How to Prevent Paint From Bleeding When Painting Stripes

Being creative by painting stripes or geometric shapes is a way to add excitement to walls. The excitement is lost, however, when the tape is pulled away from the wall to find that paint has bled under the tape. Small touch-ups are sometimes necessary after a painting project. But wouldn't it be wonderful to remove painters tape and find a perfect line. A good seal between the tape and the wall is important to prevent paint from bleeding onto another color.

Things You'll Need

• Painters tape
• Paintbrush
• Paint

Instructions

1. Press the edges of painters tape firmly onto the wall. Use your thumb to seal any open spaces between the wall and the tape.

2. With a paintbrush, paint away from the center of the painters tape rather than painting from the wall toward the tape. If you paint from the wall toward the tape there is a better chance that the paint will seep under the edge of the tape.

3. Paint over the edge of the painters tape with the base color of the wall. Let the paint dry but do not remove the painters tape. The base color has now sealed the edge of the tape, and you can paint the color of the stripe onto the wall. Once the paint is dry, remove the tape to reveal a perfectly painted stripe.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you have painted the part of your stripe next to the tape with a brush, you can use a paint roller to cover the larger expanses.

References

• Stop Paint from Bleeding
• Painting Tips