Decide on where the stripes are going, and paint over this area with a solid colour or a fauxfinish of choice. A ragged finish was used here.
Let fresh paint dry completely before masking.Tape won't stick to damp surfaces very well or for too long. Test for dryness with the back of your hand.Water-based paints will feel cool when not yet fully dry.
Make use of a fan or two, to speed up the drying time. Besides, several fans running full blast will makeit sound as if you are really busy.
Tape from corner mark to corner mark. Put a separate ladder in each corner instead of dragging one around with you. Stick down your tape 2-3 inches at oneend on your mark and pull off free tape from the roll, straight outwithout stretching or twisting.
A video would be helpful here. Nothing like a picture or two.
With the roll of tape in hand, come down the ladderand move across the room to the other corner, playing out tape as yougo, and keeping the slack tape off of the floor. Once you get better atthis, you can try using 2 or 3 rolls at once to save steps. Climb theopposite ladder and take up the slack.
Withoutpulling off the opposite end from where you fastened it,tighten up the tape and place it on the new corner mark. -- pull forstraight, but not so hard that the other end lets go.
Once you have both ends pinned, take a putty knifeand roll it across the tape, firstly in the center of the wall - thenin the center of each half, and again in the centers of those halves,until the tape is pinned about every foot or so. It is important thatthe tape not be displaced from its line before being pinned (using your fingers to pat the tape down will make the line waver).
When you have the tape tacked every foot or so, draw a putty knife over the length to seal it down.
The adjacent wall.
With the stripes masked, the wall is readyfor the final finish.
Once the walls are finished, removing the tape(s)reveals the previously painted/fauxed border.
This faux marble serves as a surround for a pair of faux bois painted French doors.
