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How to Paint Stripes: Layout and Measuring
There are two ways to stripe a room:
- Symmetrically. This involves measuring and laying out the stripes in a pre-calculated measured layout
- Clockwise (or counter clockwise if you wish) around the room, as you would hang wallpaper.
A. Clockwise: Striping a room
The easiest way to stripe a whole room is clockwise or counterclockwise around the room. You can stripe a whole room symmetrically, but you will find that it is much more time consuming than the clockwise method, with no real added benefit. Use the corner above the entry doorway as the starting point and end point, as this is the location of a possible mis-match. With this method you will pick the desired width of the stripes and simply wind your way around the room. There are a few tricks to keep you from getting a mis-match at the end, and to avoid stripe slivers at door ways and window openings. See Faux Stripes
B, Symmetrically: Striping one wall
The best way to stripe one wall is probably symmetrically. This looks well planned and leaves no partial stripe fragment for the last stripe.
To stripe one wall. Take your wall width and convert it to inches (12 feet = 144 inches). Then divide that by the size stripe you wish to do (144 / 2 inch stripe = 72 stripes with no remaining fraction).
If you have a fraction left over, you will convert the fraction to inches and then divide that measurement by the number of stripes and then add that measurement to each stripe.
Example:
144” / 5” stripe = 28.8 or 28 stripes of 5” (with .8 of 5” left over)
Convert the .8 into inches (5” x .8 = 4”)
Divide the 4” amongst the 28 stripes (4” / 28 = .14285”) add .14 of an inch to each of the 28 5” stripes.
Since tape measures are usually in 32nds or 64ths I would round the .14 to .16 or 1/16th of an inch (and leave the 1/16th off the last stripe)
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Using a laser level
Your stripes need to be plumb as well as spaced correctly, this involves the use of a level. Laying out the stripes will go faster with a laser level (a carpenters bubble level is OK to use, just not as fast as the laser level). The laser allows for allignment without the need to pencil mark the wall.
Tape
The 3M 2080 is the best tape for clean lines without paint bleed. There are a number of blue tapes, this one is a smooth, easy release vinyl tape that resists paint bleed the best. It comes in sizes of ¾”, 1”, 1 ½” and 2” widths.
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