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Most latex and acrylic paints work great. Benjamin Moore Aura paint is nice and opaque and covers great but tends to build up on the stencil which may require you to clean your stencil more often. Another Benjamin Moore paint called “Ben” seem to have ideal qualities for stenciling and we really like it and recommend it.
In general, it’s possible to stencil over textured surfaces, however it depends on the roughness of your texture and your desired outcome.
Due to the nature of stenciling, paint bleeding can occur. Bleeding happens when the paint seeps under the edge of your stencil and creates an edge that’s less than perfect.
The idea is more about reducing bleed rather than eliminating it completely. Here are some tips on reducing bleeding while stenciling. See more tips in our “how To” videos.
*Don’t use too much paint! Too much paint on your roller or brush is the biggest reason for bleed. Off load your brush or roller onto paper towels to remove excess paint and build your paint coverage with 2 coats if necessary. Even if you think that you don’t have too much paint on a roller it still may be too much, so please blot off the roller onto the paper towel before stenciling.
*Don’t use a roller with a nap! They hold too much paint. Using a dense foam roller has given us the best results.
*Don’t push the paint under the edge of the stencil and don’t apply too much pressure when rolling or stippling with the brush.
*Stenciling on a flat sheen base coat will work better then stenciling on glossier surfaces because your stencil paint absorbs into the basecoat and dries quicker and has less time to seep under the edge.
*Stenciling with flat latex or craft acrylic paint works best because it dries quickly and has less time to seep.
*Stenciling with gloss paints or glazes will increase the potential for bleed because they dry slowly and have more tome to seep under the edge.
*Using a good spray adhesive like Elmer’s can greatly reduce bleed. Lightly mist the back of the stencil in a well ventilated area and let dry for a minute. Don’t drench the stencil with adhesive because it could transfer to the wall. Re-apply the adhesive every few prints or as it loses it’s tack.
*Stenciling on smoother surfaces always works better then on textured surfaces. If you want to stencil a textured surface, it’s best to select a pattern that is more organic and has less straight lines. This way any paint bleed will be less noticeable. Using a stencil or stipple brush, not a roller seems to work best for textured surfaces.
*The brand and type of paint you use always plays a part in the amount of bleed you could get. We love Benjamin Moore’s “Ben” in flat and most craft acrylics such as Folk Art. Some paints are too watery or too gummy and this may contribute to more bleed.
*Some patterns show bleed more than others. Patterns with straight, crisp geometric lines are less forgiving than organic, ornate, damask patterns.
And finally, this is stenciling! It’s not supposed to look like perfectly printed printed wallpaper or stark wall decals! This is a hand-applied artistic wall finish. In almost every case the bleed that you notice while applying the stencil will never be noticed when the project is finished, or even if you just step 2′ away from the wall.
If paint bleed occurrs, you can quickly wipe it off with a moist rag or baby wipe, or touch it up later with an artist liner brush and some base coat paint. It’s a good idea to clean the paint that bled on the back side of the stencil, since it could contribute to more seepage.
Sure, why not? Just a few things to consider before you start.
First of all, in most cases spray paint is rather toxic. So if you do use spray paint with your stencils try to do the project outside or at least in a well ventilated area. Shake the can well before spraying.
Another thing to remember: spray paint is liquid and tends to drip under the stencil when you sprayed a bit too much. It might be a good idea to use spray adhesive on the back of your stencil so it sticks to the surface. This should help to keep the paint from blowing under the edges of the stencil.
Also, it’s very easy to spray too much paint on. Always start spraying before the stencil openings and move across the stencil evenly. Stop spraying after you’ve passed over the openings. This prevents paint dripping. Spray multiple lighter coats and gradually build up your coverage. You may want to mask the surrounding surfaces to prevent overspray.
And one last thing. Spray paints usually take longer to dry then regular house paints.
In general, we do not recommend using spray paint for interior stenciling, but it is definitely do-able!
When stenciling on furniture, you want to insure good adhesion. If the piece has a varnish or a glossy finish you’ll need to break the sheen. You can do this with a scotch brite pad, steel wool or fine grit sandpaper. Lightly sand the surface and then wipe down the piece with a little denatured alcohol on a rag to remove any grease, wax or furniture polish. When finished, soak any alcohol rags in water, place them outside and dispose of them on trash day. Alcohol rags can spontaneously combust so don’t forget to soak them in water! Next, basecoat the piece if you want to change the overall color. Most acrylic paints work well, but to insure good adhesion you may want to use an adhesive primer such as Stix or Zinnser 1*2*3. These primers can even be tinted to the color you want. After your primer/basecoat is dry you can stencil with whatever paint you like. FolkArt acrylics work great. If you want to protect your artwork, you could then topcoat the table with a clear topcoat in your desired sheen.
A couple of tips we can offer on stenciling floors. First, you’ll need to de-gloss and clean any wax, grease or oil off the floor to insure good adhesion of your paint. You should lightly sand the entire floor with 220 sandpaper. This will break the gloss and allow your paint to stick.
Next, clean the floor. Sweep or vacuum up all the dust and then clean the floor with denatured alcohol. Wipe the floor with the alcohol rag and then follow it with a clean moist rag. As the rags get gunky replace them with fresh ones. Don’t just throw the alcohol-soaked rags in the trash! They could spontaneously combust. Soak them in water and put them outside to dry out.
If you don’t plan on using a top clearcoat, use a special paint recommended for floors as your base coat. If you plan on clearcoating the floor for extra durability, you could use almost any good quality house paint as your basecoat because your durability will come from the clearcoat.
Try to use a flat or semigloss paint as your basecoat. What you really want is good adhesion and quick drying. Oil basecoat paint would be a nightmare. Smell, cleanup 🙁 Forget it!
For stenciling: basically you can use any waterbased paint, latex or acrylics. Do your stenciling as usual, using dense foam roller or brush. You can help drying with a hairdryer if necessary. Or simply let it dry well before top-coating. If you are clearcoating the floor later, you can use a flat sheen stencil paint which will dry quickly. The topcoat will add the final sheen and add durability.
Select a good topcoat in the sheen you want. Remember that the more glossy the topcoat, the more it reflects imperfections. We recommend a satin finish. They make great water-based topcoats these days so there is no need to use oil. The smell is very strong and lasting (harmful too) and the oil also yellows over time which can affect your floor colors.
