Little-known hack to paint perfectly straight lines transformed my hallway

I've long been a fan of interior design. There's just something so fascinating about the different styles and ways people choose to decorate their homes and the impact it has.

Gone are the days of bland walls and white ceilings, with more and more of us getting creative with how we use paint to give homes a unique and custom feel. One technique I really like is using tape to create a lovely dividing line between two different colours.

I heard about a bit of a hack that makes such a difference when using tape and leaves beautiful, crisp lines. I recently decorated my hallway with the new COAT Paints range - which I thought was excellent paint by the way, more on that below - and this line trick worked a treat.

My first attempt at using tape a couple of years ago ended in disaster. Despite applying the tape nice and straight, I was horrified to see lots of blobs had managed to bleed underneath the tape leaving what can only be described as a bit of a mess.

But learning the new trick changed everything.

You'll first need to decide on the two colours you're using and then paint one half of the wall without any tape. Mark up a line of where you want the divide to go and then paint the wall and go slightly over that line. A spirit level will help you get the line nice and straight, as will a laser level, though another handy gadget I've grown really fond of are chalk lines (the OX Pro is £19.46 on Amazon).

Say you want the dividing line at 70cm up the wall (the height will vary depending on where you want the divide to be) simply measure that amount at both ends of the wall, put the start and end of the chalk line at those points, get it nice and tight and give it a twang. Hey presto, you have a line to guide you on where to put the tape.

I tend to paint the top colour first, then if you get any paint splashes on the wall below it doesn't matter. Once that colour has been painted, next apply the tape along the line, I love the Masq Low Tack Tape (£7.49 at Toolstation) but lots of people use Frog Tape (£5.92 at Amazon).

If you've done the top bit right and painted just over the line you should see a bit of that colour underneath on the bottom half where you're about to paint the next colour. Now comes the magic bit.

Press the tape down nice and firmly and then, using the same colour on the top half of the wall, paint over the tape to create a seal that will stop the bottom half colour from being able to seep underneath any little gaps in the tape. Give that paint time to dry and then you're ready to paint the bottom half colour.

Watch the amount of paint on your brush when going over the tape too. You want that perfect balance so there's just enough to offer nice smooth coverage, but not too much that it's dripping down, or too little that it's leaving patches of the other colour.

Once that's done, pull it off while it's still wet to avoid any big chunks of paint coming off with the tape when it's dried. Fingers crossed, you'll be left with lovely crisp lines.

Inevitably, the odd little imperfection slips through, so I tend to just use a small artist's brush to touch those up, but I've found that using the method of sealing the tape first means there's hardly any paint bleeding through.

As I mentioned near the start of this article, I recently decorated my hallway using this method with COAT Paint's new range and it worked brilliantly. Picking from the new COAT range, I went for the "soft fresh green" Manifest to go on the bottom half, and the "Earthy Pale Beige" Centred for the top.

It arrived quickly and securely packaged with tape on the lid and clips on the tin to ensure there aren't any disasters on its journey. The sticker telling you who's mixed the paint is a nice touch too, with COAT valuing a sustainability ethos. Each colour in the new palette is made with minimal environmental impact, using COAT's made-to-order model to eliminate waste and ensure every can of paint has a purpose.

I've used a few paint brands in recent years and it was obvious COAT is of excellent quality. It's simple to apply in that it doesn't drag, and it feels very smooth going on the wall. There was very little smell so there wasn't that nasty odour lingering in the air you sometimes get - plus it dries quickly.

Centred, the "warm muted beige with soft grey undertones" reminds me a bit of Dulux's Egyptian Cotton (£36 for 5L at B&Q), which I've previously used in my living room. Centred is such a lovely relaxing colour that gives a neutral calming vibe. I liked it so much that I even chose to continue it onto the ceiling too, ditching the traditional white colour in the process.

When I came to do the bottom half, I was delighted with the choice of green in Manifest. It was so much lighter than the existing green on the wall and it felt like it was instantly bringing the hallway to life with every brush stroke. Coverage was excellent in the main, I always find painting a lighter colour over a darker one can be a bit of a pain, but after one coat it was broadly covered well, with a second coat to touch up the bits where the dark was still showing through to complete the job.

I was very impressed with it, the only thing to mention is that it obviously isn't the cheapest out there. I got 5L tins of both Manifest and Centred which are priced at £96 each, while 1L of eggshell paint was £38.

This is high quality paint, but it is more expensive than some other brands. If you are on more of a budget, I've used a variety of paint brands in recent years and have always found Dulux reliable at the cheaper end of the spectrum. One colour I'm particularly fond of and have used in my son's bedroom is Overtly Olive, which can be bought in the brand's 'easycare' finish, which is said to be "washable and tough", something I've found to be true.

That's priced at £42 for 5L at B&Q. I've also used Lick previously, painting my main bedroom in a blue colour, and found it to be very nice paint to use, though again it's pricey coming in at £39 for a 2.5L tin.

READ MORE

'I used fast-growing grass seed and my garden was transformed in two weeks'

Debenhams slashes £124 off patio umbrella with built-in lights in 53% off sale

I tried Simba's Hybrid Firm Pillow to see if it would banish my neck pain for good