Message from Maggie:  This is one of the toughest projects I’ve endeavored on our house. We have a tiny vestibule/mud room at the entrance of our house and my mom had the creative idea to paint stripes there.  I went for it- and it was frustrating (in fact I cried twice), but I couldn’t be happier with the end product.  When I leave the house in the morning I think myself if “I could paint those stripes, I can do anything!”  Part of the struggle was that I couldn’t find a good tutorial online for a small space like this.  Learning from my trials and errors, use these instructions below.

What you need:

• Primer
• Light or white paint
• Small roller (4 inches)
• Edging brush
• Calculator
• Pencil
• Tape measurer
• Yard stick
• Frog tape
• Paint stirrer
• Darker paint

How to:

1. Prime entire space.
2. Using a roller paint entire space a light color or white.
3. Once it is completely dry, measure total length of each wall and add together.
4. Using that total, divide by 6 inches.  The total you get is how many 6 inch stripes you will end up with.  If your number comes out super funky try using 5 or 7 inch increments for a rounder number.   
5. From the farthest wall measure and mark six inches at the top using a tape measurer or yardstick.  Then measure and mark 2 additional dots one in the middle of the wall and one at the bottom of the wall.
6. Then using frog tape line up the left side of the tape all the way down the wall carefully connecting all three dots vertically.
7. Double check the line is straight by measuring from the wall to the edge of the tape.  Adjust if needed
8. Then with a paint stirrer go over the frog tape making sure it is adhered completely to the wall.
9. Start the second stripe by measuring 6 inches from the left side of the tape.  Repeat steps 5-8.
10. Continue to making stripes following steps 5-8.
11. Once all of the stripes are taped, prepare darker paint.
12. Starting with the first stripe, paint every other stripe with a darker paint using a small roller and/or brush.  I chose Benjamin Moore Covington Grey at 50%.
13. While paint is still wet, pull frog tape off slowly towards you.
14. Then repeat step 12 and 13 until every other stripe is painted.

Cost:  

Using paint and painting materials I had repurposed from other projects, this project didn’t cost me more than $10 in frog tape.

Photographs:

Before

After

Left

Right