How To Paint French Linen Stripes For A Custom Design Look-- DIY

by At Home With The Ellingtons

If you are looking for an easy way to dress up the back of a bookcase or china cabinet, then French linen stripes may be the way to go. I fell in love with this bookcase I found on a Facebook selling site; however, I felt like the stained shelves took away from the overall appearance. I knew the shelves needed to be painted, but at the same time I thought a solid color wouldn't give the visual impact I was wanting. Here's my solution to that problem.

After

French linen stripes come in all sizes, from being big and bold like I used, to being skinny and anemic looking. I love them all, but for this project I wanted to use thicker lines for a bigger impact.

Before

This is what it looked like when I bought it.

how to paint french linen stripes for a custom design look diy, painted furniture

I removed the shelves and lightly sanded everything. I then wiped it all down with a tack cloth. I painted the back Dove White.

After allowing it to dry, I then painted the sides, bottom, and top Blue Gray Slate.

My husband taped off stripes for me, making sure it was centered from the sides and that the lines stayed straight. Before starting to paint, I made sure the tape was stuck down really well so that paint wouldn't ooze underneath it. Remove the tape promptly and allow to dry. I used a very small paint brush to do a few minor touch ups after the stripes had dried.

Tip: Paint the shelves, side walls, top and bottom in the same color you are using for the stripes. This allows the eyes to be drawn to the stripes. The stripes would have lost their visual impact if I had painted the shelves and walls white. See http://www.thetatteredrabbit.com/french-linen-striped-bookcase/ for more pictures, tips, and instructions.