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Stenciling A Simple Decorative Touch by Bonnie P Carrier
Another simple and easy way to dress up your walls, floor and furniture is with a folk art form of wall painting known as Stenciling.
Stenciling originated as an alternative to buying expensive wallpapers and rugs. Scenes of everyday life were cut into templates then stenciled on walls, wood floors and furniture.
Traditional designs focus on leaves, flowers and other everyday items.
But there's really no limit on what's now available, what you can create, or where you can put stencils. Create wall and/or floor borders, highlight certain parts of a room, cover entire wall sections, or decorate furniture and fabrics.
Now this is something that I’ve done numerous times and absolutely love it. The thing I love about it, is it an inexpensive way to add a real personal touch to any room. The beauty of this particular technique is that once you’ve purchased the basic supplies they can be used over and over again.
Stencil Paints
Stenciling paints can be found in a vast array of colors at craft stores, home improvement store and discount stores. The three common choices are as follows.
- Acrylic This paint has good coverage and works well on large smooth surfaces. It comes in a wide array of colors and textures, from a matt finish to metallic. Common bottle size is a 2 oz.
- Cream One of my personal favorites. There are no runs or drips, which means no seeping under the edge of the stencil. The creams also clean up easy with soap and water. Common size for cream jars is ½ oz.
- Dimensional Paint A new form of stencil paint that sticks to almost any surface with no preparation required. You can add textural interest to walls, wood, paper mache, glass, candles, brick, paper, decorative fabric and more.
Any latex or alkyd-based paint can be used for stenciling projects, so check your garage or basement for leftover paints from previous home decorating projects. Stencil paints work best over an existing flat paint surface, but they'll also work over wood and non-vinyl wallpapers.
Stencil Brushes
Good quality stencil brushes are the most important tools that you will need and use. Regular paint brushes can be used, however the special circular brushes available for stenciling that have densely packed bristles are better for filing in the tight areas of pattern within the stencil.
They also come in several different sizes ranging from 3/8” up to 1”, and indicate the width of the brush head.
It’s a good idea to have a selection of brush sizes available for your project, and have a separate brush available for each color to be used. The size of brush to be used depends largely on the size of the areas that you are painting.
If your purchasing brushes from a local craft store, choose brushes that are sold separately. The reason for this is your able to actually hold the brush in your hand to check for density of the bristles. Also, pounce the brush in your hand and on the shelf to get a feeling of the brushes flexibility and whether or not bristles fall out.
You may be tempted to purchase and inexpensive muti-pack of brushes, however I can tell you from personal experience your not going to be saving any money. These brushes will fall apart and become stiff after just several uses and then your back buying more.
Tape & Spray Adhesive
Painter’s Tape is the best tape available for holding stencils securely. It’s a little more expensive than brown tape, but holds well, and will not mar most surfaces by pulling up the basecoat. For very delicate surfaces, easily damaged, or newly painted surfaces, you may want to use a very low tack tape. For most applications, a small piece of tape at each corner should be sufficient to hold the stencil in place.
Spray Adhesive
Applied to the back of your stencils this adhesive allows you to repositioned your stencil without the use of tape. This can be very useful for applications where it is important for the stencil to be held fully and securely to the surface. Use it when working on ceilings, curved surfaces - such as on furniture - for securing large stencils or a design that needs to go around a corner.
Stenciling Techniques
Begin by applying paint to your brush. Rotate the brush in a swirling motion on a dry paper towel to remove most of the paint – your goal is to have a very dry brush. Apply paint to the stencil beginning from the edge working in toward the middle of the design. Again use the same swirling motion as you did for removing the paint onto the paper towel.
If more than one color is being used it’s best to have a separate brush for each color.
On large projects, it's often easier to apply one color first, moving the stencil as needed. Then go back to the beginning and apply the second color, and so on, until all the colors are done. That way, the first colors will dry before the next ones are applied. It’s best to let the paint dry before removing the stencil, however if you need to move it lift the stencil carefully from the edges.
If this is your first project, I suggest starting with a simple one-piece stencil. Something simple like Ivy or Flowers, as you become more comfortable with the process add to what you have already done. As previously stated Stenciling is an inexpensive way to add drama and personality to any room in your home.
About The Author: Bonnie P. Carrier is the creator of Savvy Home Decorating - The Information Center. She is the mother to two grown daughters and a very spoiled Blue Merle Sheltie named Toby. www.savvy-home-decorating.com
This article is shareware. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article and author’s bio. is left intact including this notice. Copyright © 2007 bonnie carrier.
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