Painting With Stencils
Painting with stencils adds a touch a elegance and originality to your home. Stencils are a great way to add art and style to any room of your house – learn how here!
Make Your Stencil
There are lots of stencils for sale in craft and home improvement stores. Most common motifs like leaves, flowers, butterflies, stars, and more are available pre-made. These are usually made of plastic and can be washed and re used with proper care. If you choose to use a pre-made stencil you will need to be careful of smudges from the plastic it is made of – particularly if the plastic is thicker as peeling it off can cause smudges.
Another way to get a stencil is to cut your own from cardboard or paper. These will be flimsier and may need several copies for a good outcome. But if you have a particular design you want to achieve when painting with stencils this is the best way to achieve it. Draw out your stencil and use a sturdy craft knife to neatly cut out design out. Make sure you are careful during this process as if you don’t cut the stencil right you will need to cut it again. Otherwise, you could be stuck with a design on your wall that doesn’t look good! To be extra safe, make multiple copies of your stencil to use on your wall – this also speeds up the job!
Using Paint
When using your stencil, affix it to the wall so it does not slide around. You can use masking tape for this task. A stable stencil keeps the design looking crisp, clean, and professional.. Also be sure to not let paint build up on the stencil as it could leave imprints on the wall where you don’t want them.
There are two main ways to use paint when painting with stencils. The first with a brush or sponge. This type of painting with stencils requires care and accuracy as painting too hard or slipping can make paint go under the stencil and ruin your design. Sponges are easier to use than brushes for sure as they allow for a more even application and use a ‘blotting motion’ to fill the space with paint.
An edgier but faster way to paint with stencils is spray paint. Do not do this if you can’t keep the spray residue off of other areas of the wall! Spray painting with stencils makes the design crisp and perfect and also gives you the chance to do effects like gradients and splatters. Using spray paint also dries faster and gives you better coverage without damaging the stencil so much. Small cans of spray paint are sold at most stores and can give you a great variegated look without the hassle of layering paint with brushes.
Either way, the best way to get a good design painted on your walls with stencils is to hire a professional home interior painting company. A professional makes sure the final product looks great and knows the tricks of the trade to minimize smudges, drips, and other painting problems.
