A stenciled design can perk up nearly any piece of furniture. You can design a pattern or choose one from a book, magazine, computer clip art or other source. This furniture stencil can be used on nearly any surface such as fabric, wood, or metal. Whether you're the crafty type or a complete beginner, you can quickly and easily beautify your furniture with a custom stencil pattern using these instructions.
Instructions
Create the Stencil
1. Choose a design to stencil onto your chosen piece of furniture. Make sure that the size and shape is appropriate for the piece. Enlarge or reduce on a copier as necessary.
2. Allow the stenciling pen to heat up for five minutes after plugging in.
3. Place chosen pattern face up on a flat, solid surface and put a sheet of glass over it (glass should cover entire pattern). Tape the edges of the glass down to the work surface with painter's tape.
4. Place a piece of Mylar, shiny side up, on top of the glass. Align it so that there is at least one inch of blank Mylar around each side of the pattern. Secure with painter's tape.
5. Trace the pattern onto the Mylar with a pencil and cut out with the stencil cutting pen.
Stencil the Furniture
6. Prep the surface of the furniture, if necessary, by lightly sanding and wiping with a damp paper towel. Allow to dry thoroughly before stenciling.
7. Secure the stencil to the furniture with painter's tape.
8. Pour a little of your chosen paint color(s) onto a paper plate. You should have a separate stencil brush for each color you're using to avoid accidentally mixing colors.
9. Dip a stencil brush into the first color and wipe the brush on the edges of the paper plate to remove excess paint.
10. Apply the paint to the furniture through the holes in the stencil in a swirling motion. Paint from the edges of the stencil holes in to avoid accidentally getting paint under the edges and blurring your design.
11. Lift up the edges of the stencil occasionally to check the progress. You may want to wipe some paint away while it's still wet if you make a mistake.
12. Allow to dry for at least 48 hours. Depending on the finish of the furniture you're using, you may want to apply a polyurethane sealer to protect the design (such as on painted wood).
