How to Decorate Your Walls with Stencils

A craft room is often the only place in the house that’s a designated sanctuary to let your imagination soar. As such, the décor and very walls around you should serve as inspiration for all your brilliant creations to come.

You can make a complete art project out of your craft room using fun, bright colors, hanging creative wallpapers or adding wall decals. Another great technique is stenciling. This centuries-old art form is easy to do and lends a striking and very personal look to your craft room walls.

Start with the basic technique below. Once you get the hang of it you may want to try more intricate methods of stenciling down the road.

Materials For Stencil Project

Stencil(s)

Sample boards (poster board, cardboard or an old pizza box etc.)

Latex or acrylic paint

Dense foam roller with rounded ends

Paint tray

Painter’s tape

Bubble level (Optional)

Step ladder (Optional)

Step 1: Sample

Before starting your project, experiment with different stencils and paint colors on your sample boards. Make sure you’re happy with the base and stencil colors you’ve selected before starting on your walls. Also use this as a time to practice your stencil technique, such as how much pressure to apply on your roller, etc.

Step 2: Clean

Wall surfaces must be clean and dry. If your walls have any holes or cracks, be sure to patch those up before beginning your project.

Step 3: Paint

Apply your base coat of paint and let it dry for 24 hours before stenciling.

Step 4: Position the Stencil

Hold the stencil up to the wall and find the desired position. If your stencil requires it to be perfectly horizontal or vertical, use a bubble level. If your artwork doesn’t follow a rigid pattern, a level isn’t necessary. Once the stencil is positioned correctly, secure it to the wall using painter’s tape.

Step 5: Apply the Paint

Pour approximately 2-3 tablespoons of paint in your paint tray. This is more than enough to get started with your stencil. Be certain you use a dense foam roller. The larger fluffier rollers will absorb too much paint, which leads to bleeding. Roll the roller in the paint until most of the paint is absorbed.

Blot off the extra paint. Roll the stencil with your roller using light to medium pressure. Pressing too hard may cause bleeding under the stencil. Be careful not to roll over the outside edges of your stencil.

Step 6: Check Your Progress

You can check your progress by carefully lifting one corner of the stencil to get a look. If the artwork looks too pale, try applying more pressure. If you’re painting a lighter color over a dark wall then you may need two coats. Wait until the first coat is completely dry before adding a second coat.

Step 7: Move and Repeat

Slowly remove the stencil. Position it to the next repeat section or the area where you would like to stencil and begin the process again. There is no need to clean the stencil each time you reposition it. You’ll need to clean the stencil only once the paint build-up has started to obscure the design.