How To: Chevron Stripes


So I’ve been a bit obsessed with chevrons lately. They’re just so darn preppy and pretty.

 
chevron stripes
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, I haven’t gotten around to incorporating any chevrons into our place…until now. I have this huge frame and the frame mat was looking a bit dull and boring. It needed a nice pop of color, and I knew chevron stripes would be perfect!

blank picture mat

Now, I’m not gonna lie to you. This was a time consuming little project. But more tedious/mind-numbing work than difficult work. So I would suggest catching up on your favorite shows while making chevron stripes of your own.

So here is what you’ll need for this project.

SUPPLIES

Painter’s tape (1 inch)
Paint
Paint brush
Ruler
Pencil
TOTAL COST: $0 (I already had everything)
 
That’s it! I’m guessing you’ll have most of this on hand…
 

How to Paint Chevron Stripes

 

Step 1:
Decide how big you want your chevron stripes to be. I opted to make 1 inch squares, horizontally and vertically across my frame mat. This way my stripes wouldn’t be too big…or too small. Draw lightly with your pencil.

one inch squares

Step 2:
Once you have all of your little squares set…you can start drawing your chevron pattern. Draw a line (using your ruler) from corner to corner across your first middle square. Kinda hard to explain, so use my picture as a reference.

penciled in chevron stripes

Step 3:

Grab that painter’s tape and start taping my friends! You’ll need a ton of 2 inch pieces of tape, and then put them over your chevron lines, so they’ll stay white underneath.

taped chevron stripes
 
 

This will take a bit of time. Easy, yet tedious work.

before paint
 
 

Step 4:
Now is the best part. Painting it! I mixed up a burnt orange color and went to town.

painting chevron stripes

Step 5:

 I did 2 coats and let it dry overnight.  The next day, carefully peel off the tape.
 
Now, when I peeled off the tape and I ran into a small issue. The tape was so powerful it was peeling off the paper on the frame mat. Yikes! I went into “chicken little” mode (a.k.a. the sky is falling!) But with some patience, and a few touch ups of white paint, it turned out just fine!
framed chevron stripes
I put in our “House Rules” that I created in Microsoft Publisher and had printed at FedEx Office for $.46.
art
I think it looks fabulous. But, the boy does say it looks like we’re now University of Texas fans with the burnt orange look. Oh well…Go Longhorns I guess!
framed chevron stripes art
 
 
 

Casey

 

The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.