disclosure: affiliate links may be used in this post.
How to Paint Furniture Stripes
It’s easy to paint furniture stripes if you have painter’s tape! All you have to do is make sure you get the tape on straight. That’s the hard part for me. Anyway, I painted white stripes over hi-gloss red paint. Bold.
I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned how much I like red. You guys know I like bright colors, but red……it’s a favorite from way back. My mom loves red too. Could be hereditary. Is that something you can inherit?
I only have a few accent pieces in red in my home. I’m thinking I need a red room. But more on that later.
Red and white is such a pretty color combination. The straight lines of the chest and the way the drawers are inset made me think of the stripes…..something I’ve wanted to do for a while…..paint stripes on furniture.
I didn’t immediately think of red for this piece. I even thought about just painting it brown again but brown is so drab. Then I was leaning toward gray or black. I’m glad I decided on red!
The brown paint kind-of had a tacky feel to it like it never really cured. I know the chest had to have been painted for a long time so I don’t know why the paint was tacky. I decided to prime the chest using my favorite Glidden Gripper Grey Primer.
They don’t make the primer in Grey anymore so I have them tint the Glidden Gripper White Primer to gray. Gray is the perfect primer color. I really don’t like to use white primer unless it’s going to be covered with white paint.
I went to Home Depot and picked out a Candy Apple Red sample thinking I would have paint mixed like I usually do. The paint guy directed me to a stock Behr Interior/Exterior Enamel in Pure Red. It was the perfect color! Me and the paint guys have a great relationship. They’re almost family.
I loved the idea of hi-gloss but was a bit leery. I’ve found in the past that hi-gloss paint tends to show brush strokes and is the hardest paint sheen to work with. I was ready to go for it though.
I selected a gloss white spray paint by Rust-Oleum for the original hardware. Flat paint will not look good against the hi-gloss red. The straight lines of the drawer pulls will look great with the stripes. And spray painting the original hardware is a money saver.
How To Paint Furniture Stripes
I used two coats of the Pure Red but honestly one coat covered great. I’ve found that red paint on anything usually takes several coats to get good coverage. Maybe using the gray primer really helped.
For the stripes I measured and marked with a pencil then used Scotch Blue 3M Edge-Lock tape for a nice straight line. I decided the width of the stripes just by lining the painter’s tape up on either side of the drawer pulls. Worked perfectly.
Notice how nice and straight those lines are with no paint leakage. The 3m Edge-Lock painter’s tape worked great. One tip to pass along is to remove the painter’s tape before the paint dries. Once it dries it has a tendency to pull off with the painter’s tape. I usually remove the painter’s tape very soon after painting the area.
I’m very happy with the way the chest turned out. The chest was the perfect guinea pig for my first totally striped furniture project.
Bright, Bold, and Beautiful if I do say so myself. Ok, so what do you guys think about the after? Do you like the stripes? Several people have told me the chest looks like a tool chest. I guess it does a little. Leave a note!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great week, Kathy
regina says
It isn’t something I would put in my house, but I sure do like it. Looks fantastic.
Marie-The Interior Frugalista says
Red is also my favorite color and boy do I love what you did with this dresser! I’ve always wanted a convertible in high gloss candy apple red (it’s still on my bucket list).
Rachel says
It’s lovely 😊
Did you do the white first or paint over the red?
Kathy Owen says
Thanks Rachel. I painted over the red.
Wendy says
WOW ! This is awesome. I love red too. This would be so great in a beach house too ! With some navy accents . Cudos for sticking with original hardware. It looks great and cannot be duplicated successfully. You did a fantastic job.
linda kaplan says
awesome as usual
ColleenB.-Tx. says
WOW! Absolutely love the red dresser.
Denise... On a Whim says
When I first saw this, I thought it was a toolbox. So very cool!! The striping and gloss red makes it look like a metal toolbox for sure!
retiredbp2 says
At first glance, I saw a metal tool cabinet. Love this transformation with the glossy red and white color!
Kathy says
This dresser looks awesome. I love it and think I will have to try some white stripes on my red dresser!
martha at MarthaLeoneDesign.com says
Hi Kathy, I love the red. Lovely job.
Shelly- minettesmaze.blogspot.com/ says
I love what you did with this!! Like the stripes!! I haven’t tried that yet. Thanks for sharing on the DIY Sunday Showcase! I’m gonna pin this one to the board!
Shelly
minettesmaze
[email protected] says
I love the bright red color of this piece. You really transformed it in a very good way!
Betty says
Woowzie!!!! Striking and bold – love it!
Kristine says
Love it! I really like the white hardware on the red stripes.You did an amazing job!!
Christy says
I love it!!! Im a lover of red too, and anytime I see something red, I do a double take. Red is my color. So this dresser is something I want to do on a dresser at my house. You did an amazing job, as always!!
Andrea says
I like the dresser! I never thought red would be good on it, but by golly, it’s great! Your stripes are perfect!
Now I know how to paint hardware…great job!
Louise says
I am not a fan of red but what you did to this dresser is amazing. I love the white stripes and everything about it.
Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says
Wow! What a dramatic before and after. Looove it! I’m so glad you picked such an impact color like red!
Recreate and Decorate says
I love this! the red was an awesome choice.
Kate says
So Inspiring. Love the red!
chris aka monkey says
omg my heart actually jumped when i saw this i knew you would do something fantastic with it wow wow love it xx
Linda C says
I love it!!!
Linda Petersen says
Looks fantastic! The stripes~~~~perfect & the white hardware is the best finishing touch!
Another winner :0)
XO,
Linda
Linda Dann says
I would never have come up with it- but I love it!
Sonya ~At Home with The Barkers says
LOVE it! I too am a lover of reds! Have lots in my home. ~Sonya
Patty Rumaker at Home and Lifestyle Design says
Amazing! It is beautiful. I love the red and the stripes.
Patty at Home and Lifestyle Design
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
Love the red and stripes! So much better than the before,for sure!!! 🙂
Nancy
Kathleen says
I really love this. So much better than the brown, and I love brown. Great job and inspiration.
Debbie says
I really like the red dresser. I am always asking you for advise and you have helped me in so many ways with my painting as I have told you that I am just learning about painting furniture. I wanted to ask if you hand painted the red or spray painted. I have painted with the high gloss in red and found that it is very sticky and I had a lot of brush marks, so what did you do to avoid the brush strokes?
Thank you once again for your info.
Debbie
Kathy Owen says
Debbie, In the past I have had brush marks with the hi-gloss paint. I didn’t have any problems with the Behr but I did use a small foam roller.
Sandra says
I love the red! I would have painted it grey or black, but seeing it red with stripes I’m now going to try bright colors with stripes. Thanks for sharing!