Top Tips to Make Your Stencils Look Awesome

Using stencils is a good method of decorating walls and other surfaces in your home. Unlike wallpaper, you do not have to bother about surface preparation or the hassle of removing old wallpaper before fixing the new one. Also, you can customize wall stencils in many ways to give your home a distinctive and unique look. While getting your hands dirty is the best way of learning how to work with stencils, taking advantage of some pro tips will help you achieve better results.

Use Minimal Paint

Unlike what many people assume, you get the best effect from stencils when you use small amounts of paint. It is a dry brush method, where you need to wipe off the excess paint after dipping the brush into the paint, and you need to repeat every time you load the brush with fresh paint. Overloading the brush with paint can cause too much to be applied on the surface and cause it to run. Experts suggest wiping the excess paint before applying by running the brush on the edge of the paint container, a plate, a paper towel, etc. After some time, you will find out the right amount of paint to leave on the brush. It is better to be cautious and use less paint because you can apply another layer if you need to. According to How Stuff Works, you should work with an almost dry brush.

Use High-Quality Paint 

It is tempting to add a little bit of water to make your paint go a little more, and indeed while you can do it with ease with painting your wall, it can be disastrous for your stencil painting project. While if the paint is too thick, it tends to be difficult to spread with your brush, if the paint is watery, it will run and bleed under the stencil set, which will spoil the design. The test of an ideal viscosity is when you tilt the can; it should slowly pour out of it, not splash out. If you buy paints from reputed brands, you can avoid this problem.

Use Good-Quality Stencil Brushes

Unlike wall painting brushes with flat rectangular heads, brushes for applying stencils have a flat but circular head that makes it easy to apply the paint on the stencils and achieve uniform coverage. Brushes with animal hair bristles brushes are better than plastic bristles. Synthetic bristles are soft and do not hold the paint well since they spread apart too much. Another aspect that can ruin your stencil project is the bristles coming off the brush, which is why you must inspect them carefully before buying. You will also invariably get better results by using brushes with small heads.

Conclusion 

In addition to the above tips, you need to ensure that the stencil does not shift when painting. You can use adhesive tape or even use an adhesive spray on the back of the stencil to hold the stencil in place. Painting in an up and down motion prevents the paint from moving under the stencil. Applying the paint in several layers will get better results.