Some things in Life Can Be Perfect: The Secret to Painting Perfect Stripes On Your Walls
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Some things in this world are perfect…
I mean, how could you possibly improve on that Peanut Butter-Chocolate Sensation?
It’s what happens when you eat fifteen of them, five days in a row and need to wear your already shrinking dress pants that’s not perfect…
So, it is possible to have a bit of perfection in your life.
And I found it.
I know the secret to painting perfect stripes on walls…
And here it is…
Step 1. Use a laser lever…like this one that clings to the wall like a scum-eating sucker fish… (Thanks Beth for reminding me to pull this puppy out!)
First you need to do the math and figure our how wide your stripes are… but you are on your own for that, yo!
Step 2. Tape off your stripes. I found that making pencil along the laser line before you start taping an immense help. Duh.
So make sure you do that and you won’t have to re-tape five times because you have wavy lines of tape going up and down your soon to be perfectly striped wall…
Step 3. This is the vital step… the salt to your flour… the take a right turn when your GPS says to… the walk before you can run…
The Make It or Break It step…
Seal your tape with the base paint color.
Do it, my bleeps. I hemmed and hawed and thought of thrity-eleven reasons why I should skip this step.
I’m a fan of the lazy.
But this time, I wanted PERFECTION. I needed it in my life at this very moment.
So I chucked Lazy to the curb and put a DO NOT DISTRUB sign on the doorknob, shut the door and locked it tight.
And then I let this cute-cute-cutey save me from some hard labor have some fun!
Isn’t he cute? Oh, be still my beating heart…
I’m easily sidetracked..sorry.
Step 4 or something… Paint two coats or so of the stripe color. Then gently peel off the tape and listen for the chorus of Angels singing sweet heavenly songs in your ears…
Angel Choirs. Seriously…
Ah, Perfection. It couldn’t get any better…
Unless you want to stencil the white space, yo.
Love lift us up where we belong…
Where the eagles cry on a mountain high…
So, how about it?
Are you a fan of the lazy or are you a do-it-right-the-first-time fan?
Paint Color: Rain by Sherwin Williams
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Ok, now I’m totally wailing “Up where the clear winds blowwwww!”
Thanks for the shout out! Love your stripes! I try to do it right the first time, but I’ll never be perfect! 🙂
Haha! Time goes by… there ain’t no time to cry…Hmmmmmmm-hmmmmmm….
Thanks, Beth… I’m not ever perfect, but I feel closest when I actually do something right for a change!!! hahaha…
Looks Great! By the way-super cool moving header thingamajig!!
Thanks so very, very much, Melissa! How’s the Home today? Happy, I hope!!!
Looks great! I have done stripes before and they were way more work than I expected!
SERIOUSLY! I had NO idea! These will probably be the only ones I do, but I’m glad I did it… Thanks so much for popping in Tonia!
Dear Gwennie,
How bad does your neck and back hurt after this job???
Even with your cutie pie helper…oy.
It looks beautiful, so I gotta vote for doing it right the first time.
I love that laser level- ours sits on a tripod. I’m going to find that cute stick on the wall life saver.
Box 1 is headed back to you. Box 2 hasn’t returned yet.
DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED! I had to POWER through it!!! Honestly, it’s a big, freakin’ miracle the other wall got done, but I was determined…
I can’t, can’t wait!!! EEEEEEEeeeeeek!!!
Holy crumbs! That totally is perfection. Child labour-best invention ever C:
BA-Hahahaha! Child labor is the best… especially when they have NO clue!
Thanks, Jane!!!
Stripes AND stenciling?! SUPER intense. Are you trying to win some kind of award or something? Overachiever. 🙂 Looks gorgeous.
Haha… BRING ON THE AWARDS!!!!
You are so crazy… but yes, I decided to go beyond my silly means of normal acheivement, yo.
Once in a life-time occurance, I tell ya, and you were here to see it in action!
Thank you, Kelly! So much!
Well I’m the lazy type, but I know now to not skip a step if I ever do stripes on the wall. And I might.
Bliss
Me, too. Lazy with a capital L.
But now you know better, right?
That’s my girl!
Well, I will most likely NEVER stripe the walls in my house as I am a HUGE fan of the lazy. BUT – I loooooooove how yours turned out!!!!!!!!
Thanks, Ali! I knew I wasn’t the only Lazy-fan out there!!!
Your walls look so awesome! I love stripes and I need that laser do dah.
Hehe… I won it at a Christmas party! All the boys were like, what??? I was like, get outta my way, fellas!
Thanks so much, Holly!
You know what? I’ve seen this tip before but you totally made it clear! It’s looking fab Gwen!!
Thanks, Jill! Things are finally coming together… sort of…
How are you?
Oh! That’s gorgeous! I mean the stripes were great…but then! THEN you took it to a whole new level! You are awwwwww-some to the nth degree!!!
Haha! Thank you, Imklvr!
You’re so sweet!
You make a fabulous case for throwing lazy out the window … and breaking some child labor laws too …
🙂
Linda
Sometimes you’ve just got to handcuff that bleeper and lock him in the closet to get what you want, right?
I’m sure I’ll let him out again, soon. He’s really, really cute.
Thanks, Linda! You’re funny. I like you.
That looks AWESOME! Great job!
Thanks, Bonnie!
How’s your week going? It’s freeeezing here!
Great tip G! I did not know that 🙂
Your wall totally rocks! You my friend have the patience of a spider…that’s a whole lotta work but it looks amazeballs!
Thanks, girl! I can’t begin to tell you how much freakin’ patience it took… no, it really wasn’t that bad, and I broke it up into stages over a several days… I think it was worth it, though! 🙂
Whaaaattt? Laser and stripes and a stencil? My head is going to blow up with the fabulousness of this project and post! Amazing job Gwen – love the color of blue you chose too!
You are crazy sweet! The color really makes me feel so relaxed and that’s what a Master Bedroom should do, right?
It still has a LONG way to go, but it’s sooooo much better!
Thanks, Heather!
Gwen, this is amazing. Knock me off my feet….amazing. I almost didn’t read the post b/c I’m lazy and I rarely click “to read the rest of the post” links. I admit, I underestimated you, as I assumed that the striped walls would be like all of the other striped walls….but not the fantastical, bold Gwen. I love everything about it, it’s gorgeous! (Your blog is amazing – all kinds of drop down lists and gizmos…very impressive)
YOU! OMGSH! You totally made my entire year! Thank you soooo much, Erin! I’m so glad to see you back over here.. I’ve missed you so much!
Sweet Gwen, that is the most beee-you-tee-full wall evah!! Seriously, I need you to come to Mississippi and do that to my walls too. Oh wait, that’s right – my husband will not let me paint any wall in my house and we’ve lived here 7 years. A very, very long 7 years of scrubbing dirt off painter-grade flat paint. But I digress. Perhaps if I just leave this page open and he sees the most beautiful wall ever… nah, he still won’t. Moral of the story: love your man for letting you do stuff! =)
ok, sweet thang. I’m totes jelly, AGAIN. I have just killed an inordinate amount of time finally cyber stalking you on the bold abode. I am now hooked. And I’m going to go all Single White Female on you. No more hair color for me!!!!!!!!! Love Love Love your blog universe, glad to be a part.
Hugs and Kisses!