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The video is a practice run for a bathroom wall, not a separate bathroom tour. Kristi Linauer tested a hand-painted, six-color ombré pattern on scrap drywall before finishing the remaining wall section. Painter’s tape creates spirals made from concentric squares, while small pieces of a kitchen sponge soften the transitions between neighboring colors.
What the bathroom-progress video actually shows
Linauer’s October 2019 post connects a larger bathroom renovation with a focused design demonstration. A small section of the bathroom wall was still unfinished, so she mixed replacement colors and painted the geometric pattern on scrap drywall first. The test let her judge the palette and blending before committing to the wall. As she wrote, “Since I was doing this test design anyway, I thought I’d do a video and show y’all how I created the design from beginning to end.”
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe finished design is a repeating field of square spirals. Each spiral is outlined with painter’s tape over a square grid, then divided into six color areas. The video’s “demonstration” therefore means a complete practice panel: marking the geometry, taping the lines, preparing paint, applying color, and blending the transitions. It does not document every stage of the bathroom renovation or identify a particular tape brand.
Materials and project figures
The list below separates tools used to construct the pattern from quantities reported in Linauer’s own project account. The measurements and counts describe her 2019 project; they are useful starting points, not universal requirements.
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| Item | How it is used | Project detail |
|---|---|---|
| Scrap drywall | Practice surface for testing the layout and palette before painting the bathroom wall | The video demonstration is performed on a test piece |
| Painter’s tape | Marks the square grid, diagonal guides and concentric-square spiral | The initial design used four rolls |
| Pencil | Marks the square layout and guide lines | Used with a framing square and level |
| Framing square and level | Keeps the 16-inch grid square and aligned | Used for the wall layout |
| Metal straightedge | Helps make long, straight tape runs | Listed in the layout instructions |
| Razor blade or utility knife | Trims tape where a line must end, turn or meet another line | Use carefully on the tape and only where needed |
| Wall-color paint | Provides the base coat and seals tape edges before the colored paint | The edge-sealing coat is part of Linauer’s described method |
| White paint | Lightens selected colors and forms the base for blue and purple mixtures | Behr Polar Bear is named as the historical white used in her palette |
| Teal and purple acrylic craft paint | Adds blue and purple tones to white paint | These additions describe her specific mixtures |
| Kitchen sponge | Cut into small pieces for softening boundaries between colors | Linauer preferred it to a sea sponge for fine blending |
How the square-spiral layout is built
The pattern looks intricate because several simple actions overlap. Start with a regular grid, then use tape to turn each square into a continuous, stepped spiral.
1. Establish the square grid
Linauer’s layout tutorial begins with 16-inch squares. Use a pencil, framing square and level to mark the grid on the prepared surface. Check both horizontal and vertical lines as you go; a small error at the first square can become obvious when repeated across a wall.
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Painter’s tape follows the planned guides. Sections are extended past a turn and then trimmed so the tape can create the square spiral rather than a collection of disconnected boxes. The result is a series of nested, right-angled paths with deliberate openings for the six paint colors.
3. Plan joins before pressing every edge
At corners, decide which tape run continues and which one ends. A metal straightedge helps with long runs, while a razor blade or utility knife makes a clean termination. Press the tape firmly, but remember that the wall or drywall surface and the existing paint determine how aggressively it can be burnished.
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Prepare the color test before painting the wall
The scrap-drywall stage is valuable because the taped pattern can look much harsher than the finished, blended paint. Linauer initially saw a stark contrast in the taped design and reduced the contrast of the final colors. She ultimately selected a more colorful palette for her studio-related project, but the same test principle applies to a bathroom: evaluate the actual colors together on the same surface and under the room’s lighting.
Six colors form one spiral
Each spiral receives six colors. Some of Linauer’s paints were softened with white. For the blue and purple areas, she added teal and purple acrylic craft paint to white paint. The exact proportions are not reported, so match the hue and lightness visually rather than treating a particular ratio as a formula.
Keep adjacent colors separate at first
Paint neighboring colors up to their shared corners without allowing the wet colors to touch. This preserves a controllable boundary. The transition is created afterward with a small sponge, not by flooding one color into the next.
Step-by-step method from test panel to wall
- Prepare a test surface. Set up the scrap drywall so it can receive the same base and colored paints you plan to use. The purpose is to test both color relationships and the handling of the tape.
- Apply the base wall color. Paint the surface in the underlying wall color and allow it to dry according to the paint’s instructions. This base becomes visible in the taped design and is later used to seal the tape edges.
- Mark the grid. Use the pencil, framing square and level to lay out 16-inch squares, following the geometry used in Linauer’s project. On a different wall size, continue the same alignment rather than forcing a partial square into an awkward corner.
- Tape the spiral. Add diagonal guides and repeated concentric-square runs. Extend tape where a turn requires it, then trim the excess with a razor blade or utility knife. Press the edges down carefully.
- Seal the tape. Paint another coat of the base wall color over the taped edges. Linauer’s layout article identifies this order—base color, tape, base color over the edges, then contrasting paint—as the step that produced crisp lines in her project.
- Mix the six-color palette. Lighten selected colors with white. For blue and purple tones, tint white with teal or purple acrylic craft paint, as Linauer did. Keep small amounts available for adjustments rather than mixing a large batch before the test confirms the hue.
- Paint each section. Work around the spiral, bringing neighboring colors up to their shared corners without letting them touch. Follow the tape boundaries and keep the color placement consistent from one spiral to the next.
- Blend with cut sponge pieces. Use small pieces of a kitchen sponge to soften the transition between adjacent colors. Blend while the paint can still merge gently, but avoid scrubbing across the tape line or carrying a dark color into every neighboring section.
- Apply a second coat. Linauer reports that each spiral took two coats and that the second coat made it easier to achieve a soft gradient. Allow the first coat to dry as required by the paint, then repeat the color placement and blending with the same restraint.
- Inspect before transferring the design. Look for uneven gradients, missed corners, lifted tape or a color that dominates the other five. Adjust the mixture or blending technique on the test panel before completing the unfinished bathroom section.
Blending details that affect the ombré result
The sponge is a control tool, not a substitute for keeping the paint sections orderly. Cut pieces from a kitchen sponge so each transition can be handled with a relatively clean surface. Dab or feather at the shared boundary, using the lightest pressure that creates the desired softness.
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Linauer specifically reports that a sea sponge did not work for her fine blending. That is a project observation rather than a rule that every sea sponge will fail, but it explains why the smaller, more predictable kitchen-sponge pieces were used in the demonstration.
Two coats change the appearance as well as the coverage. The first coat establishes the six hues; the second lets the painter refine the gradient and correct thin or uneven areas. Keep the color order consistent so the corners remain legible instead of becoming a single muddy band.
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Adapting the pattern to a bathroom wall
Use the test panel to make three decisions before taping the room: how large the squares should be, how dense the spirals should feel, and how much contrast the palette can tolerate.
| Decision | If you choose the stronger option | If you choose the softer or more open option |
|---|---|---|
| Square size | Smaller squares create more turns and more tape intersections across the wall | Larger squares make each spiral read from farther away and reduce the number of repeated units |
| Color contrast | High contrast makes each six-color segment immediately distinct but can look stark beside the tape | More white or closer values create a quieter ombré transition |
| Blend softness | A narrow blend preserves clear color blocks and visible corners | A wider, gentler blend produces a softer gradient but can reduce the graphic definition |
The 16-inch squares are a documented starting point, not a requirement for every bathroom. Measure the available wall and decide where a partial pattern can end cleanly. A test panel is especially important when the room has corners, fixtures or trim that interrupt the grid.
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Plan tape consumption as part of the layout. Linauer says the initial design used four rolls, but a different wall area, square size or number of spirals will change the amount. The source does not identify a tape brand, so choose tape based on the surface and remove it according to the paint manufacturer’s curing guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Tape-edge problems and other fixes
Paint lifts when tape is removed
Linauer records a small mishap in which tape lifted paint and the area needed repair. If that happens, let the damaged spot dry, feather the repair into the surrounding base or color, and test the tape-and-paint sequence again on the scrap drywall. Avoid treating the repair as evidence that every wall will react the same way; adhesion depends on the existing coating and surface preparation.
Pencil marks remain after the grid is complete
Linauer says she used Mr. Clean Magic Erasers on pencil marks, but one box did not remove all of them. Erase only after the paint has cured enough to withstand gentle cleaning, and test an inconspicuous area first. If a mark remains beneath a light color, touch up with the appropriate base or section color instead of repeatedly scrubbing the wall.
The taped contrast looks too severe
This is the reason to test the palette before finishing the bathroom. Soften selected colors with white, or choose neighboring values that are closer together. Linauer changed away from the stark contrast suggested by the taped layout and selected a more colorful but controlled palette for her project.
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The gradient becomes muddy
Return to the separation rule: bring each neighboring color to its shared corner without letting wet colors touch, then blend deliberately with a clean sponge piece. Too much pressure, too much paint or a dirty sponge can spread one hue farther than intended. A second coat can restore clarity after the first coat has dried.
What the demonstration can—and cannot—tell you
The video is useful because it shows the complete sequence on a manageable test surface and makes the pattern less intimidating than a finished-wall photograph. It establishes Linauer’s method: a 16-inch square layout, painter’s-tape spirals, six colors per spiral, sponge blending and two coats.
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A practical order of operations
For the cleanest transition from experiment to renovation, complete the entire color test before leaving the wall section unfinished. Photograph the successful palette in the bathroom’s actual light, label the six mixtures, and keep the spiral orientation consistent when you transfer the layout. Tape only after the base wall color is ready, seal the tape with that same base color, then work through the six sections and the second coat. This order preserves the crisp taped edges while giving you control over the soft ombré effect.
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