How to use Painter’s Tape to Transform a Room

Today  I’m talking about a simple way to transform a room with paint and sharing painter’s tape tips for bleed free flawless results.

It wasn’t all that long ago that we moved into our new construction house. This house was a wonderful blank canvas and I truly felt blessed to be moving in. But I also felt very overwhelmed because I knew there was a lot of work that lay ahead. Those of you who have moved into a builder grade new construction home know what I mean.

For one thing, the whole house was painted a flat cream and I mean whole house- ceilings too! Every room was the color of a saltine cracker. I know, dreamy huh?

But as much as I wanted to run right out and buy a gazillion gallons of paint, a little voice of reason was saying  I needed to wait and worry about more important things like getting the rest of our stuff moved in and getting the kids settled.

By the way, that little voice of reason goes by the name of my husband and I think it only fair to point out that the voice of reason happens to be color blind.  (Just sayin’)
Fortunately,  while I did agree with Mr. voice of reason to not paint everything all at once, I was able to sneak in a few quickie paint jobs like the little guest half bath.

The Guest Bathroom Before

This is basically what my little guest bath looked like when we moved in (with the exception of the construction dust on the floor).
Can you blame me for wanting to slap on some color?

The Guest Bathroom After with Paint

*This Post Contains Some Affiliate Links For Your Convenience. Click Here To Read My Full Disclosure Policy. It’s a simple transformation with painter’s tape using two paint colors from the same color family.

In additions to the simple paint job, I changed out the faucet and towel bars. It makes a big difference wouldn’t you say?

Painting with Painter’s Tape Tips

To  paint stripes, start with a high-quality painter’s tape.   I highly recommend Frog tape.  (Amazon product link)

I’m a bargain shopper but when it comes to painter’s tape, there is a big difference between brands.   I personally have gotten the best results with Frog Tape so I’m partial to this brand.    The reason Frog tape works so well is because the edges of the tape contain an absorbent polymer.  The polymer reacts to liquid creating a barrier to prevent the paint from bleeding under the tape.  It’s amazing.

No matter what tape you choose it’s really important to make sure the surface is dust free and dry to help the tape stick .  If the tape doesn’t adhere well, the paint is more likely to bleed.

Frog tape alone works amazing but I add one extra step to make my tape fool proof.  After I apply the tape I lightly brush on a thin coat of the baseboard color over the edge of the tape. Not only does it seal the edge of the tape, but if a little paint accidently bleeds underneath it won’t be seen because it is already the color of the baseboard.

Painting Stripes

When painting stripes,   I recommend painting the wall your lightest color first.

I chose Sherwin Williams Agreeable Grey (SW7029). for my light color.  For the darker shade I went 1/2 step up on the paint chip card,  Anew Grey (SW7029).

I didn’t want to go as dark as a full step for my second color so I asked the clerk at Sherwin Williams to mix my paint 50% Agreeable Grey and 50% Anew Grey. This worked out perfect and got a nice contrast without it being overpowering.

Steps

Step 1. Paint your base color ( the lightest of your two shades)

Step 2. Use a ruler to mark where each stripe will go.  I used a 12 in square quilting ruler    (Amazon product link)  and started at the baseboards and marked up the wall every 12 inches.

I don’t recommend using a pencil because the marks can be hard to erase and the paint may not cover them.   Plain chalk works well.  I have also used a washable marker but it can’t be just any washable marker.  Crayola ULTRA-CLEAN washable maker works very well and comes right off with water.  I have tried plain old washable markers and those did not work.  Always test first!

Step 3.  I used a long ruler to connect and create the line.

Step 4.  Tape off the contrast stripe.

Step 5.  Seal the tape with the base color and let dry  to ensure a perfectly clean line.

Step 6. Paint on the contrasting color

Once the paint is dry remove the painter’s tape and voilà you will have perfect wall stripes.

‎Happy Creating,

You may also like

DIY Teen Bedroom Makeover   •Vintage Yard Sale Stool Makeover  •Wall Art Painting Tips