Designer's Trick: How to Achieve the Perfect Paint Line

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Ever wonder how professional painters are able to achieve a perfectly clean edge when they paint two adjacent walls different colors?

After attempting to create my first accent wall many years ago (which resulted in a big hot mess), I set out to find the technique that would allow me to replicate those pristine paint lines that pro painters are able to create. Is it the expert application of painter’s tape that separates the pro from the amateur painter?

Although painter’s tape plays a major role (no pun intended), there’s more to the technique than simply the use of tape. Today I’ll share this no-fail designer trick for creating accent walls that will have your friends asking, “Who’s your painter?”

Let’s assume that you have two adjacent walls, one of which you plan to paint blue and the other green. These are the steps you would follow:

Paint the first color (Blue) and lap slightly onto the designated wall for the second color (Green).
Allow the paint to dry for 1 to 2 days.
Use a painter’s tape that is intended for delicate or freshly painted surfaces and tape the line where you want the Green color to begin. You should be taping over the edge of the Blue wall.
Press down the tape’s edge firmly and paint over the tape’s edge ( where the Green color will begin ) with the Blue color.
Allow to dry at least 4 hours.
Paint over the tape’s edge with the Green color and continue to paint the remainder of the wall Green.
Allow to dry and remove tape.

By painting over the tape’s edge with the first color, any bleed under the tape will not show and it also seal the tape’s edge. I’ve been using this technique for years now and it has always worked like a charm!

Got any painting tricks up your sleeve you’d like to share?

I luuvvv a good painting project! If you do as well, you may want to check out these posts: