Stenciling: How to Creatively Use Stenciling in Home Decorating
By Kathy Wilson
Stenciling is one of the most inexpensive, creative, and easy paint techniques you can use to dress up your home. It can be used in any decor from country to contemporary to traditional, and can be used on many surfaces other than the walls. Here is a quick primer on how to stencil, along with a list of creative ways to use stenciling in your home decorating.
How to Stencil:
I prefer to use a stencil brush in most of my stenciling. It is a short, fat, stiff brush that you pounce the paint on with. This keeps the paint from leaking under the edges of your stencil, smearing the design.
Any kind of paint can be used for stenciling. I use craft or house paint. If I stencil fabrics, I mix the paint with a textile medium in a 50/50 ratio. You can get textile medium at any craft store, its kinda like a milky thin paint sold in the craft paint section. The trick is not what kind of paint you use, its to only use a LITTLE! Less is definitely more in this case.
Stencil. You can use as simple or elaborate stencil as you choose, and you can make it or buy it. To make a stencil, simply draw a simple design on a thin sheet of cardboard or acetate, and cut out with a craft knife. Wonderful stencils are available at the discount and craft store for just a few dollars, or you can go all the way up to specialty stencil shops that will sell you stencils for whole wall murals for a few hundred dollars. (Still way cheaper than paying an artist, but not in MY budget!) I find the craft shop pre-made stencil perfectly acceptable for doing a room, and often you get several coordinated stencils in one pack.
Place your stencil on the area you want the design, and hold in place with a little masking tape or stencil spray. Now pour a little paint onto a plate, and dip just the tips of the bristles of the brush into the paint. Now pounce the brush onto an empty spot on the plate to get rid of excess paint. Remember, you just want enough paint to leave color, a very dry brush.
Now using a pouncing motion, pounce the area inside the stencil cut out until it is completely painted. You are not looking for an opaque look here, you want it to look textured, remember, less is more.
Remove the stencil, let dry for a moment, then move on to the next area to be stenciled.
Easy, huh? It is one of the easiest techniques around, but I still advise you to get a piece of cardboard and practice your pouncing a little before you take it onto the walls.
Want some great, creative ideas for how you can use stenciling to customize your home?
Create vertical stripes on the wall like wallpaper.
Stencil an element onto the front of your kitchen cabinet doors.
Stencil the edge of your sheets in the bedroom.
Stencil an area rug onto the front porch.
Stencil a border around the room on your wooden floors. Use gold paint for elegance.
Stencil some flowers on your mailbox.
Border your tablecloths with a stencil you’ve used in other areas of the room.
Stencil the backs of clear plates, let dry, then paint the whole back with a neutral contrasting color. Display them on the wall.
Only your imagination limits the creativity you can display with stenciling. So what are you waiting for?
Kathy Wilson is a home and garden writer, author and consultant and is the home decorating expert for LifetimeTV.com. Visit her for more home and garden ideas at http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com and http://www.TheGardenGlove.com. Also visit her at http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com where any woman can learn to make money on the internet!
