How to Paint Chevron Stripes

So how do you get awesome chevron stripes that are all the same size and distance apart? I'm going to tell you how!

When making my chevron coffee table I found lots of cool tutorials in blogland. However, none of them really met my lazy criteria. One of them included doing pin pricks all along the stripes, removing the straight pins, and free hand painting or aligning tape (I don't remember which). I took one look at her photo with all of those pinholes and I was like "that will take WAY longer than I'm willing to invest in one table!" So my method uses a combination of other methods I saw around.

Click here for the FREE chevron pattern template I used!

UPDATE: If you have a silhouette machine, an even easier and faster method would be to create a stencil using my template with indoor vinyl!

The grey stripes are about 2 inches. Perfect for me! I printed only one page, then cut out one of the grey stripes...carefully! That was my template. I also used it for spacing since I wanted both color stripes to be the same size. If you want smaller stripes, use the white portion of the page for your template. :)

Lay down the pattern (I used a small piece of painter's tape on each end to stabilize it) and tape around it. Do this for the entire width of your project. To align it perfectly, I put a portion of the template inside the previous tape lines. This keeps your pattern straight.

To evenly space for the next row. Lay the template on top of your last row of tape. Tape the pattern. Simply repeat this process along the entire surface area of your project.

Once the entire project area is taped, go back and ensure that the tape edges are fully adhered to the surface! This will prevent any paint leaks and ensure a crisp line! This is the reason I had to redo my coffee table. I lazily went over the tape. Be sure and be very thorough on your edges!!! This is what it looks like all taped up. I also chose to tape around the edge of the table because it had a little ledge.

Notice the different kinds of tape? Some of the corners I had to go back with smaller tape to ensure it was lined up correctly and that the tip of the chevron pattern was perfect. I also used scissors to cut my tape edges so they would be as straight as possible. To prevent any paint peelage, I highly recommend using the blue painter's tape for DELICATE SURFACES if your project has been painted within the last 30 days.

Paint over your handiwork with the color of your choice. I think my table required 2 coats.

Last (and best!) part...remove the tape carefully before your last layer of paint has dried. The lines are the best when the paint is still a little tacky. Now marvel at your perfect chevron masterpiece!

Check out those crisp, chevron lines!!!

P.S. I did have to go back and do a few touch ups with the teal paint and a tiny brush after pulling off the tape, but it was nothing that made me think UGH. Easy peasy.

P.SS. Click the image below to see my full tutorial on how I paint furniture.

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