how difficult is wall stenciling?

10 years ago

I have a plain off-white wall (actually, i have a house of them, but i will deal with them one at a time!) I was wondering about doing a moraccan style geometric pattern as a feature wall in one of the rooms, but just wondered how difficult it is to actually do. The online tutorials from companies that make the stencils make it sound so easy and fool-proof, but is this really the case? Does the paint 'bleed' under the stencil? Is it difficult to get it the pattern to line up? What about the corners of the walls, how tricky are they?

Featured Answer

Bev

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

Wall stenciling is not as easy as it looks. I did some at our last house. The best way to keep the stencils down so that paint does not bleed is to tape the stencil as securely as you can to the wall while you are painting. The main tip I can give you is to make sure that you pounce your paint on. That will also keep the paint within the design. Never load too much paint on your brush because it will not pounce correctly and will run down the wall. Here is some info that will help you:

http://painting.about.com/od/stencillingdecorative/a/Stenciling_Tips.htm

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Comments (7)

eileen pearson
10 years ago
I took a stenciling class back in the 1980's. To prevent paint from bleeding you should dip your brush (rubberband the lower third of the bristles tightly together) lightly in paint then using a folded paper towel, brush in circles on the paper towel to remove excess paint. The brush should seem almost dry of paint when stenciling. Taping the stencil down tightly is also a must! Good luck. I had fun, practiced a lot first but loved the look
Littleboysmum thanked eileen pearson
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
10 years ago
I would start with a simple stencil instead of something intricate like a morroccan oneuntil you get the hang of it as mentioned an almost dry brush is the trick and don’t be in a hurry. Maybe a small stencil,in a bathroom for starters.
Littleboysmum thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Get the right brush. You can use acrylic craft paint (I have done fabric to walls to dressers with it)

Squidge some paint onto a disposable plastic plate (the divided ones work well if you're doing shading and need more than one color), Swirl your brush, pushing down a little. Then remove 90% of the paint by swirling onto layers of paper towel. It should feel just damp on your hand. Pounce onto your stencil until the desired shade is reached. There is a tacky spray you can use for sticking it to your wall, but I have not tried it. I just use painters tape.

You will have to wash your stencil after 3-4 times because the paint dries quickly and builds up on the edges causing a murky line.

Honestly it's way easier than I thought it would be.
Craftsman Junky
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
The best way to keep the stencil adhered to the wall is to spray the back of it with spray adhesive. I've stencilled three bedrooms now and I've loved doing it. I also use oil paint. The best book I've found for learning how to stencil walls is "Stenciling the Arts & Crafts Home".
PRO
Deb Perry Studio
10 years ago
Before you paint, consider if you will ever want to go back to solid again. I painted a wall a large harlequin pattern by outlining the diamonds with painters tape. Looked gorgeous. Until I decided to go back to a plain wall again. No matter how many coats of paint I put over it, the different thicknesses of the paint cast diamond-shaped shadows. Finally had to sand down the entire wall to get rid of the ridges. Aaaughhh! Good luck!
baileysr
10 years ago
I did not find stenciling to be very hard to do (and I'm not
particularly handy or crafty). The little guide marks that they print on the stencil to help you line it up really work well. There are several things from a craft store that I found extremely useful: 1)spray adhesive made specially for stencils and turns them into post-it-note type stickiness, so they stay put while you paint but are easily removable 2) a stencil brush that is specially designed for the dabbing that you do and 3) stencil paint that is super thick and concentrated. While you can use other paints, stencil paint makes it easier for you to keep a crisp edge. Also, because you use so little of the stencil paint, you can paint over it when you're tired of the stencil look and never see any sign of the previous stencil.

how difficult is wall stenciling?

Bev

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eileen pearson

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