STENCIL TIME

Add decorative flair to an interior wall with a historically inspired stencil. This type of treatment was common in the Colonial era as an alternative to pricey wallpaper. Embellishing with a stencil is easy to do— if you’ve been blessed with patience—and economical! Follow along to stencil a wall in your home.

Materials and Tools

• Stencil

• Pencil

• Painter’s tape

• Repositionable spray adhesive

• Foam paint roller or foam stencil sponges

• Paint tray

• Paper towels

• Acrylic decorative paint

• Damp rag

Instructions

1. Clean the area to be stenciled with a damp cloth. Allow to dry. Position the stencil on the wall and mark its placement with faint pencil lines. Repeat this step until you’ve added guidelines for the entire area to be stenciled. Note: For best results, only stencil on untextured walls that have been painted with a low-sheen finish.

2. Lightly coat the back of the stencil with adhesive and align it with the first set of pencil guidelines. Press into place on the wall. If the corners curl up, secure them with painter’s tape.

3. Load a foam roller or stencil sponge with paint and roll or dab off excess paint on a paper towel. The tool should feel nearly dry to the touch. To test, gently press your finger to the roller or sponge. If paint bubbles up, there is too much paint and it will not stencil well.

4. Apply paint evenly over the stencil, moving the roller in one direction. For smaller areas, use a stencil sponge. Lightly dab or swirl in a tight circular motion. Allow the paint to dry completely. Repeat until you have the color saturation on the wall that you desire.

5. Wipe away the pencil lines with a damp cloth.