Studio Progress: Half Painted Wall

I’m no stranger to a good, painted half wall. Whether it’s an actual half wall painted in it’s entirety, like the day glow geo mural upstairs, or painting a tall wall just half way up, for a pop of color that adds an unexpected design element.

So, for my last (and possibly my favorite) painting project in partnership with 3M and their line of ScotchBlue™Pre-Taped Painter’s Plastic, I have a minty fresh painted half wall to share that is giving me all the feels in the studio right now.

As a refresher, here’s what that wall looked like before…

Not bad, I guess, but definitely could use a little somethin’ somethin’. And now that I’ve figured out what that something is, I’m wondering why it took me so long to slap some paint on the walls downstairs. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that make the biggest difference.

That said, if you’re thinking about tackling this project at home, there’s a little more to it than grabbing your roller and going to town with a gallon of paint. But it’s still SUPER easy to recreate. It’s all in the prep work. From there, it’s smooth sailing.

Here’s what you’ll need for a painted half wall…

Materials

• ScotchBlue™Pre-Taped Painter’s Plastic (to protect baseboards and floors from paint splatters and drips)
• ScotchBlue™ Delicate Surfaces Painter’s Tape (for masking off the top of the painted half wall)
• damp cloth for cleaning baseboards (if necessary)
• screwdriver for unscrewing wall outlet plates (if necessary)
• paint roller and paint brush (I usually use a 2 inch wide short handle brush)
• flat interior paint
• straight edge (like this one)
• level and pencil

Note: Follow all ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Plastic package instructions for proper surface cleaning and prep, adhesion and removal

Instructions

1. First things first, start by cleaning the baseboards (and the adjacent walls if applicable) with a damp cloth to make sure the area is free of debris. This is also a good time to remove any wall outlet plates.

2. Next, determine the height of your painted half wall and get to measuring. I used a 72 inch straight edge to mark off the height with a short dashed lines, all the way across the wall. And used a level to make sure the dashed line was straight before moving on.

3. Then, line up ScotchBlue™ Delicate Surfaces Painter’s Tape to the dashes, all the way across the wall to create the top line of your painted half wall. Run your fingers over the tape as you go to make sure it’s secure. Add Painter’s Tape to the adjacent side walls as well to keep those paint-free.

4. Now you can roll (get it?!) right into applying ScotchBlue™Pre-Taped Painter’s Plastic to the baseboards the same way you would apply regular painter’s tape. Get as close to the wall as possible, where the baseboards meet the wall, and press down firmly over the tapes surface to make sure the tape is secure. Cut the end when you’ve covered your baseboards and unfold the Painter’s Plastic to cover both the baseboards and flooring.

Side note… The studio floors are original (and nearly 100 years old), so I’m pretty crazy about making sure no paint splatters whatsoever touch the floors. Honestly, they’re not the prettiest floors, but it’s part of the history of the building, so I really don’t want to damage them. Which is one of the reasons I find using ScotchBlue™Pre-Taped Painter’s Plastic to be so helpful. You can tape off the baseboards AND keep floors protected at the same time. So it’s one less step I have to worry about with a drop cloth, etc. Highly recommend it.

For more tips and tricks on masking, etc visit the “How to Mask for Painting” section on ScotchBlue.com.

5. Paint the marked off half wall with a roller (and a brush for the trim areas) as normal. Add a second coat if needed.

6. Once the paint has completely dried, remove the tape and painter’s plastic. Starting with ScotchBlue Painter’s Plastic, slowly remove tape at a 45° angle and pull the tape back onto itself for best results. Then remove Painter’s Tape the same way, for a super crisp line.*

*I don’t want to toot my own horn, but this is the crispest line job I’ve ever seen. Could not have been any better. Toot toot. 🙂

7. Re-secure wall outlet covers and you’re your painted half wall is complete.

Photography Amelia Tatnall Lawrence and Brittni Mehlhoff

What do you think? Are you a painted half wall fan? Would you try this technique in your home? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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This post is in partnership with 3M. All opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me. Thanks for supporting the brands that help keep Paper & Stitch running.