Monday 17 August 2015

Our Top Tips for Stencilling your Furniture


Freecycling and upcycling is all the rage at the moment and it’s clear to see why. It’s a lovely and fulfilling thing to take an old, used and abandoned piece of furniture and make it beautiful. We love recovering old pieces and giving them a new lease of life, and what we really love is using stencilling on our freecycling projects.

If you haven’t tried our stencilling on furniture before you may be missing out on some great opportunities to completely restyle and rejuvenate your old pieces!

Here are some of our top tips for stencilling your furniture....

Allow yourself ample time

Furniture stencilling can be very labour intensive because there are so many intricate steps and layers involved. Because you’ll be decorating three-dimensional objects, you will often have to paint details in around awkward and curved areas. It is important to plan properly and make sure you allow enough time for each layer of paint (e.g. primer / base / varnish) to dry thoroughly between applications. Take your time and ensure you use the correct paint and application method to enhance your project.

Do it right, do it once!

If you do take care to do each layer of primer, basecoat, painting, antiquing, and finish coat right, you’ll only have to do it once! You don't want to have regrets about brush marks you should have sanded down when it’s too late, or realise that a roller or sponge application would have given a better result.

Look for cheap antiques to paint

When learning how to stencil it’s a good idea to scour carboot sales and charity shops for inexpensive furniture with interesting lines such as turned legs and carved detailing. Lower quality woods or slightly damaged veneered surfaces are crying out for a painted and stencilled treatment, and they’re a great way to practise before you paint a more expensive piece. Do try as many finishes and application methods as possible on various base layers, so that you're teaching yourself as you go along. Don't be afraid to try things out. Try sprays, chalk paint, antiquing, varnishing, even try taking off layers and not just adding them!

Work with a limited palette
You can gracefully combine different patterns by sticking to a limited palette. We suggest only using a couple of different colours to start off with. This will not only lower the chances of mistakes but will also prevent your designs becoming too busy. However you shouldn’t be afraid to be bold. Stencilled furniture can be used as a statement piece in a room, adding a little excitement to a space.

And remember, every stencilling project is different, so practice with different techniques, paints and surfaces and you'll soon get the confidence to tackle any project!