anyone who’s tried to paint a repeating geometric pattern know how hard it is to get it right. crooked lines, wonky angles…it’s be a mess. but then i found this tutorial on the sunset magazine website, and it all became clear! it’s one of those things that’s so simple…you’d never think of.

#1 print out your pattern. sunset had a link to a cool chevron stripe, but a simple stripe or interlocking squares would work.

#2 line up your pattern on the surface to be painted. be sure the pattern lines up right where the pieces of paper meet. place pushpins at the corners of each zig-zag…push lightly so they pierce the paper and a little bit of the wood, but don’t gouge your table top.

#3 remove the paper and pins. use painters tape and tape inside your trail of pin pricks. using 2-inch painters tape on the sunset pattern will result thin painted stripes alternating with wider unpainted sections…but play around with different widths of tape for different effects.

#4 now we paint. use two coats for even coverage. be sure to let the first coat dry before you start the second one so things don’t get sticky. wait until the paint is just dry to the touch before removing for the cleanest lines.

#5 beauty!

all pics from sunset magazine.
see original post and lots of other neat tricks from sunset …here.