My Homemade Stash: Black & White Striped Bookshelf

I am obsessed with all things black and white. Especially stripes. When this little babe came into my life, it was screaming paint stripes on me. I am going to show you an easy way to paint stripes without even using a ruler. You can find an old broken down, sad looking bookshelf at a flea market or garage sale. Anything would work for this, as long as the shelves are removable.

To prep your bookshelf, use an orbital sander or sand by hand. Lightly sand the paint. If your bookshelf is made from particle board, be careful not to sand through the paint to the board. The texture will show through when you paint.

Once you have sanded, wipe it down with a clean cloth to remove dust. To create your stripes use painters tape in the size of the stripes you want. I used 2" tape. Use scissors to make a straight edge and lay the tape evenly down one side of the shelf from top to bottom. It is easier to make the bottom edge straight if you stop half way and then come from the bottom to meet in the center. The trick is to match up your tape edges exactly; if you hang one side of the tape off, even a little, it will show in your stripes. You can also use the edge of a credit card and gently slide it down the edge of the tape to help shape it into a straight line. Repeat this all the way across, lining the tape up next to the previous row. Once you have filled the entire back of the bookshelf, carefully remove every other tape row. This will leave perfectly spaced stripes. To prep the tape for painting, slide a credit card over the edges to help seal them.

Now you're ready to paint. Use any spray paint, in any color or finish you like. I got my paint from Jo Ann’s. I chose black with a flat finish because I was matching other furniture in my son’s room. A satin finish will still give a matt-like finish, but is easier to work with and shows less flaws. Flat paint has a way of showing everything you're trying to hide. Spray your shelves with an even, thin coat. Repeat two or three times until you achieve even and full coverage.