DIY Brushstroke Walls

I’m a huge fan of wallpaper. And by huge, I mean I would deck out the entire house in it if it wasn’t so dang expensive … and if my husband would leave town long enough for me to get away with it. But since we’re under this thing called quarantine I can’t really send my husband anywhere and then there’s still the financial aspect of it. I truly had every intention of wallpapering the nook area in my soon-to-be-yet-still-under-construction craft room upstairs, but after realizing it was going to cost close to $1000 to do a smallish area that nobody was ever really going to see, I talked myself out of it, and for those that know me well you know once I get an idea in my head it doesn’t leave easily. Granted this has been a 6-month long process – quote after quote, waiting for my beloved wallpaper to go on sale (which it never did), thinking of doing it myself even though I’ve never wallpapered anything in my life, looking at tons of peel and stick options, so on and so on. I was kind of at a loss and about to just bite the bullet with the do-it-myself option, but then while scrolling aimlessly through Pinterest late one night (as I love to do when I can’t sleep), I kept coming across pins of wall designs that people had painted themselves. And there it was … the solution to my 6-month long, not important whatsoever, dilemma. I was going to handpaint a design on the walls of the nook area myself. It’s like Pinterest had been listening to me this whole time.

I started by painting the walls white (flat finish), which took 2 full coats because I was painting over a darkish blue color and because I was too lazy to use a primer. I had seen lots of fun designs on Pinterest and I tossed around the idea of using a stencil to do a couple of them, but then remembered I hate stenciling because I have no patience when it comes to painting, so I picked something I could do completely freehand – a brushstroke pattern. This tops the list of easiest projects ever – no straight lines needed, no same size brushstrokes needed. I literally just dipped the tip of a 1.25 inch paintbrush in some blue paint I already had sitting around and made some brushstrokes on the walls. I absolutely love the outcome … and the few people I texted pics to all thought it was wallpaper. Bonus.

The biggest key to this project is to not get a ton of paint on the tip of your brush. You’ll end up with drips (take it from me). It’s better to get just a little at a time, which means you will have to re-dip your brush in the paint often, but it’s worth it. It’s handy to pour some paint in a smaller cup so you can carry it with you as you move across the walls. I started in the middle of a wall and simply made brushstrokes going down to the bottom, then used a step-ladder to go from where I started to the top of the wall. After the first go-round I went back and added some brushstrokes in areas that looked a little bare.  And that was it. It’s a super cheap and super easy way to add some “fun” to your walls, not to mention a pretty awesome alternative to wallpaper. However wallpaper will always be my first true love.

Paint source – Behr Low-Luster Enamel Porch & Patio Floor Paint in Rainstorm. Like I said, I literally just used what I had sitting around 🙂