HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED

1. Wall Pattern Stencil Kit
   
2. Sample board (poster board, cardboard etc)
   
3. Latex or acrylic paints, including basecoat paint
   
4. Dense foam roller with rounded ends, stencil brushes
   
5. Regular nap roller and sash brush for basecoating
   
6. Paint tray and large styrofoam plates
   
7. Low tack painter's tape, spray adhesive (optional)
   
8. Cutting Edge Stencil Level (optional)
   
9. Paper towels or rag, cleaning tools & liquid soap
   
10. Step ladder
    
    
    

Make sure your walls are clean, dust free and in good condition. Any cracks or chips should be repaired, filled, primed and painted prior to stenciling. Basecoat your surface in your desired latex flat color. You'll need at least 2 coats of basecoat for good coverage. Your base coat should be fully dried for at least 24 hours prior to stenciling.

Now pour some acrylic or latex paint onto a foam plate. You don't need much, about 2-3 tablespoons of paint is enough to start with. Have your dense foam roller (or stencil brush) ready.

Load your foam roller by rolling it into the paint a few times until it absorbs most or all of it. Use only dense foam rollers with rounded edges. These are available on our website.

Now blot off the excess paint on a folded paper towel by rolling it back and forth a couple times. There should be no visible paint on the roller surface; it should look almost dry. Remember, it's better to have less paint on your roller than too much paint.
About paint for stenciling: Any waterbased paint should work. Craft acrylics are great, regular latex paint will work but the best in our opinion is Benjamin Moore paint called Ben. This paint is very economical and covers really well with 1 coat. It has just the right consistency for stenciling. OK, now you're ready to stencil!

Don't avoid edges of the wall when you stencil. As with wallpaper, the best look is when your pattern is cut off at the ceiling and floor. Tape off the area at the ceiling or floor with a piece of blue tape. Position your stencill so it overlaps the edge, secure it with tape and roll it right into the crease. If you want to get all the detail at the crease, use a stencil brush with a little paint and a dabbing motion. Continue until you are done with all repeats for Stencil # 1.

When you need to take a break from stenciling in the middle of the project, just cover your paint tray with plastic wrap, and tightly wrap a piece of plastic or foil around the roller to prevent the paint from drying out. When you're ready to re-decorate, lightly sand your walls and simply roll 2 coats of basecoat paint over your stenciling and it's gone.

TIPS, TRICKS AND OTHER NOTES

LOADING THE ROLLER
It's important that your roller has the right amount of paint evenly absorbed into the foam. Make sure to use a little bit of pressure while rolling it into your paint and then distribute the paint evenly by rolling it over the surface of your foam plate. This helps to absorb the paint evenly into the foam. It's best to use large flat styrofoam plates since most paint tray surfaces have some kind of embossed pattern on them and this tends to prevent even distribution of the paint. There should be no unabsorbed, uncolored spots on the roller surface. Also, there should be no visible chunks of paint. A perfectly loaded roller looks even in color and it's surface looks almost dry.

CORNERS
Don't be intimidated! Corners are no big deal if you follow our instructions. For best results, tape and stencil one wall at a time. Secure half of the stencil in place leaving the other half unattached. Roll it straight into the corner (or use your stencil brush), then carefully un-tape the finished half while holding the stencil in place with your hands. Now secure the other half with tape and roll that half into the corner, checking your level if necessary. Now you can remove the stencil. Don't worry about filling every little bit of design in the corner crease. Your eye fills these gaps and makes it look completed even if there are some unstenciled areas left. A few more corner tips: Taping the stencil to both walls at once usually does not produce a good result. Using spray adhesive may help with holding a large stencil in place when working on corners.

MISTAKES
Usually it's enough to just wipe off a fresh mistake with a wet cloth, baby wipe or moist q-tip. It is always a good idea to have some basecoat paint at hand in case you need to correct bigger mistakes. In this case, just re-roll or re-sponge your basecoat over a dry mistake. It may take 2 coats to cover. Let it dry completely and now you're ready to re-stencil the area. 

About seepage and imperfections: Even with a proper loaded roller and correct technique you might get some minor seepage here and there. In most cases it's not noticeable, especially from a couple of feet away and it can be easily touched up with a small brush. Don't forget that you're creating a "hand-painted wall finish".  A few imperfections and some paint seepage here and there are natural and inevitable for this type of work. To avoid seepage, use spray adhesive and less paint on your roller and brush.

About spray adhesives: We find that it is not necessary to use spray adhesives with stencils. However, if you want to minimize paint seepage or are using high contrasting colors, adhesive  is very helpful (Elmer's spray adhesive seems to be the best). Make sure you shake the can well and lightly mist (not drench) the back of the stencil, and let it dry for a moment before positioning it on the wall. This step will prevent the adhesive residue transferring to the wall. You'll need to re-mist the stencil after a few repeats. Clean-up tip: Spray the stencil with Simple Green to help to remove adhesive residue.