Well, the awesome folks there also gave me a stencil of my choice to try out!
Initally I wanted to use it in out bedroom, but never got around to pulling the bed out yada-yada...
But, when my mom mentioned she was redoing her small sitting room I knew a stencil would be PERFECT for that space.
Here's her space before the putting up the stencil
How It Went
The wall's base color is Glidden's Fauna and we used Lowes' Valspar metal and patina glaze in Pewter for the stencil.
The stencil came with 3 pieces: ceiling/top piece, main body piece, and side piece. I chose to start with the ceiling stencil piece, and ran it all across the top of the wall.
The main stencil lined up easily with the top portion, and was held in place with painter's tape.
Sweet immediate gratification!
And, would you check out that shimmer?!
Yes please! Me likey :D
The rest of the project FLEW by. The main body piece of the stencil is huge so you cover a lot of ground quickly. Big plus for me since I'm incredibly impatient. After I finished up with the main body piece, I used the smaller side piece to fill in the edges of the wall.
Here's the finished wall!
The sun had already gone down by this point so you kind of miss out on how amazing the glaze looks and changes in the sunlight.
It really looks like wallpaper vs. paint due to the glaze.
Tips
Definitely don't over load your roller. The least amount of paint/glaze on the roller is best since too much paint/glaze is what gives you gloppy edges.
Try different sheans of paint or glazes together. I think what made this look so great was using a shimmery glaze over a flat paint. I think another fun look would be using a gloss paint over the same color flat paint.
Map out how your stencil will be placed before jumping in and painting. I started out by holding the upper ceiling and side pieces in place to see how it would line up with my main body piece. That way I didn't run into any issues with placement after it was too late.
My Thoughts
Initally when everyone started talking about how stencils were making a comeback I said to myself, "NEVER!"
I immediately thought of the small stencils my mom put up as borders in the house back in the 80's. She spent SO much time on those things. Using the little stipple brushes, special paint, etc.
These are totally not your mother's stencils :D
Really quick process due to the large size of the stencil. This wall was completed in 2 hours (with a 2 year old running around)
Easy to use. Directions are sent with the stencil. And, if you learn best by watching, they have
video tutorials on their website.
The extra pieces for the ceiling and sides make getting into difficult spots so much easier.
Easy clean up. Since the stencil is so large I put it in the bottom of the bath tub to clean off. Any paint that was stuck in the smaller parts/edges of the stencil cleans of easily with an old toothbrush.
Durable. There was no damage to the stencil after clean up, and the material is thick enough to use over and over again. More bang for the ol buck!
Never would I have thought I'd like a stenciled wall, but I've got to admit it, I really love with the way my mom's wall turned out.
She keeps hugging me and telling me thank you so I think she's pretty pleased with it too :)
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