how-to-paint-a-wall

This is the story of a blank wall.

I know.

I’m with you.

I can’t believe there was one left in the house.

This particular blank wall was behind the hutch in the dining room at the gatehouse.  It was white (which made me happy because it was so bright) and empty (which made me sad because it was not really living up to its potential).

Until now.

how-to-painted-finish

This wall sits across from my desk in my office at the gatehouse.

I literally stare at it every day.

And when I talk on the phone or type on the computer or write a post or plan out my calendar or take a break and drink my new favorite Crystal Light flavor….Strawberry Orange Banana…..

….in my mind I decorated it over and over and over again.

It was a little exhausting…..all that thinking and planning and trying to decide.

I’m totally an indecisive mind decorator.

peonies-table-display

And two days ago I was sitting in the office and staring at the wall and I couldn’t take it one more minute.

But before we go any further…..

….can I pause this post for one moment and insert here that I’m on a decorating budget right now. 

A super tight budget.

Like it squeaks when it walks.

Brought on by a giant shopping trip to Nashville where I forgot for just a moment that I wasn’t Ivanka Trump and I don’t have a trust fund…..

….but that is a story for another day when I’m not trying to tell you about my painted wall and my coffee is flavored. 🙂

faux-wallpaper-wall

So me, myself and I and my super-tight-squeaky budget created this look for under $15.00.

Seriously.

Including tax.

$7.88 for a roll of frog tape and $5.14 for a small sample container of Sherwin-Williams Mindful Gray.

Oh and patience.

Lots and lots of patience.

*sigh*

I know patience is free…..but if you have some extra…..

….could you send it to me? 🙂

painted-wall-ideas

Painted Wall Treatment Ideas (on a budget)

Supplies:

Sherwin  Williams Mindful Gray

Frog Tape

patience

blank-wall

Step 1:  Start with a blank wall

This is what the wall looked like when I started.

Next measure your wall and plan out your pattern on paper…..

….until it looks something like this.

painted-wall-ideas-diy

Step 2:  Create pattern

This is the pattern we created on paper.

You can adjust it for your own wall.

white-wall

Step 3:  Measure

Using a yardstick (so much easier than a tape measure) we measured off tiny hash marks where the squares should be.

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Step 4:  Tape

This is where the patience comes in.

You can do it.

Seriously.

Just put on the New York Housewives to keep you entertained and know it will take a while and you will finish sooner than you thought and be left wondering why Ramona left the Berkshires….

….and why she is so worried about getting her hair wet.

how-to-score-tape

Before we move on….I want to address a couple of taping tricks.

Score your tape.  When I say score….I mean take a card or something with a firm edge and run it along the edges of the tape to make sure it is firmly affixed to the wall.

Also….when you purchase Frog Tape…..it comes in a plastic container.

I used to throw mine away.

Don’t.

Everything that is special and wonderful about Frog Tape that makes it adhere to the wall and gives you the ability to paint stripes and squares and lines and diamonds….

….works so much better when you keep it in that plastic container.

painted-wall-treatment-how-to

Step 5:  Paint

Then you just paint in the lines to create your pattern.

And pull off the tape.

You want to pull of the tape right away.

Pull the tape towards you and away from the line to create the perfect straight edge.

how-to-paint-a-wall

And for under $15 your room looks like this.

No more blank walls.

One last note….

….it totally needs a chair rail.

I know.

I was kind of hoping that you wouldn’t notice….but then I remembered you are super smart and a great decorator and with your amazing discerning eye you would immediately notice that the chair rail was missing.

And you’d be way too polite to notice.

I’m putting one up soon.  I’m just waiting on that pesky budget.

So let’s all just imagine there’s a chair rail there.

Oh….and why your at it…..

….could you imagine some crown molding, too. 🙂

disclosure:  I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products.  

All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.  Please see my disclosure policy for additional information.

easy-diy-paint-project-painted-wall

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Comments

  1. Image for Barbara Bussey Barbara Bussey

    With or without a chair rail, it looks great. No matter how far I look, I don't have that much patience. At any cost. Well done!

  2. Image for Sally W Sally W

    Karianne, It is beautiful. It looks like a dining room, but I've seen your dining room with the burlap curtains.

  3. Image for Marisa Franca @ All Our Way Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

    I don't think I could work in that room. It is too nice. I would continue to think how marvelous I am to come up with such fantastic ideas. And the pink would make me want to dance around the room because it is a happy pink. Do you dance around the room? And I don't think that the room is unhappy because you don't have a chair rail. I believe it is happy because of all the good vibes :-)

  4. Image for DEBORAH BURKE DEBORAH BURKE

    Love the wall KariAnne and I definitely do not have the patience for that!!!Love the pink on the hutch!!! :-)

  5. Image for Pat Pat

    Beautiful! You have a ton of patience to complete this project ~ I don't believe I do. :) The room is gorgeous...just like the rest of your home/gate house. xo Pat

  6. Image for Joan Sommerfield Joan Sommerfield

    LOVE this room. And the happy pinks/coral against the white and your new pattern just make my heart want to sing and dance!. And No chair rail is needed. I think it would distract, this way it looks so fresh and contemporary. How did you come up with this pattern and What is Frog tape? Where and what are its uses?

  7. Image for Erin Erin

    I love this KariAnne! I'm also jealous you have such a super cool office!! Great job! And I totally don't understand why Ramona left the Berkshires either :)

  8. Image for Sharon H Sharon H

    So THAT'S what we have in common Miz karianne.....I'm also a totally indecisive mind decorator! Good job, by the way. Ooh! Can't wait for the return of the budget so I can see how the chair rail and crown moulding looks ;)

  9. Image for Sheila Sheila

    Cute and very resourceful of you. I know right off the bat that I do not have the patience for that large tape project. Maybe I could do a small version on a tray. I admire you for the tenacity to do this! Sheila

  10. Image for Karen Karen

    Oh, KariAnne, your wall turned out beautifully! It coordinates so well with the lamp shade and rug, and really makes your pink hutch pop! I hope you had a great time on your Nashville shopping trip, even though you don't have a trust fund...tee hee.

  11. Image for Joanne Boulter Joanne Boulter

    You are amazingly brave! Your wall looks amazing! Stop on over and check out my new blog and let me know what you think! Anne's Attic - Design https://wp.me/4gnLC Have a LOVERLY DAY! Jo

  12. Image for Ann C Ann C

    How do you decide when there's too many different patterns in one room? I love the rug and the lampshade and the wall treatment and the fact that they are all gray and white. Just wondered when is it too much? Is it a personal thing? I know I'm not a big one for following rules, so maybe I just answered my own question!

  13. Image for Peggy Zortman Peggy Zortman

    You make it all so much fun! Love the pink hutch, love the black and white print pillows ( where do you find those fabrics!?), and love those pink poms!

  14. Image for Bonny Bonny

    I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I'm quite sure I'll learn plenty of new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!

  15. Image for Cheryl Macedo Cheryl Macedo

    kari... Please share the painted hutch details.... Love it... Coral/salmon/pink delightful ! So fresh and unexpected. Latex? Chalk? Spray?? Spill it... Please & thank you. Cheryl

  16. Image for Shari Shari

    Oh my, the wall treatment is nice but THE HUTCH is a show stopper! Wowsers! Spectacular! Please, please, pleeeeeease tell me that color is Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in "Apron Strings." I've been crushing on that color H.A.R.D. and thinking I want to...no, NEED to paint something in that raspberry coral-y color. If your hutch is, indeed, Apron Strings, I'm definitely 100% sold. If it's something else, I still need to know. I read all the comments (hoping to see the hutch color mentioned) and I've searched your prior posts (hoping to find the details) but alas...I can't seem to find any mention of the hutch color. (insert pouty face here) I'm with Cheryl, please give us the scoop, sooner rather than later, so I can satisfy my urge to paint something in this luscious color. :) Thanks!

  17. Image for Thrift My House Thrift My House

    Perfect. I really like how it looks even without the chair rail. I live in my own mind decorating and I too go back and forth on how something should look... At least while it's in my mind, my decorating is free, HA!

  18. Image for Anna // Gone Banannas Anna // Gone Banannas

    I love this look! I'm sorry if you already answered this and I just couldn't see it, but where did you get that accent rug!? I love it!

  19. Image for canvas wall art at target canvas wall art at target

    You can go for contemporary styles as well as more traditional designs, to suit your home. Like wall art, decorative pillows can make a simple couch appear stunning. Many have enjoyed the colorfulness metal art brings to their rooms and the sturdiness it can have.

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