Urban Nest

A few of you inquired about more details on how I painted my foyer wall.

I regret that I didn’t take photos of my actual process, but I did go back and document the basics for you:

You will need the following:

• painter’s tape
• putty knife
• graph paper
• pencil
• tape measure
• ruler
• paint supplies

Basic Steps
The first step is to choose your paint colors. I chose white for my pattern and orange/red for my “wall” color. I painted my wall all white and let it dry completely overnight. Then, using my exact measurements as determined below, I taped my pattern onto the wall and then painted the wall orange/red, leaving a little bit of the tape exposed so I could peel it off. Once I got a solid coat of paint on, I allowed it to dry partially, then peeled my tape off very slowly. By allowing the paint to dry completely, you run the risk of peeling paint off with your tape.

Voila! You have a crisp, bold accent wall!

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Creating & Taping Your Pattern {view my graph paper}
Using your tape measure, take accurate measurements of your wall, including exact placement of things like wall switches, plugs and vents. Map all of these measurements onto your graph paper. This is the hard part: I then sketched (and erased!) a couple of iterations to get the placement of my design as centered on the wall as I could, taking into consideration the air vent. My design is actually just off center in order to avoid the vent blocking too much of my pattern. By the way, I intend to replace the vent with something a little more decorative now that it’s a focal point.

I began the process by measuring in from the sides to determine first what my margins should be, and then how much room I had to work with for my pattern. I marked those margins on my graph paper — a 1″ border on the left (to work my pattern around the vent); a 2″ border on the right; and a 2″ margin between all of my squares. I marked my 2″ margin “between my squares” by filling in two columns, centered within my left and right borders. The space that remained fit two 12″ squares from side to side. From top to bottom, I have a total of 12 squares (not including the three interlocking squares). I then went back, using my 2″ center margin, and sketched the interlocking squares down the center of my pattern. I now have three sets of five interlocking squares running vertically down my page.

Okay, now it’s time to mark and tape your pattern onto the wall. I started in one corner and worked my way out, measuring and re-measuring as I went along. I measured and marked my first line, then applied the outer edge of my tape along my pencil line. My design was created using 1.5″ wide tape to build 12″ squares from outer edge to outer edge. Don’t lose sight of your edges as you’re measuring and taping or your pattern will be quite askew.

Notice in the photo above how the torn edge of my tape comes just short of my next pencil line. This is important. I did this so that when I intersect the vertical line of tape it will overlap the torn horizontal edge and create a straight edge.

However, I am left with a torn edge on that vertical strip, as you can see below. By taping every other line short and overlapping every other line long, you only have to “clean up” half of your edges. Does that make sense?

Here’s how you clean up your edges. Using your putty knife, align the straight edge with the outer edge of your tape, press firmly, and tear the overhanging tape across the edge to create a crisp line. It doesn’t work perfectly every time, but it does work. You have to be willing to tear the strip off and start over every once in a while.

Phew! This is harder to document than I thought. The job itself is not as overwhelming as this post probably is! Any questions?

About That Shade of Orange
I was afraid someone was going to ask! It’s actually an Urban Nest original. It was a particularly unsettling week for me personally, and when I’m upset, I take on all sorts of reckless projects. My mother is exactly the same way. We’ve both accomplished some remarkable home decorating under duress!

So here’s how it went down. I knew I wanted something bold, but I hadn’t come to any conclusions about which side of the color wheel I’d be working from. Then, I got a wild hair and went to my local hardware store about 10 minutes before they closed. I bought what I thought would be a fun color — Benjamin Moore “Buttered Yam.” No samples. No color cards.

As you can imagine, it was not a sound decision. But at that point, the store was closed and I was bound and determined to get that wall painted before sunrise. So, I dug into my stash of paint jars (for touch ups) and started mixing my own color! It’s very roughly a 50/50 mix of Ralph Lauren “Dressage Red” and Benjamin Moore “Buttered Yam.” The Ralph Lauren color was left over from painting our library a few years ago; the Benjamin Moore was my fly-by-night color selection. I started with the Buttered Yam and added Dressage Red until I matched the color to the petals in my lamp shade.

It’s a ridiculous idea and not one that I endorse, at all. However,  it worked. I really love the color. And as soon as I get a fresh coat of white paint on the rest of the living room, I’m going to love it even more!

Seriously, if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. This was such a rewarding project, and anyone can do it! Please don’t be intimidated by my verbose instructions!

Tags: accent wall, paint, taped pattern

This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 3:46 pm and is filed under Build the Nest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.