How to Stencil on Walls to Look Like Wallpaper
Disclaimer: I’ve had no formal training as an interior designer, painter, or stenciller of birds. I did, however, just watch a few episodes of The Great Interior Design Challenge on Netflix.
(My boyfriend says I watched the big, glowy box that tells me to spend money. And he says this because prior to the interior design show, I watched one on English gardens which prompted us to spend eleventy billion dollars on plants at Lowe’s the very next weekend. Plants that are still sitting on the covered back porch until all danger of frost is over. It’s wise to have an indoor project when Mother Nature is acting like a big ol’ butthole.)
Step One: Google Images
Or Pinterest if that’s your thing. (I always start with Google and end up on Pinterest against my will.) Find an image that “speaks to you.” After extensive Googling, I stumbled across the image below, and it spoke to me.
It said: “You can’t afford to even breathe the air in an Anthropologie store, much less buy their fancy-ass wallpaper. And even if could afford me, you don’t know how to hang wallpaper.”
All true, damnit. Sigh…
I can, however, afford some paint at Lowe’s and a stencil packet at Michael’s. So off I flew to Lowe’s first to find some gray paint.
Choosing Your Paint Color
Don’t be a scaredy cat when choosing a color. My walls look cool because of the contrast between the dark background and light stencil colors (this is what I liked about the expensive wallpaper). Imagine for a moment the same stencil colors over a light gray background. Can you see it? It’s boring, right? Right.
Most people are afraid of color which is silly considering (a) it’s just paint which can easily be changed with another coat of paint, and (b) there are so many other things in this world that are truly scary. Take, for example, any large predatory cat that screams in the night. I’m terrified of those, but a bold paint color? Nah.
Life is too short to pick the middle color on the paint strip, people.
And buy more than you think you’ll need or you’ll end up making three trips to Lowe’s like I did. The paint might say it will cover in one coat, but it lies! It’ll take two to three coats, I promise.
Choosing Your Stencil
If you have patience to wait for shipping, you can find just about any stencil you desire on the interwebz. Otherwise, just go directly to your local craft store. I went to Michael’s which had a fairly decent selection of stencils. No tall grass though, so I grabbed a pack with flamingos and palm trees.
Do I love flamingos? Not really, but I was intrigued to see how they’d look in softer colors instead of the expected bright pink. And I’m pleased as punch with the result.
You should choose a stencil that you like. Or, one that you kinda like but shows promise — like tigers or pineapples or cowboy boots.
Whatever you choose, I hope it makes you smile when you’re done. This is the goal, right?
Choosing Your Stencil Paint
I actually did a little research on this and, instead of acrylics, I decided to go with latex-type paint in an eggshell finish (the gray wall paint I used is also an eggshell finish). I picked up three small bottles of Martha Stewart stencil paint that were conveniently located right under the stencils (picture below).
I was a tad nervous that the light colors wouldn’t cover the dark gray, and there was no way in the world I was going to do two coats of paint on the stencils. But it covered well, and I’d definitely use this brand again.
Choosing Your Pattern
Now is a good time to reflect on your personality. If you’re a control freak, you might want to measure/map out/plan your attack.
Me? I just winged it. I picked three stencils and a corner to start in and went to town. I guess there was a bit of a method to the madness such as starting at the top of the most visible corner and working my way down. And having three stencils to choose from was helpful in navigating around corners and edges.
It’s common sense but worth noting, too, that the looser your pattern, the easier it will be to adjust it to your wind around walls.
Check out the image below. It’s plain to see how something like this would be easier (and faster) to pull off than a tight geometric stencil.
The geometric stencils are gorgeous, but I’m pretty sure they require some advanced math skills I don’t feel like honing right now.
Here’s one I LOVE but I’d never attempt, but you might be feeling more ambitious.
Other Helpful Tips
- I didn’t tape off anything and got paint all over the baseboards. This took me a lot of extra time (and a fourth trip to to Lowe’s) to fix. If you’re not good at cutting in, you should probably use tape or some other method to keep paint off your baseboards, floors, ceilings, etc.
- Have some wet rags handy to clean up drips. I went through 14 good washcloths because I forgot to buy or make rags. Now I have to buy more washcloths.
- Clearly, I’m not a good person to take painting advice from, but when I posted a picture of my walls on FB, my friend, Marie, asked me how I did it. So this is for her, but maybe someone else will like it, too. (Marie, if you still have questions, call me!!)
- Buy some decent stencil brushes in the appropriate sizes for your stencils. Small brushes for small stencils, large brushes for large stencils. If your brushes are too big, you’ll get paint on the walls outside the stencil box. Ask me how I know. 😫
Good luck!
