The chevron wall challenge.

When we bought our home, almost 3 years ago, I was pretty much in love with most parts of the house but one wall keep calling out to be repainted. I'm not sure why I waited 3 years to do it, but one day I came to the sudden conclusion that the purple wall just had to go!

the purple wall (obviously you can see the extreme colour but it's not a great before photo to show the high of the walls)

I literally drove out the next morning to our local paint store (where I must say I'm on first name basis with Fran, the paint lady), bought my paint and 4 coats later I was left with a white wall.
Ha, I make it sound so easy...
Buying supplies was easy but the tricky part began when I suddenly recognised that the roof is actually really high and I have a slight fear of ladders.
But I was determined- and had just bought a lot of paint!
I've never painted a wall before so standing at the top of the ladder was just a little too much to start off with. I opted for the climb up ladder, sit on cupboard option to begin with.

check out how high up I am

However this option still didn't provide me with coverage of the main wall so I had to slowly get more and more adventure and even attempted some leaning on the mantle- ooo how extreme of me :)

But seriously it is a little scary to attempt painting something so high and it was only by the 3rd coat that I was feeling nice and confident.

Because of the extreme purple of the wall it took 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of base white ( Antique white USA) before I was left with a pretty white (but a bit boring) wall.

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Then it was time for the challenging part. I needed to psych myself up quite a bit to get onto it and there was a 2 week gap between when the white wall was finished and when the chevron wall was finished but it's done, and now I can share how!

Step 1:  

Mark the wall. I used a long metal ruler and spirit level to get it accurate. 

This video from Lowes was extremely useful in helping me to make sure the lines were correct. While I was marking it, I found that the whole mantle piece was not actually straight and it took a while to ensure the tape was correct. 

To begin with I drew all the chevron lines using a lead pencil and then covered over them with the tape, ensuring the tape was on the right side. I put the tape right next to the lines but made it so the lines would get painted over.  Since I wanted a perfect finish I used a stanley knife to cut the edges of the tape evenly between points. It really pays to take your time and make sure it's exactly the way you want it. It should look as though some lines are fatter than others but it will all work out in the end.

Step 2:
Paint over the edge of the tape using your base colour. This means that no paint will go through the tape and you will be left with a nice, neat finish.

Step 3:
Paint in those gaps! In my case every second row was grey. Probably the easiest part so far, except reaching the very top. In the end Dad stepped in and his 6'2 height came in handy. We then waited for it to dry for app 2 hours before adding a second coat. 

Step 4:
Peel off the paint and marvel at your new wall. Only a few very small touch ups needed to happen but apart from that was perfect.

 And now some final shots!

I just love it but need to work out how to style the space a little. I'm think I need a circular mirror...at least a
 lot more than the current silver swan and candle.
Do you have any ideas for the mantle/wall?

And now for some info incase you're interested.
Breakdown of supplies needed:
Primer
White paint (Antique white USA- Dulux paints)
Grey paint (Tranquil Retreat- Dulux paints)
Painter's tape
Stanley knife
Pencil and eraser
Rollers and brushes (already owned)
Metal ruler (borrowed from dad but a good quality one can set you back as much as $40)
Spirit level (from shed)
Cost for all supplies: app $120 (but I have some white and grey paint leftover and painter's tape now)

Breakdown of time:
Each coat of white took about 20 mins and 2 hours to dry in between.
The chevron pattern took about an hour to mark out and measure.
The white paint by the tape took about 10 minutes and 2 hours dry time.
The grey coats took about 20 minutes each and 2 hours in between.
Peeling the tape took about 10 minutes
Conclusion: You'll need a couple of days with drying time in between to achieve this look.

I am just so pleased with the end result of my most risky DIY to date. I love my new feature wall and am feeling inspired to get even more 'risky'.

Lisa x
P.s I'm linking up with 
Southern Lovely
We Like To Learn As We Go
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Someday Crafts
Live Laugh Rowe
Seven Alive
52 Mantles
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Bloom Designs
House of Hepworths