Things You'll Need:
- Stencil designs
- Sponge
- Latex paint
- Waxed stencil paper
- Semigloss paint
- Round stencil brushes
- Watercolor brushes
- Turpentine
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Step 1
Prepare the walls for stenciling. Whitewashed walls need to be scraped with a blunt tool to remove lime. Go over the walls with sandpaper and wash with a sponge. Apply a coat of white or pastel latex paint. Latex paint is recommended as a base for stenciling, as it allows you to correct any mistakes without evidence of the fix.
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Step 2
Choose your stencil patterns or designs. You can find these at art stores, home stores or on the Internet. (See the link in Additional Resources). You can create your own stencil designs with waxed or yellow stencil paper. Use care when cutting stencils. Any mistakes will show on your walls.
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Step 3
Measure the wall space the stencil will occupy. Adjust the stencil measurement accordingly. You likely will repeat a stencil design on a wall. That's where the measurement comes into play. You want the entire design to be repeated without portions along the edges of the area.
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Step 4
Select colors. It is possible and fun to incorporate multiple colors in a design. Use oil-based, semigloss paints for stenciling.
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Step 5
Apply the stencil-brush method. Cut stencils from waxed stencil paper. You will need to clean the paper with turpentine between applications of colors. It is advisable to make more than one set. Use round stencil brushes, available at hardware stores. Remove excess paint after placing paint on the brush. You need very little paint. Remember that you can add more paint, but removing too much paint is beyond tricky.
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Step 6
Apply paint moving from the outer edges of the stencil toward the middle. Apply the color through every stencil and thoroughly fill in each stencil space.
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Step 7
Correct smudges and other errors with watercolor brushes. Corrections are made on the background paint.
