How to paint a straight line on a textured wall

How to paint a straight line on a textured wall

One of the best ways to give new life to a room is by adding a splash of color.  Sometimes just painting an accent wall can transform the whole feeling of the area.  It might also be fun to paint some stripes.  But if your painted edges are crooked and messy, that is what generally will catch people's eye, and it would probably be better not to have painted at all.

Walls with texture can make for some ugly paint lines, but there is an easy method to get them straight.  You will need blue painter's tape, a paint brush (not too large), a tiny amount of the original color of paint that will not be changing (for simplicity, in the accompanying photo, let's call the dark purple the original wall color), and the new color of paint the light blue.  A drop cloth might also be helpful.

• If you are painting a corner, run your painter's tape down the side that will remain the old color (purple). Make the tape as straight as possible in the corner.
• Take the original (purple) color of paint and paint down the entire center/corner seam (you will paint purple where the purple and blue meet in the photo), sealing the tape to the wall all the way down.  You will be applying paint to the edge of the tape AND to the corner edge of the wall that will become blue. If you do not have the original paint color, you may also use painter's caulk or clear acrylic in the same sheen as the paint.  Run a smooth bead of caulk down the center (I run an ice cube down it to make it smooth)
  
• Allow to dry ~ anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, or however long it takes for the paint to no longer be tacky
• Take the new paint color (blue) and paint over the same corner line that you painted purple previously, again sealing the edge of the tape and painting the new color onto the wall that is changing to blue.
• You may now finish painting the wall blue, but here is an important step ~
  
• Do not leave the tape on the wall for too long.  You want to allow enough time for the paint to dry, but not enough time for it to completely harden.  I usually take the tape off within an hour. 
• There may still be wet paint on the tape, so be sure that when you are pulling it straight out from the wall that it doesn't touch other surfaces.

The concept here is that paint is going to wick under the tape.  You want the color that wicks to be the original paint color.  When you apply the new color in the same place, it will no longer have anywhere to go under the tape.  Painting a straight line on a textured wall is an easy task to master, and this is a project that can be done in a short period of time.  It can make an amazing transformation to your room.  Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions.

How to paint a straight line on a textured wall was written by Mimi Foster

 

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