How to Paint Pinstripes on Furniture

Remove drawer pulls and other hardware using a screwdriver. Set these pieces aside. Remove shelves and drawers from the furniture.

Sand the furniture surfaces with 220-grit sandpaper. Create a scuffed surface over the furniture with the sandpaper. Wipe down the surfaces of the furniture lightly with a tack cloth to remove excess dust and sawdust.

Apply the acrylic paint you wish to use as a base for the furniture first. Use a paintbrush to brush on the paint in a thin layer to coat the surfaces completely. Allow the paint to dry completely, consulting the paint instructions for the recommended drying time.

Apply a second coat of base paint, if you desire. Allow the second coat to dry for at least 24 hours.

Measure the stripes you wish to paint onto the furniture with a ruler and mark the lines with a pencil. Make the first stripe wide — approximately 1 inch, perhaps. Leave a stripe of base color — perhaps ¾-inch wide. Make the second stripe narrower than the first stripe — 1/4 inch, perhaps. Alternate between wide stripes, base color stripes and thin stripes, measuring and marking each line across the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the furniture — fronts of drawers, sides of shelves and dressers and tops of dressers.

Place painter’s tape along the lines you drew with the pencil to enable you to apply paint between the lines for stripes. For example, place the painter’s tape to the right of the first line and to the left of the second line.

Apply the acrylic paint between the painter’s tape in a thin and even layer.

Remove the painter’s tape while the paint remains wet to eliminate the possibility of pulling up paint when you remove the tape. Allow the paint to dry before continuing.

Repeat the process of applying painter’s tape along the lines and painting between the painter’s tape.

Allow the paint to dry completely and then reassemble the furniture.