Give a teen boy’s bedroom walls a checkerboard finish to transform the space from boring to bold. Go for a classic black-and-white checkered finish on one wall for a look inspired by a racing flag, or even pick two of his favorite shades that pair well together for a personalized interpretation. If the contrast between colours makes a daring statement, limit the look to one wall within view at a time to prevent visual overload.
Preparing the Space
Move all of the furniture away from the walls being dust and painted the walls entirely from top to bottom; otherwise, debris may stick in the primer or paint. Protect the edge of the ceiling, as well as the baseboards, with painter’s tape; then cover the ground in front of the wall using a hammer. If the present paint finish is shiny, scuff it gently with sandpaper, then wipe away the dust away. This ensures better paint coverage with all the new finish.
By Base Coat to Checkerboard Basics
Paint the walls with the lightest of the two checkerboard colours. If using two of the exact same shade — one apartment, one in a higher gloss — utilize the apartment paint as the base coat. Apply a second coat if the original wall colour shows through as soon as the first coat dries. Once the base coat is completely dry, measure the wall’s width and length; then decide upon a square size for the checkerboard pattern. Depending upon the square size and wall’s dimensions, some wall edges may end up with partial squares, therefore plot the design on graph paper to ascertain the perfect visual design, based upon your vision to the space. Plot the initial square for the center of the wall if you want partial squares at the two ends, or start at the same end of the room if the belief needs to have a full square along that edge.
Plotting the Pattern
Plot from the checkerboard’s lines from starting at the top left corner of the room, measuring the desirable magnitude of one square, then earning a pencil mark. Repeat the process all of the way across along the top edge of the wall, then again at the bottom, starting in the bottom left corner. Combine the pen lines employing a massive straightedge, or shine a laser level on the wall to skip the massive pencil lines. Put strips of tape across the pencil or laser line so the tape marks the exterior lines of the initial and all odd-numbered columns. The tape sits within the even-numbered columns, therefore the sizes will look off. Plot the flat lines in the exact same style, using pencil marks or a laser amount before taping, again positioning the tape so it rests outside the lines on all the odd-numbered boxes, inside the lines on each of the boxes. Draw a little “X” in pencil in each box, then marking it to be painted using the second shade. The marks show up in the full-sized or odd-numbered boxes.
Coloring the Checkerboard
Paint all the marked boxes with a small roller or a brush. Once the paint is dry, remove the tape from the unpainted areas that look like smaller squares due to the tape positioning. Re-tape the lines as required, covering part of the newly dried paint, to fill in the remaining squares using paint. Mark the locations that still require paint using “X” marks, even though it could be evident without them. Paint the squares demanding paint, and get rid of the tape after all of the paint is dry to the touch.
Vivid Variations
Instead of black and white or one color against another for the checkerboard, create your own variation with synthetic finishes or one sheen played against another. For instance, create a colour wash or artificial marble effect in a few of the squares, or even a brushed stainless steel effect using metallic paint played against a soft gray. To get a sheen-on-sheen look, use the exact same shade for the two paint, but various sheens: one flat, 1 semi-gloss.