Give Your Walls A Decorative Touch With Wall Stencils
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Wall stencils have existed in the United States since the 1700's. In recent years wall stenciling has made a comeback and its popularity is rapidly growing. Stenciling is a very easy and inexpensive home interior decorating technique.
It involves applying color to your walls through cutout areas in a template. When the template is removed, a crisp, sharp pattern remains.
Stenciling is a wonderful way to add depth and texture to a room. Use this technique to stencil a simple border along the top edge of your walls or around a fireplace. Or, use it to create a wall full of colorful animals in a child's room.
The possibilities are endless…
While wall stenciling will enhance any wall, it can be especially beneficial if your walls have been painted with a flat paint in either an earth-tone color (brown, beige, white, gray) or soft color (blue, green, violet).
These colors have a tendency to make a room seem cold or very subdued, unless enlivened.
Wall stencils come in various size sheets and are made of mylar or acetate.
If you are a "do-it-yourselfer" and only want a basic geometric pattern design, you can create your own wall stencils by purchasing the uncut sheets from any crafts store.
The photograph below shows a very simple stencil design that I made and applied to a bedroom wall. The entire project took less than three hours. If I can do it, anyone can!
Would you like to know how to make your own wall stencils?...Here's how:
Supplies:
1 sheet of mylar or acetate (9" x 11"); Ruler or yardstick; Erasable marker (fine tip); Pencil; Paint (quick-drying paint works best); 1 Stenciling paint brush; Xacto knife (or other razor sharp cutting instrument)
Step 1
Draw a diamond geometric pattern on the sheet of mylar or acetate using the marker and ruler. The pattern in the picture measures about 6 inches from point to point.
Step 2
Lay the acetate or mylar sheet on a hard surface. Using the ruler and Xacto knife, trace along the drawn lines, pressing firmly. Remove the diamond shaped piece of material and discard. Your cut-out wall stencil is now ready.
Step 3
You'll want to make pencil marks on the wall for your first row. For example, if the total length of your diamond pattern is 6 inches then you would make a mark that is 3 inches from the ceiling.
Working left to right, make these marks across the entire length of the wall. When you are done, lightly draw a horizontal line connecting all the marks. You are now ready to begin stenciling.
Step 4
Take your stencil and place it in the upper left corner where the walls and ceiling intersect. Make sure that the left and right edges of the pattern are in alignment with the drawn line on the wall.
While the diamond stencil is held firmly in place, fill in the cut-out area with paint. Keep working from left to right until the first row is done. (Note: Be careful not to smudge the edges of your design as you move along the wall.)
Step 5
After the first row is done, you may be able to line-up subsequent rows by sight. If not, repeat step 3.The only difference will be that your measurements will begin at the bottom of the first diamond pattern.
Another way to get stenciling type results is to use rubber stamping techniques. Stamping is faster than stenciling and there are thousands of interesting designs. For complete details, click here to check out our eBook called Creative Stamping for Walls & Furniture.
If you'd like to read about some of the other interior painting ideas discussed here at Home-Decorating-Made-Easy.com, click here…
Interior Painting ideas
I hope this information on wall stencils has been helpful. If you know someone who could benefit from these tips, please click on the Facebook or Twitter button below and share.
Recommended Reading
(1) Creative Stamping for Walls & Furniture
- If you’ve been thinking about stenciling your walls, stamping is much faster. If you’ve been thinking about applying a faux finish, stamping can give you more dramatic results in less time. And if you’ve been thinking about hanging wallpaper, stamping is less expensive and it’s much easier to change down the road.
Click here for more great ideas to help you with your
home decorating!