Earn Your (Gold) Stripes

One of my resolutions for court + hudson (and there are many!) is to start integrating more design, decorating and DIY content into the site. So as we move full speed ahead towards the housewarming party and finally feeling settled, we've got quite the project list to tackle. With 12 foot ceilings and lots of eggshell white walls I knew moving into this apartment meant two things: I wasn't painting, but I needed to. So what's a girl to do? STRIPE!

Naturally I hit up Home Depot and made a beeline for the paint wall in search of the perfect metallic gold. Thanks to Ms. Martha, we found the perfect shade - Precious Metals in Hazel. Let's get striping!

Measure and re-measure. We drew out a diagram on paper first. Ten Stripes at 11.5" each. Keep the stripe closest to the ceiling the lightest color to avoid minimizing the visual height of the wall.

Tape off the stripes one by one. How do you avoid paint seepage? On the inside of a "Paint" stripe run your nail or pad of your thumb firmly down the whole length of the wall. Only do this on the inner part of the tape closest to where you'll lay down the paint. This seals in the "Paint" stripe, but leaves the bottom half of the tape a little looser for easy pull up.

Get bored. Do a little shadow dance.

Step back and admire your handy work. Make sure the lines look even. (Could you imagine?) Mark which rows will take the paint so you don't get confused. And remember if you're painting even width stripes, "Paint" stripes should be wider than "Non-Paint" stripes. If they're not, then your measurements are off.

Get Ready. Set. Go! Stir it up, and paint away. Hi hubs!
A few tips:
1. Use a thin angled brush to paint the top + bottom tape of a "Paint" stripe prior to going over with a roller to ensure you're getting a thick, saturated straight line when that tape gets pulled off.
2. Always paint down from the top of a stripe and up from the bottom to avoid paint seepage.
3. Rolling should be up and down as well.

Before you know it, you've got stripes! (Still wet here, but roller marks minimize as the paint dries) To ensure you get the straightest possible line, only wait until the paint sets up to take the tape off. If you wait too long you risk paint sticking, pulling, or ripping away with the tape - all bad things.
Tip: Pull the tape down and at an angle for optimal results.

Ready for the result?

Weeeee have stripes! It took a little patience, a little planning and a tall husband - but it's done. And I love it! Have no fear, there will be some fun art up there in a few weeks for a complete reveal!