Getting a Straight Paint Line With Uneven Walls

Tack the string to the wall at the point where the wall and ceiling meet and about 2 inches inside a corner. Tie the fishing sinker to the end of the string and allow the string to hang straight down the wall and extend to a point about 2 inches above the floor.

Press the string to the wall with your finger at the precise spot where it hangs straight down from the tack. This creates a plumb line. Make a mark at this point with the pencil. Repeat the same process to make pencil marks along the plumb line about 1 foot apart along the entire plumb line.

Place the yardstick perpendicularly across the plumb line and measure to the left or the right of the plumb line where you wish to create the paint line. Make a mark at this point with the pencil. Repeat the same process along the entire plumb line to mark the paint line from the floor to the ceiling. Draw a light pencil line to connect each line from floor to ceiling to draw the paint line.

Repeat the same process to draw each paint line using the plumb line as your basis for measuring and marking straight lines.

Apply painter’s tape along the paint lines you drew to enable you to paint straight lines.

Apply paint between the painter’s tape to create stripes, borders and straight edges of paint on a wall.

Remove the painter’s tape before the paint dries.