Painting Horizontal Stripes on a Wall That Is Not Level

Move all furniture away from the wall you are painting. Lay a drop cloth down on the floor to catch any unwanted splatters.

Paint the wall with primer followed by two coats of the lighter color you intend to use in the wall color scheme. Allow each coat to dry an hour before adding another coat. Let the final coat dry overnight before marking any lines.

Measure the wall. Assume the wall is 8 feet tall on the left side and rises up to 12 feet on the right.

Allow the lighter stripe to start at the ceiling. Drop the first darker stripe line where it can be level across while retaining the same thickness. In this example, start yjr first dark line at 8 feet across or somewhere below this height. This allows the rise in the ceiling to still open the room up.

Measure the first horizontal line, marking it with a chalk level to ensure it is straight and even. Set painter's tape above the line so you can paint the full line in the second, darker color.

Continue measuring horizontal lines in the desired pattern from top to bottom. If the pattern leaves an uneven stripe at the bottom, this is fine since furniture often covers this and the eye will be focused higher anyway.

Paint the darker stripes. Thicker stripes can be done with a roller to reduce work. Thinner stripes require brushes. Allow the paint to dry almost completely before removing the tape. Removing the tape too soon might cause drips into other lines. Removing the tape when everything is completely dry may cause the tape to pull lines up.

Touch up line details with small art brushes made for details.