How to Paint a Gingham Wall

I'm super excited to share my latest paint project and how I made it happen!

In my quest to add new fun colors to our playroom, I wanted a bold design on the large back wall. I came across some gingham wallpaper when I was searching for inspiration and fell in love with a yellow sample I found. Because I still have a bit of PTSD from the last time I attempted to do wallpaper on my own, I thought instead, what if I just painted the pattern I love so much? To save on wallpaper cost and installation stress, I was up for the challenge.

First step was selecting my colors. I chose two yellows that were only a slight shade off from one another - one a bit lighter (Behr's Dandelion Wish) and one a bit darker (Behr's Plantain Chips). I then chose a much darker yellowish-brown (Behr's Wild Ginger) as my overlapping color. The three were found very close to one another in the Home Depot display (important to note to stay within the same color family). Also important to note for this project - it's best to grab painters tape that's intended for creating sharper lines (green FrogTape is the best).

The initial taping for the horizontal lines took a couple tries until I got it right. Each line is 9 inches wide and spaced out with 9 inches in between. The tape I used was 2 inches wide, so I had to take that into consideration when doing my spacing. When marking my measurements, I did so in multiple spots starting from one end of the wall to the other to ensure the tape was as straight as possible.

Once the horizontal lines were all taped, I painted away with my lightest yellow. After I did a second layer of paint within each line, I removed the tape from the wall for the best drying results. I then repeated these same steps to complete the vertical lines with my slightly darker yellow.

Last up was to paint my dark overlapping squares to really bring the gingham look to life. I taped squares around all the points where the lines overlapped. I know this step looks scary and time consuming, but it really wasn't that bad as you're just following the outer edges of the horizontal and vertical lines you've already made. I did two layers of my darkest paint then again removed the tape right after to dry which was... SO satisfying!

I think this project initially felt a lot more intimidating than it really ended up being. I'm glad I went for it and am really happy with how the wall turned out. It makes such a bright and happy impact on the room and the kids love it!

If you could use some design ideas and input in your spaces, you can book my design help here or email Katie@springfieldhomeservices.com!