gaps along the edges of the tape. A little extra attention during this step will go a long way to creating the cleanest lines. Using painter’s tape, mark an "X" in the lines you will not be painting.

4. Seal the Tape

With the same color you used as the base, use a small roller to roll over the edges of the tape that will be painted with the contrast color. This step further seals the edges of the tape to prevent bleeds. Let it dry completely.

5. Paint the Stripes

Paint the stripes with the darker color. You may need multiple coats for full coverage, but be sure to let each coat fully dry in between. When complete, resist the urge to remove the tape right away. Let the paint dry at least overnight.

6. Remove Tape

Starting at the ceiling, remove each piece of tape carefully and slowly. Don’t pull the tape away from the wall, instead pull it towards floor at a 45-degree angle in an even motion to prevent chipping. If any paint does chip or has bled through, use the opposite color to touch up the lines.

7. Enjoy Your Striped Space

What a beautiful, vibrant space you’ve created! We hope you love your room's new look, but this project is easy to undo if you change your mind in the future. Simply prime over the stripes and repaint a solid color wall.