If you’re looking to get even more creative with your unique interior walls, may we suggest adding an argyle patterned wall? This pattern can get a little complicated so let our professional painters walk you through the step-by-step process. Once you’ve mastered the math (sorry about that), you’ll be able to freshen up any room with an argyle pattern.

Calculating the Dimensions

In order to calculate the necessary dimensions, first need to decide how many diamonds you’d like on our wall. To keep it simple, pretend you have a wall that is 100” tall and 140” wide and that you’ll be putting 36 diamonds on it, 4 diamonds high by 9 diamonds wide.

The first calculation will be to divide the height of the wall by the number of rows of diamonds we will have. So 100 divided by 4 is 25, meaning each of our diamonds will be 25” tall. Next, divide the width of the wall by the number of columns of diamonds. That will be 140 divided by 9 which is 15.56, meaning each of our diamonds will be 15.56” wide. That means you’ll be painting a total of 36 diamonds that are 25” x 15.56”. You can experiment with the dimensions of your wall to make sure the diamonds look good.

Pick Out Your Colors

Keeping in mind the color of the other walls in the room, select two to eight colors to use to paint the diamonds. Our Basic Color Theory blog can help you pick out colors if you are having a hard time finding matching colors. You can also Google images of argyle patterns and use them as inspiration. Once you have your colors picked out, draw a sample of the entire wall on a piece of paper and label each diamond with the color it will be. This will give you something to reference during the painting phase.

Create the Templates

Using some thin plastic sheets and a straight-edge, draw and cut out your diamond templates. You don’t need to create a template for each diamond, but having three or four will help the masking process go quickly.

Use Templates to Tape First Set of Diamonds

Starting in the top/left corner of the wall, use one of the templates to create a tape outline of where the diamond will go. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to paint all the diamonds at the same time because the tape would get in the way, so use one of the other templates to measure the space to the right of the first diamond and then use your third template to create a tape outline for the third diamond. Once the third diamond is outlined you can remove the first and second templates and use them for masking the rest of diamonds.

Continue this across the wall for the first row. When you get to the second row, you’ll need to start with the second diamond because there will be tape above the first spot from the diamond above it. Instead, use a template to measure the space for the first diamond and then use another to create a tape outline for the second diamond. This will continue until you’ve taped off for every other diamond on the wall.

Paint Inside the First Set of Diamonds

Before you paint the diamonds, check your diagram that shows which color each diamond should be painted. Once you’ve painted the diamonds, let them dry and then remove the tape. The image below will help you visualize this process. You will be painting the diamonds labeled “1st” in the first set and the diamonds labeled “2nd” in the second set.

Use Templates to Tape Remaining Diamonds

Just like you did with the first set of diamonds, use the templates to create tape outlines for the remaining diamonds.

Paint Inside the Second Set of Diamonds

Using your diagram again, paint the insides of the remaining diamonds. Once the paint is dry, remove the tape outlines.

Use a White Marker to Draw Connecting Lines

Finally, draw the white diagonal lines that run through the diamonds. The first step of this process is to measure the halfway point of each side of the diamonds and mark them using a piece of thin chalk. Because all the diamonds are the same size, this shouldn’t take too long. Once we have those marked we will use a yardstick or long straightedge to connect the marks diagonally. (If you don’t have an extra set of hands to hold the straightedge, you can use painter’s tape to keep it in place.) For drawing the connecting lines, we suggest using a Water Based Paint Marker.
For more interior painting tips, read our blog about adding fall colors to your home.