From time to time, we all get bored with our living space. Stencilling offers a fast and inexpensive solution for giving any room a little pick me up. Creating some new artwork for your walls or personalizing a piece of home decor that you already own with a stencil really takes no time at all. And the result can be exactly that little bit of something extra that your space so desperately needed. With just a little bit of paint, a brush and a few other tools, you can create something that drastically changes the way your space looks, without breaking the bank or gobbling up all of your free time.
Stencilling can be done on a wide variety of surfaces, from walls, floors and furniture to paper, textiles and metal. Although flat surfaces are the easiest to work with, you can also stencil on rounded or textured areas. For best results, here's how you should prepare the material you're working with:
Stencilling is a budget-friendly activity that can liven up any living space, but you really need to make sure you have the right tools for the job.
We've used countless different stencil bases, including varying thicknesses of paper, vinyl and mylar, and a 10 mil reusable mylar material was by far our favourite as a stencil base. Paper and vinyl stencils aren't reusable, so if you make a mistake while stencilling or if you want to stencil more than one thing, you're out of luck.
Mylar is resusable and easy to clean so it immediately won our hearts. When it comes to thickness levels, 10 mil is the easiest to use for misc. home decor projects. If you go any thinner than 10 mil, the stencil becomes very fragile and you need to handle them with extreme care. If you go any thicker, you really risk paint globbing up on the inners of the stencil which can lead to stencil bleed and make your project look really messy.
When undergoing a stencilling project, your application tool is key. Ideally you’ll want to use a stencilling brush because their bristles are stiff and thickly packed in order to reduce the risk of your paint bleeding underneath the cut out areas of your stencil. You can use a plain paint brush or sponge as well - you'll just need to be extra careful that your paint doesn't pile up in the cut out areas of your stencil.
The surface that you choose to stencil on will determine the type of paint you’ll need. Acrylic paints are versatile and should work well for most projects. But you’ll want to do some quick research to make sure the type of paint youre using will adhere to the surface you’re stencilling on. If you’re using your stencil outdoors, you’ll need to make sure that your paint will stand up to weather conditions.
Once you’ve determined the position of your stencil, you’ll need to attach it to the surface. We recommend using a spray adhesive on your stencil for this part, as it will keep your stencil completely flat and minimize paint bleed. Alternatively, you can use masking tape around the edges, but if your stencil has finer detailing, your paint might seep under.
When undergoing a stencilling project, your application tool is key. Ideally you’ll want to use a stencilling brush because their bristles are stiff and thickly packed in order to reduce the risk of your paint bleeding underneath the cut out areas of your stencil. You can use a plain paint brush or sponge as well - you'll just need to be extra careful that your paint doesn't pile up in the cut out areas of your stencil.
The surface that you choose to stencil on will determine the type of paint you’ll need. Acrylic paints are versatile and should work well for most projects. But you’ll want to do some quick research to make sure the type of paint youre using will adhere to the surface you’re stencilling on. If you’re using your stencil outdoors, you’ll need to make sure that your paint will stand up to weather conditions.
Once you’ve determined the position of your stencil, you’ll need to attach it to the surface. We recommend using a spray adhesive on your stencil for this part, as it will keep your stencil completely flat and minimize paint bleed. Alternatively, you can use masking tape around the edges, but if your stencil has finer detailing, your paint might seep under.
A measuring tape and/or ruler are really helpful tools to have. It's really disappointing when you peel back your stencil and realize that it's uneven on one side. Taking the time to measure your project before placing your stencil down is a real time saver in the end.
Paper towels or a rag are handy for offloading any excess paint on your brush before applying it to your stencil. Regardless of your application tool, overloading it can cause paint to seep under your stencil and create a blotchy result.
Depending on the project you're doing, it might be helpful to use some painter's tape to additionally secure your stencil to the surface you're stencilling. It's especially helpful with larger projects.
A measuring tape and/or ruler are really helpful tools to have. It's really disappointing when you peel back your stencil and realize that it's uneven on one side. Taking the time to measure your project before placing your stencil down is a real time saver in the end.
Paper towels or a rag are handy for offloading any excess paint on your brush before applying it to your stencil. Regardless of your application tool, overloading it can cause paint to seep under your stencil and create a blotchy result.
Depending on the project you're doing, it might be helpful to use some painter's tape to additionally secure your stencil to the surface you're stencilling. It's especially helpful with larger projects.
The biggest problem you'll face with stencilling is paint bleeding under your stencil and creating a blotchy painted mess on your project. Here are our top three tips and tricks for eliminating (or at least drastically reducing) the paint from seeping under your stencil's edges.
If you're using a spray adhesive, use a rag or your finger to press down all of the inner edges to make sure they really bind to your material, as this will prevent paint from bleeding under.
Before applying any paint to your project, dab your brush off on a paper towel or old rag to remove any excess paint. This will also help reduce the risk of paint bleed.
If you'd like a thicker pigment of paint, allow your first layer to at least semi-dry before applying an additional coat.
