High-Tech DIY Projects: DIY Chevron Painted Stairs

Hello black and white pattern lovers out there!
I know there are some of you who have tired of chevron, but it remains my favorite geometric pattern to date! In fact, I made it a permanent fixture on this little set of stairs in the kitchen that leads up to our main staircase.
Painted in black and white hues makes this a pretty bold and busy pattern so if your staircase is much larger, you may want to skip every other or every two stair steps so the pattern doesn't overpower the area.
Let's get started!

My home is over 100 years old and these stairs are original! And while the top of the stair treads had never been painted, the kickplates had been painted white at some point it our home's history.
However, I love the contrast of the stained wood with the painted pattern.

diy chevron painted stairs, painting, stairs

You'll want to start by gathering some tools and supplies:
Exacto Knife (sharp)
Triangle Template (stiff - like foamboard)
Pencil
1" Painter's Tape

I wasn't too worried about the size of my template. I simply measured the height of the kick plate and cut out a triangle that fit within that measurement. I knew I would be using 1 inch tape so I made sure my triangle stencil was roughly 1 inch in width as well.
I only used this stencil for the first triangle. For the smaller triangles I just eyeballed the angle I needed and overlapped my tape.

I find that painter's tape works best when you paint over it with your base coat so you get a really nice seal between the tape and the surface. Then let it dry... I used a fan to speed up the process.

Once the base coat of white was dry, I painted the whole thing black for the color of my chevron stripes. I painted two coats.

And then the most delicate part... the peeling of the painter's tape. I'm not gonna lie, it takes A LOT patience! And maybe a glass of wine or two...
But alas, you will have all the tape removed eventually! And don't fret... there will be paint that peels in the wrong places. That's OK! I simply took out a paint brush with a straight edge and filled in the missing parts.
As my husband reminded me, no one is going to have their face up next to the stair kick plates, so take a few steps back to admire your work and don't worry about the little details.

See, no more mistakes!! Yippee! It adds a big impact to a little space.

A few years later and I am still in love with these stairs and the bold pattern. If you want even more details and a few more pictures of the entire process, please visit my blog!