Re-create serape designs in the home.
The serape is a type of wool shawl worn in Mexico, usually by men, and generally features brightly colored lines in varying widths with white fringe on the ends. The largest stripe is usually a color that is repeated throughout the design, along with other colors to complement the primary hue. The primary color is often a darker color, with bright yellow, orange, red, blue, purple and green as additional colors. Serape designs may be re-created on the ceiling of a room in your home, such as in a child's playroom or den, or on the ceilings of commercial buildings, such as hotels and spas.
Instructions
1. Measure the ceiling space you will be painting so that you can make a sketch to scale. Use colored pencils to try different looks on paper before you begin painting. Decide on the colors you will use as well as the width of each line you will paint. The design can cover the entire ceiling or one portion only depending on preference. If you choose to make a smaller design, do so around a central light fixture or other ceiling focal point.
2. Clear your ceiling of cobwebs, dust and debris with damp paper towels or clean, damp rags. Use a ladder large enough to enable you to reach the ceiling easily without losing your balance or falling. The ladder should also feature a work platform, or a small flat appendage that juts out from the ladder where you can place paint trays and tools.
3. Use painter's tape to mark on the ceiling where each colored stripe will go and how thick the be. Apply the tape once your ceiling is completely dry from being wiped down, as applying the tape to a surface that is not smooth and dry can cause paint to pool under the tape and create uneven edges. Use only a few feet of tape at a time during application to avoid stretching it, and press it to the ceiling surface with either your fingers or an old putty knife. Use a pencil to write the planned color within the marked spaces for easy identification.
4. Clear the room of furniture and put down old sheets, newspaper, tarp or dropcloths over the entire floor. Remove pictures and other wall decor and use painter's tape around the ceiling edges to avoid having paint bleed onto the walls.
5. Pour the first paint color in a paint tray and place it on your ladder's work platform. Dip a roller or paintbrush into the paint tray and paint each stripe on the ceiling that has been designated for that color. Move the ladder as needed until all lines of the color have been completely filled in.
6. Move to the next color in your plan and begin painting the designated stripes. As you move through the various colors, you must take down the painter's tape separating the stripes and reapply it over a previously painted area so the edges will meet. Do not apply the tape to wet paint. Repeat with each desired color to fill in all of the stripes.
7. Apply a second coat of each paint color, if needed. Allow the first coat of paint to dry at least 30 minutes before applying the second coat.
8. Remove the painter's tape by pulling it back over itself. Removing the tape too quickly can cause the tape to tear, while removing it too slowly can result in adhesive sticking to the ceiling. Wait until the paint is dry to the touch to remove the tape to avoid creating smudge lines. If you wait until the paint dries fully before removing the tape, you may have to use a razor blade to slice the tape free.
9. Fill in any little blank spaces from the painter's tape with the appropriate paint colors. Use a small brush to take care of these and any other minor touch-ups, especially around the edge of the ceiling.
Tags: painter tape, begin painting, paint color, paint tray, second coat, stripe will, until paint