I am painting my daughter's room with a striping technique. I already painted a light colour on the wall and I am in the process of doing the stripes. I want to do them in 8" stripes. I taped on the outside of the line I made on the wall. My question is when the painting is done and you remove the tape, one stripe will be larger than the other. Is that what it is supposed to be? Or am i taping wrong?
has anyone done this before?
Thanks for the help
Dina

I'm not sure I understand the problem.

Do you want each color stripe to be 8 inches wide? The light base color will be 8 inches and the color you're painting on top will also be 8 inches?

So, you measure 8 inch increments across the wall and place your tape on the outside of each line and paint in between.

I don't understand why any of the stripes will be different sizes if you do it this way.

Just remember that when you remove the tape the lighter color will be 8 " again. You might be looking at it with the tape on and thinking it is a different size. If you measured correctly all lines are 8" apart and you are taping on the outside of alternate double lines. Make sure you secure the tape to the wall so that there is no bleed through and remove the tape while paint is still damp. Some think that you are suppose to let the paint dry, but if you are painting over the tape and then pull the tape when it is dry, sometimes the paint peels from where you intended it to stay.

I did this once in a room. Painted the whole wall matte finish forest green. Marked off alternating stripes with tape as you have. Then painted every other stripe with a clear semi-gloss varnish. So the stripes were the same color but alternating shiny and flat finish. It was a subtle effect because you could only see it in different areas as you walked around the room and light reflected of the shiny stripes. Made it look like expensive silk wallpaper.

Agree with dldbrou. Don't leave the tape on too long or you'll have problems with pieces of paint peeling off with it

I"m sorry but isn't this site for cakes mainly and not interior decorating? Just asking b/c this subject threw me off some. Best of luck decorating!

The lounge board is for pretty much anything.

I know that what I am saying may be confusing but I will try to clarify my dilema.
If you measure 8" from the corner of the wall and then place the tape outside that line (the tape is 1" in width) and then go and paint the stripe next to it, when you go and remove the tape that first strip will actually be 9", while the next one to it will be 8" and so forth.
Am I looking at it wrong? or can you see what I am trying to say?
Thank you for your help and your patience.

Dina

Measure the first stripe 8", leave it the base color. Measure the next stripe 8" and then put your tape on the base color side of the line on both sides of the second 8". To clarify--the color that you are painting will be 8" when you are painting it and the base color will have the tape on it. When you peel off the tape then you will have all stripes 8" wide. To make it easier for you, mark all your lines 8" all around your room. Then put a small mark on the lines that you want to change the color. Once you have done that put your tape on the base color stripe not the new color. Your tape will be on the outside of the lines of the stripe you are painting with a new color.

Artscallion, I have also done that matte/gloss tone on tone stripes and it is very rich looking. Those are my favorite ones to do. Just don't ask me to explain harlequin diamonds.

I just wanted to add a tip for painting stripes, if you haven't started painting them already.

After you tape your sections, use the base color and brush to paint a think coating on the tape to "seal" the tape so the other color doesn't bleed or seep under the tape. We just did that with a horizontal stripe in our new office (ignore the mess pls...we're still working on organizing):

If you measure 8 inch increments all the way across the wall, I don't understand how any of the stripes could be 9 inches wide unless you paint the wrong side of the tape.

You are painting every OTHER stripe, so where the tape overlaps onto the base color is not relevant.

Sounds like you're measuring from the end of the tape instead of the end of the stripe. It doesn't matter how wide your tape is.