What is Shadow Striping?

Many homeowners across the Washington D.C area are looking for ways to add individuality and sophistication to their homes with advanced painting techniques. Painting contractors offer all kinds of possibilities, from simple rag rolling to complex murals. Shadow striping is one elegant method of faux finishing that is gaining popularity in fashionable homes, and it doesn't take a professional house painter to accomplish it!

Simple, subtle and stylish, shadow striping is when a wall is painted so that is one consistent color, but has vertical stripes of alternating glossy and flat surfaces. These stripes create a formal pattern that works beautifully in dining rooms and powder rooms, and sometimes in an entryway or foyer. Manor works, a painting contractor based in Sterling, VA, recommends using shadow stripes as an excellent way to emulate high-end wallpaper, at a fraction of the cost!

Planning well is the most important factor in achieving attractive results in home redecoration. When considering shadow stripes, house painters and professional designers consider several important aspects, including color choice, sheen, stripe width and full-wall or half-wall application.

Shadow stripes show up most effectively with rich, dark colors, such as burgundy, dark blue and forest green. This technique is still visible and pleasing when using lighter colors, but it will be less prominent. Also, the stripes can be painted with semigloss or high gloss paints, and the higher the gloss, the higher the impact! In addition to this important choice, the homeowner can select from two different products. Some house painters use a clear-coat polyurethane for the gloss stripes, which creates a stronger contrasting appearance. Most painting contractors prefer a higher-sheen version of the same color wall paint, however, since its longer drying time is easier to work with.

Stripe width is generally a function of the size of your room. In a traditional dining room, 6 or 8 inch stripes are usually preferable, while in a powder room or similar small space, 4 to 6 inches is the desirable range. In a very large room, stripes can be quite large, from 8 to 12 inches.

Finally, shadow stripes can be applied to a whole wall, but if the wall has chair rail installed, it is common to use the stripes only above or below the rail. If this is the case, you can use a solid application of the same color, or a coordinating color on the other side of the rail.

See our next post for information on how to tape and paint shadow stripes.

Shadow stripes can be painted by a patient and careful homeowner, but for professional results in far less time, consult a residential painting company, such as Manor Works. We serve northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland, as well as the rest of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

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