How to Paint a Checkerboard Wall

by Amie

3 Materials

Dull yellowish white. That was the color of all the walls in our home when we moved in. The previous owner was over the top with keeping up on maintenance, but it was clear that decor was not their priority.
This was a good thing though. I would rather put our own personal touch on paint colors rather than a new furnace. Don’t get me wrong, furnaces are important and all. But still. One of the first rooms we tackled was my 7 year old, and we ended up with this cool checkerboard wall.

how to paint a checkerboard wall, how to

I knew that I wanted a bright white border between the squares, so I started this project by painting a thick white stripe across the middle of the wall. I didn’t bother with tape at this point, because I knew I would be painting the rest of the wall a different color.

This picture shows the start of the bright white that will end up being the border of each square.

Once your base color is dry, it’s time to start taping. A laser level is HIGHLY recommended for this part. I didn't get a picture of the full wall taped, but lines below represent what it looked like as I went.

Measuring from the ceiling to the top of the baseboard, I marked the halfway point with a pencil to start. Then using a level, I ran tape across the middle from one side to the other.

Once your middle border is taped off, decide how many columns you want. I went with 8 columns for my son’s room.

Use some simple division to decide how big your squares will be. Don’t forget to take into account the size of the border! I used 1.5 inch tape for my border, and each square ended up being 19 3/8 inches wide by 19 3/8 inches long.

Using your measurements, tape off the top and bottom horizontal lines then tape the vertical lines.

Next comes the paint! In order to decrease the paint bleeding under the tape, take a small paint brush and paint over the edges of the tape with your base color. This step makes the project take longer, but it will make your paint job look so much better. Trust me.

Once the base coat dries a bit, you can now paint your checkerboard. My son picked out the red and blue to match his favorite – Spider-man, of course. Since I was also painting the rest of the room, I also painted a neutral color above and below the checkerboard.

Here is the wall after the squares were painted, the tape was removed, but before the top and bottom of the wall was finished with the neutral.

Visit the post on my blog for more pictures and further detail.

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this project?

Ask a Question

Comments

Join the conversation

2 comments

William on Nov 22, 2016
Love the border idea! Having your son pick the colors is cool! Now its HIS room =:) Great job!

1 Reply
- Amie on Nov 22, 2016
  Thanks!
  
  Like