Blue and white stripes on a painter’s drop cloth: How to

I love stripes, don’t you? Especially big, bold stripes like the ones I painted on this drop cloth.

This weekend I decided to transform a simple painter’s drop cloth into a bold, colorful table covering that I could use later for a garden party. I decided that a midnight blue  would contrast nicely with the light colored canvas, and would be such a crisp, summer look. So this is what I used.

• I purchased a 9 X 12 drop cloth from Home Depot.
• Frog tape (trust me, it’s a MUST if you want clean stripes)
• small roller
• flat latex paint (I started with a quart, but I needed another one)

Before you begin painting you should know that paint will seep through the drop cloth. Make sure to put it on a protective covering. (Yep, I learned this the hard way)

I decided on eight inch stripes. So I measured the eight inches and used a blue pencil to mark the spot. I did this four or five times for each line. I cut one piece of frog tape that was long enough to cover the length of the canvas. Because I was in a hurry, I chose not to connect the blue marks and make a straight line. Instead, I just started on one side of the canvas and laid the tape down on the blue marks. This is easier with two people. One person keeps the tape taut, and the other person places the tape down, making sure it’s a straight line. Sorry if I’m over-explaining.

Here’s what it looked like when I was finished measuring and placing the tape down.

Oh boy. This is when I started to wonder if I was going to have enough paint. Of course I neglected to consider that a painters drop cloth would be highly absorbent, which means that the paint didn’t go as far as I planned. Oh well, another trip to Home Depot.

Here is the completed canvas. In the afternoon heat, it dried quickly. Once the paint dries, you simply pull the frog tape up.

See what I mean about this tape? If you push down on the edges of the tape prior to rolling on your paint, the result will be painted edges that are nice and clean when you remove the tape.

I didn’t plan it this way, but the blue and white is perfect for the fourth of July holiday. I threw up some white tissue balls and added some stemware, a few shells, plants and flags for fun.

Well, what do you think? Not bad for a painter’s drop cloth huh?

If you’re planning your own outdoor party soon and you’re looking for more ideas, you can see my table decor and menu for My Garden Themed Dinner Party HERE.

Or you can visit my Pinterest Garden Party Board to see some lovely pictures.

I’m linking this post up to Savvy Southern Style.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday with your loved ones!!

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Leslie

 

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