Stenciled Wall

Today, I am sharing with you the best stenciling tips and tricks for avoiding paint bleeding when stenciling with a foam roller. Stenciling with a foam roller is by far the fastest stenciling technique, and also the easiest. However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind to make sure the results are perfect.
Stenciling the wall that leads up our stairs has made a big impact in our great room and it was so simple.
The stencil is from Cutting Edge Stencils in the design, Lilly scroll 
All of their stencils are made from sturdy clear plastic material which made it super easy to work with!  Do you know what I loved most about this stencil, I ROLLED IT ON!! 

 Stenciling Supplies

Directions:
Note: If you have never stenciled before, instead of using tape you might want to try a spray adhesive.
Shake the can well, then lightly mist your stencil with the spray adhesive, let it dry for a few seconds and place the stencil on the wall.  For my tutorial,  I am not using any spray adhesive, just some tape.
I mixed Grant Beige and Valspar’s brushed pearl paint to give it a shimmery effect.  
Tape everything off

Position your stencil using painter’s tape and a level if needed, then lightly mark the edges with a pencil. 

OK here is the part where I used my stencil brush and lightly tapped each section and went you have got to be kidding!
If you know me I’m an instant gratification girl, I don’t have the patience for it or the time.
 I picked up my instructions and read you may roll this on with a foam roller!  Seriously, the good man upstairs was watching me!  I did my happy dance and grabbed a foam roller out of my supplies and went to work.  Note…I don’t know if you can roll it on with all stencils but you sure can with theirs!
Make sure to not overload your roller with paint and always blot off excess paint onto a paper towel.
 Push down on the area of the stencil being worked on

Start rolling over the stencil with your foam roller applying light to medium pressure. Continue rolling over the stencil in short back-and-forth strokes until you get your desired coverage.
I always start light on the pressure and build up to prevent paint bleed underneath the stencil. You can lift the stencil and take a peek to make sure it looks ok with no bleeding.

Repeat the process for as many prints as you want or until the wall is complete. Simply line the stencil up beside the freshly painted design and add more painter’s tape and continue rolling paint through the stencil just as before.

When you find the paint is very light on your surface. Repeat the steps of loading your roller and rolling excess paint onto a paper towel before you continue stenciling.

With the right amount of paint on your roller and the right pressure there is usually no bleed at all and the edges are crisp.
The whole process most likely took a little under 3 hours.  


The results are stunning and I just love the design. I really hope you will give this a try.
  

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28 Comments

  1. So pretty Kristin! Oh and I am with you girl! ROLLER any day. That chalk one I did took for-ever. For just that one section. I think it was a one time affair 😉 This looks so subtle and elegant. Love it!!

      1. Did you use the same color as on the wall originally and just the pearl so it would show up or how did you decide the color?

        1. Hi-
          For the stenciled wall Bleeker Beige was already on the wall. Then I mixed the grant beige which is very similar to Bleeker Beige with the brushed pearl so it would stand out but still be very subtle. Hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any other questions.

  2. When you stencil with a brush you use a “dry” brush – dab most of the paint off the brush before applying on the wall. How wet is the roller?

    1. Hi Sharon- Yes, dab it on dry and if you decide to use the roller make sure to have most of the paint off the roller before rolling it on the stencil/wall. I always have a brown paper bag handy, perfect for this 🙂

  3. I bought the design and did a practice today using pearl paint and a roller – looks good but not as subtle as I want. What kind of paint would you suggest for a more subtle design than the pearl paint gives it?

  4. Hi – I know this post is several years old now, but I just saw it for the first time. It looks great! I’ve been wanting to do this to a wall, but was hesitant since they are textured. From your pictures, it looks like you wall had texture as well, is that correct? And if so, how was the bleed through? Thanks!

    1. Hi Erin, thank you so much for stopping in again! Yes, they are textured and as long as you keep the stencil secured to the wall while painting, I did not have bleed through.

  5. Hi Kristin,
    I want the EXACT look that you did here! It’s beautiful. I understand this was posted back in 2013, and it appears Valspar no longer makes the brushed pearl (at least from my search). Is there another type/brand of “shimmer” paint that you could recommend for mixing with the paint?

    Thank you so much!
    Dee

    1. Hi Dee-
      I did a little research and PEARLESCENT GLAZE BY ANNIE SLOAN seems to look to be the closest to the brushed pearl. Do an image search and see if it is something you think you might like. Let me know when you finish your wall, would love to see it.

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