Make Chevron Stripes

Chevron stripes are a hot new trend. While these stripes require a certain amount of precision to get right, they are actually fairly simple to make, and there are so many different ways you can decorate your world with chevron. Here are a few worth considering.

Steps

Chevron Painted Walls

1. Paint your base color. If you plan on changing the color of the wall beneath the stripes, you should do so before you add the chevron pattern.
   • Let the base paint dry and cure for at least three days.
   • Note that if you are satisfied with the color of the walls already and the paint is still in good shape, you can skip this step.
2. Mark the peaks of your first stripe. At the top of your wall, or at the top of the portion to be painted, use a pencil to mark each peak for your top chevron stripe. The peaks should be spaced apart evenly.
   • Use a level and yardstick to make sure that the peaks are also in an even horizontal line. Otherwise, you could end up with a chevron stripe that slopes downward.
   • Chevron stripes consist of peaks and valleys. The pattern should be even, so in order to accomplish this, the distance between the peaks should be the same as the distance between the valleys.
   • Note that a larger gap in between peaks will result in a wider set pattern while smaller gaps will create a tighter pattern.
3. Mark the peaks for your remaining rows. Use a pencil to mark the peaks of the second row beneath the peaks of the first. The vertical distance between peaks should be exactly the same as the horizontal distance, and the new peaks should be vertically even with the previous peaks.
   • Repeat for the remaining rows.
   • Use a yardstick and level to keep the peaks even both horizontally and vertically.
4. Plot the valleys. Use a pencil to lightly mark the valleys of each chevron stripe. With the exception of the top row, each row of peaks should coincide with a row of valleys. The valley points should be spaced evenly in between each pair of peak points.
   • All the valleys should be vertically aligned with one another.
   • Use a yardstick and a level to keep the points even.
   • Note that you will also need a final row of valley points below the final row of peak points.
5. Tape off the pattern. Lay small strips of painters tape to create the outline of your chevron stripes. Lay the tape peak to valley, valley to peak, peak to valley, valley to peak, and so on, until all the dots are connected.
   • When done, you should see the shape of your chevron stripes.
   • Lay the tape so that it falls out the outside of the stripes, rather than on the inside.
   • Do not worry if the interval stripe appears smaller than the rest. This is only an optical illusion.
   • Make sure that the tape is securely and completely adhered to the wall to prevent possible bleeding underneath it.
6. Do some preliminary painting. While you can technically paint your chevron stripes directly from this point on, it can be a good idea to do a bit of preliminary work with the paint before diving straight into the final product.
   • Dab a little paint into the stripes using your roller. Use the paint color that will go inside each row as you dab it on. This will help you stay on track.
   • Use a paint roller or paintbrush to seal the edges of the tape in place with your base coat color. Let dry before you paint.
7. Paint the stripes. Use a paint roller to carefully paint inside the outlined chevron stripes. Let dry completely.
   • Work from top to bottom to avoid smudging and smearing.
8. Remove the tape. Once dry, carefully peel the painters tape off the wall. Your chevron pattern should now be complete.
   • You must wait until the paint is dry before removing the tape. Otherwise, you could end up smearing the paint into another area.

Chevron Painted Picture Frame

1. Paint your wood base board. Use spray paint to paint the wooden base or mount for your frame a solid color. Let dry before pressing forward.
   • Make sure that the entire board is covered in an even coating of paint.
   • You should also make sure that the wood is in good condition before you begin paining it. The cuts should be even, and any rough edges should be sanded off to prevent splinters.
2. Fold a standard letter-size piece of paper accordion-style. Fold an 8.5-inch by 11-inch (21.6-cm by 27.9-cm) piece of paper horizontally into accordion folds that are 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide.
   • The folds must be even. Otherwise, the resulting pattern will not be even.
3. Cut along each fold line. Use scissors to cut along each fold of the accordion, separating the paper into individual strips.
   • Do not let go of the paper after cutting the fold lines. You still need to hold the paper strip together for the next step in order to create even pieces you can use for your chevron pattern.
4. Cut pieces from the end. Use your scissors to cut 1.5-inch (3.8-cm) pieces off the bundled strips.
   • You can let these pieces drop off. There is no longer a need to hold them together.
5. Tape the pieces into a chevron pattern. Arrange the small pieces of paper together to create a chevron stripe. The right side of one piece should form a peak with the left side of the next, while the right side of the second piece should form a valley with the left side of the next, and so on.
   • The pieces need to by connected in a diagonal, zig-zag shape.
   • Tape the pieces together well enough to prevent them from coming apart as you work with them.
   • Tape enough pieces together to create a stripe that can extend over the width of the wood base. Afterward, create new stripes with the extra pieces that are all equal in shape and length.
6. Tape this pattern over the wood base. Arrange the stripes so that they are evenly spaced over the wood base or mount. Tape in place using painters tape.
   • The stripes should go over the places that will remain as the base color.
   • The distance in between each stripe should be 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) so that stripes are all consistently equal.
   • Leave as little overhanging tape as possible. If you overlap the tap onto the board too much, you might end up creating chevron stripes in your secondary color that are too skinny. Consider using double-sided tape to avoid this completely.
7. Spray paint over the entire thing. With the board lying flat, spray paint over the entire surface, tape, board, and all. Let dry.
   • Keeping the board flat will prevent the paint from dripping beneath the boundaries of the taped-off pattern.
   • If you want to use multiple colors, you may need to apply the colors using a paintbrush.
8. Remove the tape. After the paint has dried completely, peel away the tape and the corresponding paper stripes to reveal the final chevron pattern.
   • If you do not let the paint dry first, you may end up smudging the paint.
9. Glue the frame onto the wood base. Position the frame in the exact center of the board and glue in place using either hot glue or wood glue. Let dry before using.
   • Note that, ideally, the color of the frame will match the color of your chevron stripes.

Chevron Painted Nails

1. Paint the base color. Apply your desired base color to your nails and let it dry completely.
   • You should wait for an hour or so before moving on. The coat needs to be very, very dry; otherwise, you will end up pulling up nail polish when you use the tape you need to use for this technique.
   • Avoid doing anything that could smudge or smear your nail polish as you let this base color dry. The bottom coat should be as smooth and flawless as possible.
2. Attach the painters tape to wax paper. Place a strip of painters tape over a small scrap of wax paper. Use your knuckle to smooth it on so that there are no air bubbles.
   • Adding wax paper in between the tape and the nail will make it easier to handle and remove when the time comes.
   • Each section of tape and wax paper should be about the width of your nail.
   • Leave a little wax paper on the side so that the strips are easy to grab onto.
3. Cut out thin strips. Use your pinking shears to cut out very thin zig-zag strips of the taped wax paper.
   • The peaks and valleys should line up from top to bottom so that the chevron stripes will look more uniform.
4. Fix the strips to your nail. Press the strips onto your painted nails, making them flush with the nail to prevent the second coat of polish from sneaking in underneath.
   • It helps if your nails are still somewhat tacky but otherwise dry. If you cannot get the strips to stick, however, you try making zig-zag strips of painters tape without the wax paper.
   • Make sure that the distance in between the stripes is consistent. It should also be about equal the the width of the stripes.
5. Apply the second shade of nail polish. Carefully brush on the second nail polish, brushing over both your exposed nail and the taped-on strips. Peel the strips off carefully to avoid smudges and smears.
   • You should not wait for the nail polish to dry before doing this since you may cause the design to crack apart if you remove the tape once it is trapped beneath dry, hardened polish.
6. Lock it in. Allow the pattern to dry for a few minutes, until it is tacky but no longer wet. Carefully brush on a clear top coat to lock in the color and let this top coat dry completely.
   • Wait at least an hour before doing any task that may require the use of your nails.

Things You'll Need

Chevron Painted Walls

• Pencil
• yardstick
• Level
• Painters tape
• Paint trays
• Paint rollers
• Stepladder
• Two or more paint colors

Chevron Painted Picture Frame

• 12-in by 12-in (30.5-cm by 30.5-cm) sanded scrap wood
• Printer paper
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Tape
• Two or more colors of spray paint
• 5-in by 7-in (12.7-cm by 17.8-cm) frame in coordinating color
• Hot glue gun or wood glue

Chevron Painted Nails

• Two shades of nail polish
• Wax paper
• Painters tape
• Pinking shears
• Clear top coat

Sources and Citations

See also

• Paint Owl Nails
• Apply Nail Tattoos
• Do Lace Nails
• Do Geode Nail Art
• Do Dandelion Nails
• Do Puzzle Nail Art
• Paint a Stained Door
• Make Newspaper Nails
• Do Ladybug Nails
• Do Cheetah Print Nails

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