8 Wall Stencil Patterns: How to Stencil a Wall

A wall stencil is a thin sheet of plastic or mylar with cutout designs. Painting over these wall stencil designs produces a well-defined and visually appealing wall pattern. Some homeowners choose wall stencil options over traditional wallpaper since stencil painting is a more budget-friendly DIY option.

Additionally, stencils are less permanent than wallpaper—if you wish to change the appearance of an accent wall in your living room or dining room, you can easily paint over the original stencil instead of having to first remove yards of sticky wallpaper. This lack of adhesive makes wall decals and floor stencils more eco-friendly since you can clean and repurpose your reusable stencils for future DIY projects.

Wall painting stencils come in various sizes and patterns, making them flexible options for any home décor motif. Modern wall stencil options include:

1. 1. Brick wall: It might be structurally impossible to add a heavy brick accent wall on upper floors, but you can mimic the appearance of brick with a simple tile stencil. Additional texture and natural paint colors will add complexity to your application process, but the end product could be worth the extra time and effort.
2. 2. Chevron: This V-shaped pattern originated in Roman times but has since become a staple of mid-century modern design and chic fashion. Contemporary designers use chevron furniture stencils to accent upcycled furniture or chevron wallpaper stencils to provide visual depth and contrast to a wall.
   
3. 3. Damask: This elegant design consists of a repeating emblem, usually featuring plants or animals. Use a floral pattern to brighten up a bathroom or add visual texture to an accent wall.
4. 4. DIY stencil: If you cannot find a wall stencil pattern that fits your decorative vision, you can make your own. Wall art stencil kits include several mylar sheets and a craft or utility knife so you can cut out your designs. Test your creation on a flat surface and allow enough time for the paint to dry so you get an accurate preview of the final product.
5. 5. Geometric: Implement more than one geometric stencil in your home décor stencil project to create intricate patterns or simple, repeating shapes. Keep in mind, geometric patterns are good choices for large walls since it’s easier to line them up with previous paint applications.
6. 6. Herringbone: This stencil pattern features a continuous V-shaped design, similar to a chevron pattern; however, a herringbone pattern uses right-angled rectangles to form a wavy, zigzag illusion.
7. 7. Mandala: This intricate wall art pattern resembles a blooming flower or wheel. An important symbol in Buddhism, the mandala represents balance, unity, or good fortune.
8. 8. Moroccan: Having long been a melting pot of ideologies and cultures, Morocco is famous for lattice or trellis stencil designs that reflect multiple influences. Moroccan wall stencils might include repeating mandalas or damask or geometric patterns.

Follow this simple step-by-step tutorial to complete your wall stencil project:

1. 1. Collect the necessary tools and materials. You can find most of the items you will need for your project—mylar sheets, painter’s tape, stencil brushes, and latex or acrylic paint—at your local home improvement and craft stores. You might be able to use a paint roller or foam roller to expedite your painting process, but this will depend on the level of detail in your stencil, as well as how many colors you plan to use. You can also use spray adhesive in place of painter’s tape; however, spray adhesive will not protect your walls from overpainting.
2. 2. Prepare your work area. Place butcher paper or a drop cloth underneath your paint tray and work area to protect your baseboard or floors from paint drips. For the best results, clean your walls of dust or imperfections before applying your first coat of paint. Keep a rag or paper towel nearby to dab away excess paint from the back of the stencil when you remove it.
3. 3. Create a template. If creating your stencils from scratch, use a pencil to outline your pattern on a mylar sheet. Then use a utility knife with a sharp blade to cut out your design—do so against a cutting board or other protected flat surface to decrease the chance of cutting yourself. You might elect to make several to maximize your productivity. If so, use a tape measure, level, and pencil to draw a straight line to guide your stencil placement, so you can utilize multiple stencils at once.
4. 4. Test a small area. Place your stencil in the target area and secure it using high-quality painter’s tape. This will decrease the chance of the paint bleeding around the edges of your stencil. Spread paint over the stencil, making sure to avoid any gaps in color. Let the test section paint dry completely to get an accurate preview of how the stencil and paint color will look on the wall. If the base coat is too faint against the background color, apply a few more light coats.
5. 5. Alternate stencil placement. If you have multiples of the stencil design, you can alternate stencil placement to minimize your project time. Work from top to bottom on a wall. Once you have established a few stencils down a vertical row, you can begin a new adjacent row while waiting for the previous row to dry.
6. 6. Touch up any mistakes. Use a small dry brush or an angled foam paintbrush to fix minor imperfections or bleeding. It’s wise to save both the background and foreground paint colors for future touch-ups.

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