Aside from a can or more of paint, all painters need several tools and supplies to do their job. These include brushes, rollers, plastic roller trays, roller extension poles, putty knives, edgers, and wall cleaners.
Another must-have for both professional and DIY painters is painter’s tape.
Painter’s tape is a specific type of masking tape. It has thin crepe paper backing, making it easy to tear by hand, write on, and use as labels.
When you use this tape during your painting project, you can use it to create straight, crisp lines. It does not wrinkle or bulge, no matter what type of paint you use or how much it gets wet.
You can remove painter’s tape from the wall, floor, ceiling and other surfaces you painted, including those applied with texture coating, even after leaving it for several days without difficulties and residue.
Texture coating is applied over rendered surfaces to give them color, texture and a more interesting finish. You can use it to create designs on concrete walls and ceilings, painted bricks, and weatherboards.
And with the right ideas, techniques, and tips, you can make better use of paint, texture coating, tape, and other tools and supplies to have better, more appealing painted surfaces.
Creating Attractive Walls With Paint and Tape
Aside from helping you create straight lines, you can use painter’s tape in various ways to add your choice of design to your walls and make them more interesting.
If you want to paint designs using tape and create more appealing walls, below are some tips and ideas you can keep in mind:
1. Play With Lines and Patterns
If you’re using tape to paint designs for the first time, one of the easiest things you can do is to create patterns with these supplies.
Using tape, you can create lines, stripes, zigzags, and other patterns to personalize and make your walls more attractive.
To create patterned walls with tape, follow these steps:
- Paint the wall with your chosen base color. Let the paint dry for at least 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, tape the painted wall with stripes, zigzags or any other type of line you want to highlight. You can get as creative as you want with your design and pattern. The areas you tape will remain the same color as the base.
- Next, paint over the taped design. Consider applying two light coats of paint instead of one thick coat to get the best results.
- Once done, wait another 24 hours for the paint to dry. You can then remove the tape to reveal your eye-appealing wall.
2. Paint Stripes
Vertical stripes draw the eyes and make rooms with low ceilings feel taller. On the other hand, horizontal ones make small spaces look wider.
If you select bright or contrasting paint colors, your walls can make your rooms stand out.
Below is a basic guide on how to use painter's tape to paint stripes on your walls:
- Paint the wall with your chosen base color. It is best to select a lighter hue for the base and opt for a darker, more noticeable one for the stripes. Wait at least 24 hours before proceeding to the next step.
- Measure your wall and divide its length by your preferred width for each stripe. To make the design stand out, aim for seven- to 12-inch strips.
- Use a pencil to mark out the vertical or horizontal stripes. The pencil marks will be covered by paint later, so don’t worry about them.
- Use the best painter's tape you can get your hands on to mark the width of the vertical or horizontal stripes.
- Use a roller to apply the additional paint. You may need two coats to get the perfect results.
- Remove all applied tape by pulling them upward after 24 hours of painting the wall.
3. Design With Shapes
Aside from lines, you can create other wall paint patterns using tape. These include triangles, squares, and rectangles.
Shapes add visual interest to and make spaces feel more up to date. You can add these designs to your walls using painter's tape.
To have walls with shapes, follow these steps and tips:
- Paint the wall with your preferred base and let it dry for a minimum of 24 hours. If the surface still looks great, you can skip this step.
- When the wall is ready, lightly draw your chosen shapes on the surface with a pencil. You can draw them with a ruler or cardboard cutouts as templates to create better-looking outlines.
- Put tape around each drawn shape. Make sure the pencil marks are inside the tape borders.
- Apply paint over the shapes. Once done, wait 24 hours before removing the tape to ensure the paint is dry.
4. Combine Two or More Colors Creatively
Lastly, you can paint designs for walls using tape and two or more colors. Doing so lets you have more vibrant, attention-grabbing spaces.
You can create designs on your walls using various colors with these steps:
- Draw your patterns on the wall using a pencil and ruler or stencil. Apply a dab of paint to each section of the pattern so that you remember which color you want to use on them.
- Put tape on the edges of the shape you want to paint first.
- Apply your first paint color to the assigned shapes. Leave them to dry for at least 24 hours, then remove the tape.
- Follow this process when applying the other paint colors. Again, allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours before removing the tape.
When you want more stunning spaces, invest in the right interior paint finishes for walls, tape, and other supplies, and follow these tips and steps for painting your walls.