hi I'm Carrie from lovely etc and I am going to show you how to stencil wood and get perfect
stencil lines every time. it's the easiest way to make signs and lots of other decor so let's
get started. so here's what you need. you need something to stencil. I have an old cutting
board - actually I got it from a thrift store. I just kind of like it, it has a nice patina
and it was only a quarter and so that's what I'm stenciling. again any kind of wood's gonna
work. you need a stencil - this is my stencil. I'll put a link to it in the description. it's a
reusable stencil. you can also get vinyl stencils from Etsy that are one-time use or lots of other
reusable stencils from Etsy and other places too but that's one of my favorite sources. you
need either repositionable adhesive or painters tape. either one will work but the spray adhesive
really helps with getting perfect stencil lines. you need some paint. you can use pretty much any
paint but something with a flatter sheen is going to be best. I really like to just use
these little super inexpensive acrylic paints you can get from craft stores. they're really cheap,
there's tons and tons of colors, and they work great. you need a paper plate or painter's palette
if you have that but this is what you're gonna put your paint on. and the secret, one of the secrets,
to getting really perfect stenciling is you're not going to use a roller, you're not going to use a
brush - those have their place, especially if you're stenciling like a whole wall or floor.
but if you're just stenciling something small and you want it to be absolutely perfect what
you need are these makeup wedges. they're little sponges that you apply makeup with. it's like a
dollar for fifty at Target. maybe it's not quite that cheap but pretty close. and they are the
perfect thing for stenciling. whatever wood you choose to use to stencil on, the smoother it is
the better results you're gonna get. you want your stencil to be on something really smooth. you can
stencil rough wood if you're going for something rustic but it's gonna be really difficult to get
perfect lines because the stencil will not be able to lay perfectly flat on the wood because
it's rough so there's gonna be little holes and dips and valleys under the stencil and that's
where paint is gonna want to go. so the smoother the better. okay get your surface. if it's dirty
or something clean it up but in general just take your surface. you can sand it to make it
smoother if you need to. take your stencil. if you're just gonna use painters tape you just
take a few pieces and tape it in place. the reason that I prefer the repositionable - that's hard to
say - repositionable spray adhesive is because with painters tape - say you put a piece here and
a piece there the stencils gonna stay in place on the wood. it's not gonna be moving all around but
when you use the spray adhesive the adhesive is all over the entire thing so the entire thing is
stuck down to the wood. which means all these little parts in between each letter are also
firmly adhered to the wood and it just means that it's a lot harder for paint to make its little way
under the stencil where you do not want it. when you spray the spray adhesive, you should be in
a well-ventilated area but also you want to make sure you spray it over some newspaper if anybody
has that or an old poster board or wrapping paper something, anything that will catch the excess.
because anything this full spray lands on is gonna be sticky and not what you want for your house. so
place your stencil on your surface and make sure you line it up exactly how you want it. so if it
needs to be centered make sure it's centered. if it needs to be straight - especially for
words - make sure that it is straight. it doesn't have to be a hundred percent perfect but try to
get it as good as you can. and then you're just gonna press it into place especially if you used
the spray adhesive. if you didn't you're just gonna set it on use a couple pieces of painters
tape to hold it in place exactly where you want it. okay so get your paint and pour a little bit
onto your plate and you're just going to use your makeup sponge. get some on the end but you don't
want a lot of paint so once you've dipped your makeup sponge into the paint you're gonna blot
most of it off. if you're using a paper plate for your palette just blot it off right on the
plate until there's just a very thin amount of paint left on your sponge. and then you're just
going to start painting. when you paint you're just doing an up-and-down motion to get the paint
into the stenciled area lightly pressing it. you do not want to push down really hard because that
will cause paint to squish under the stencil which is exactly what we don't want. when it seems like
maybe the paint's getting a little light just get some more paint on there and keep going.
you may need to do a second coat of paint
especially if you're stenciling with white paint on to dark wood.
okay so it looks pretty good. there is one more trick that you can try if you want your sign or
whatever it is that you're stenciling to look more hand-painted and less stenciled. the little marks
in between the different stencil sections are a dead giveaway that you stenciled. now I have
no problem with something being stencilled. I think it can look really beautiful still,
however if that's not the look that you want for your particular project there
is a easy method that I use to get rid of those little spaces in between letters.
okay so I use a simple toothpick and dip it in the paint and then basically use it
like a tiny paintbrush to get rid of the spaces. you could also use a really small
paintbrush but I find that a toothpick is really easy to control and also it doesn't
hold too much paint so it just blends in better with the design that's already been stenciled.
there is one more trick you can use if you're still struggling to get really clean lines with
your stencil. after you put your stencil onto your wood before you do any painting use some
Mod Podge. so mod Podge is mostly used for decoupage but it is also a sealer, a glue,
a finish, it does all kinds of stuff. and it's clear so when you paint a little Mod Podge over
your stencil before painting it creates a seal along all of the edges of your stencil. and
also if there's any little air bubbles under your stencil where maybe the wood's a little
rough or it's just not laying really flat, the Mod Podge is gonna seep in there under the,
underneath the stencil and seal it up. which is a lot better than if your paint seeps under there.
because mod Podge is clear you're not going to see it and the paint would be a mess. so if you decide
to try that make sure you pay attention to what kind of Mod Podge you have as far as whether it's
shiny or not. it comes in matte satin and gloss I believe. so if you're stenciling on furniture
that already has kind of a glossy finish you want to use gloss. if you're stenciling on something
that's matte use matte and if it's more satin use satin. if you're not really sure in general I like
the matte Mod Podge the best for just basically anything. so that's another tip you could try if
you are having trouble. so okay hopefully that helps you next time you're trying to stencil to
get some of those clean lines. I know for me I'm a perfectionist and so every tiny little
imperfection drives me crazy. but with those tips I've been able to get my projects looking
really good and as perfect as possible. thanks for joining me. I'd love for you to subscribe to my
channel lovely etc where I share inexpensive DIY projects to create a home you love.