How to Paint a Room With Zigzags

Remove all of the furniture from the room. Cover the floor with a drop cloth. Prepare the walls that you plan to paint. Thoroughly clean and dry all surfaces. Mask off the areas that you do not want to paint, such as borders or trim, with the painter's tape.

Select two colors of paint. Use one for a base or bottom coat and the other to paint on the zigzags. Choose specific colors based on your overall room design aesthetic. Use a contrasting palette for a dramatic effect or different shades of one color for a more subdued or monochromatic feel.

Pour your base coat of paint into a clean tray. Cut in, or paint the edges and borders of the room, with the paint brush. Apply the paint to the rest of the walls with the roller. Allow the paint to dry for at least two to four hours. Re-coat the entire space with a second layer. Leave the paint to dry overnight.

Choose your spacing for the zigzag pattern. This is dependent on your personal preferences and the overall dimensions of the room. Smaller zigzags that are closer together will create a busier pattern, while wider spacing is a more simplified or geometric option. Measure the width of your wall. Choose a specific width for the start of each zigzag that evenly divides into the overall wall width. For example, if your wall is 120 inches long you could have 30 narrow 4-inch zigzags or 10 wide 12-inch ones.

Measure each zigzag by starting at the top edge of the wall. Place your tape at the corner and mark at your desired width. Repeat for each length in equal segments such as increments of 4 inches or 12 inches.

Create your zigzag pattern on the walls. Place your chalk line diagonally, starting from the first pencil mark. To make a zigzag pattern you will need a line that only goes part way down the wall. Hold the line at the top of the mark. Give the other end of the line to a friend or someone who agrees to help you complete the paint work. Ask the other person to pull the line tight on a diagonal. Snap the line down to leave a chalk mark.

Repeat the chalk line steps, but reverse the angle for the zag of your zigzag pattern. Continue the process for each pencil mark, making sure to measure the spaces in between for equal distances.

Line the chalk marks with thin painter's tape to create your own custom zigzag wall stencil.

Pour the second color of paint into a clean tray. Fill in every other set of lines if you're doing more than one set of stripes. Use either a roller or paint brush depending on the size of the zigzags. Use a paint roller for application in wide zigzag patterns and a brush for smaller lines. Allow at least two to four hours for the paint to dry. Re-coat the zigzag stripes.

Leave the paint to dry overnight. Peel the tape off of the walls to reveal your zigzag pattern.