How to Paint Stencils for a Baby's Room
A baby coming into your home can be exciting, and decorating and painting a nursery is part of the experience. One way to add decoration to a baby's room is to paint stencils. By using stencils you can add the images of teddy bears, alphabet blocks, stars or animals to the room without hanging wallpaper or using decals. Select a theme ahead of time, such as gardens or underwater scenes, and choose only stencils that work with the theme you choose. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stencil frames
- Masking tape
- Foam paint brushes
- Interior wall paints
- Damp sponge
Instructions
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Tape the stencil frame to the surface you want to decorate. Paint with foam brushes in the open areas of the stencil with a dabbing motion. Pull the stencil off the surface in one motion to avoid disturbing the wet paint. Wipe the back of the stencil with damp sponge before placing in a new location.
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Stencil images on the ceiling above the baby's crib or changing table to give the baby something to look at when lying on her back. These stencils should be larger items so they can be seen by the baby from below such as butterflies, clouds or monkeys.
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Create the look of a wallpaper border along the top edge of wall or the appearance of a chair rail border by using the same stencils repeatedly or in a sequence across the wall. This could be a vine with flowers, letters of the alphabet, or a series of blocks, rattles and storks.
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Add interest to the walls by placing stenciled images uniformly to create a faux wallpaper design or stencil sporadically for a random look. This can be done throughout the room or along just one wall to draw attention to one side of the room.
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Stencil around the permanent items in the room such as doorways, light switches, window frames and door knobs to brighten and draw attention to them.
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Use some of your stencils to add images to the furniture in your baby's room. The outside edges of dressers, changing tables, and toy boxes are all acceptable locations to incorporate your stencils.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to use more than one color of paint on a stencil, such as a brown teddy bear with a pink ribbon, then apply the colors specifically to the openings of the stencil where you want them to show without moving the stencil between colors. Use thin foam brushes or brushes with a pointed end to help you work in the small openings.
Always allow your paint to dry at least overnight before working in the room further to avoid smudging the wet paint or brushing something against it by accident.
Do not paint stenciling around the electrical sockets or heating elements of the nursery to avoid attracting your child to an area of danger in their room.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
