We have been doing some very exciting paint projects behind the scenes these last few months, and this one has to be my favourite. It’s a very simple project although it takes a bit of planning. But once you get it right, it’s great fun! Try your own room paint DIY this Spring with a riot of colour!
You will need:
- A variety of paint colours (we used Chalk Paint ® decorative paint by Annie Sloan in Emperor’s Silk, Napoleonic Blue, Antibes, Barcelona Orange, English Yellow and Florence).
- A different 20ml syringe for each colour
- Masking tape, drop sheets and paper to protect your floors
Shop your chalk paint online here!
How to:
Initially, I used 20ml per line – THIS IS WAY TOO MUCH! The paint kept running and running for a good 30mins after application, so start with between 3 and 5ml until you get the hang of it.
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- Then it’s really as simple as sucking the paint into the syringe (don’t dilute it),
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- carefully placing the syringe as close to the cornice as possible,
- and slowly pushing the paint out!
I finished one colour at a time, keeping the lines dense and long on the one end and making them gradually more sparse and shorter toward the other end of the wall.
It’s amazing to see what the paint does: some of the lines run perfectly straight down, others have a mind of their own and go off in their own direction (the fan that we turned on at some point may have had something to do with a few of them taking off diagonally!). Some of the lines even merged to form new and interesting colours of their own. So all in all, every wall using this method will be entirely unique!
We’d love to see what you do with this, so choose a wall, get your paint out and get creative. Please send us your pictures!
PS: Thanks to my sister Anélle for allowing us to experiment on your walls – and sorry about the carpet! (see my note again about using too much paint…)
20 responses
Great and fantastic experience.thanks a lot
Hello,
I’m doing this in my son’s play room! Do you have to use chalk board paint or will regular wall paint work? The wall is small so I couldn’t imagine using more the sample sizes of each color but chalk board paint doesn’t come in sample sizes.
Hi Lindsey, thanks for the comment! You can use any type of paint – using sample pots is a great idea because you really don’t need a lot of paint for this technique. Have fun and I hope it comes out great! G
Hi, Wall looks great. How do you deal with the run off at the bottom of the wall?
HI Deirdre, thanks for the question! Ideally, you shouldn’t have any run-off, because it gets extremely messy (see the last image in the post ;-). To avoid making a mess, I would suggest that you start with 1 line of undiluted paint, and apply a little bit at the top of the wall. Then wait for at least 30 minutes until the paint has definitely stopped running before you start with the rest of the wall. That will help you to figure out how much paint you need to apply for your wall’s height. Once you know that, you can apply the paint with reckless abandon! Hope it looks amazing and please remember to send a pic! gx
Where did you get the syringe to use?
HI, you can buy them from your local pharmacy. Have fun!
Do the walls have to be plastered or can it be applied to wallpaper, please
Hi Clare, great question! I can’t say for sure, I think it would depend on the condition of your wallpaper. Have you tried painting over the wallpaper before? I think it should be fine if you are able to add a base coat to the paper first. Good luck – please let me know how it turns out! g
I did this in my girl’s playroom! They love it and I had so much fun doing it!! Thanks for the idea!
So happy that you tried it! Please send me a pic, I’d love to see! G x
Question. Does it leave the wall “bumpy”? I LOVE the look but I’m a little nervous that if I ever wanted to paint over it, or more likely if I sold the house and someone else wanted to, it would leave a ridge pattern behind under any new color.
Hi Ruth, thanks for your question. I am afraid the paint will leave the wall bumpy. Luckily, that’s nothing a bit of sandpaper won’t fix!
wow ! i love the idea and would love to try it in my art and crafts room . Thanks
Brilliant! It’s great – I’m going to use the technique, but not a riot of colour. Rather thinking of a more tone on tone effect. Thank you. And special thanks to your sister!
Thanks Linda – pls send pics when it’s done, I’d love to see! G
To do a whole stripe of just one colour, how much paint in ml on average did you use as you said 20ml was too much, thanks!
Good question! It will depend on the paint of course – I thought I would need to dilute it with water but turns out that wasn’t necessary. 5ml per line worked well all the way to the floor, and less for shorter lines. It’s trail and error, really! Good luck and enjoy!
I absolutely love my new stripey wall, as does everyone who sees it! The fun, bold colours make for such a happy play room and the children are so chuffed to take their friends in there. It even makes tidying up (usually all by myself) pleasant! Thank you so much Germarie & Margaux, you’re welcome to come and experiment in my home again any time! Anélle
We are really happy that you like it! It was great fun for us too – and of course the fact that your kids are impressed is a wonderful bonus! X