GUEST POST by AMY BARTLETT
There is nothing like a blank wall to shrivel your spirit into a hollow nub of blah.... Time for some decoration! I love birch trees, and was originally thinking of putting up some cool birch wall paper or a photo mural in my bedroom. However, after spending WAY too much time looking at options, I soon realized that these options would cost many hundreds of dollars to execute.... not an economical option. Enter stage left: a cheap wall stencil bought online, some paint I had leftover from my bathroom painting experiment, and a whole lot of time. Stenciling walls like this is not a quick project, but it is a very cheap alternative and in my opinion has come out really well. PS: In a fit of painting inspiration, i also refinished and decoupaged my bedside table drawers with a random collage of ornate japanese papers I had leftover from another project--- see bonus pic at the end! Equipment/ Cost for the wall stenciling: 9$ for the wall stencil 0$ for paint (though originally cost about 15$--- I used about 2/3 of a small can) 4$ in painters tape 3$ for small paint brush (plus a small artist brush for touch ups as needed) 1$ for a plastic drop cloth from the dollar store 0$ in time (though it took about 15 hours in total for the three walls... eep) 0$ for a LOT of downloaded podcasts (I recommend Comedy Bang Bang, Dear Hank and John, Star Talk with Neil Degrass-Tyson and On Being with Krista Tippet) Lessons learned: - The stencil came with a small starter section to start off at the ceiling which was handy. I would recommend using this piece first across the top of your wall and then using that pattern as a guide to match up with the rest of the larger panels - I staggered the panels vertically (see pics) and painted from the leading edge/ outside to the inside of the stencil so that i could keep the painting process going without stopping--- for example, by the time i got a panel in row three done, the leading edge of row one had dried and i could easily put the stencil against the edge of the pattern without creating smudges #timemanagement - Use very little paint, an almost dry brush, and employ more of a rubbing or patting motion instead of your traditional up-and-down painting motion-- a dry, circular technique helps with the drying time and with getting into the small crevices of the pattern - I taped all around the walls, bottom trim and ceiling which allowed me to be a bit more casual with my stenciling at the edges. After so many hours of work, it is nice to have the extra insurance--- worth the time to do this taping, in my opinion I still have one more wall to paint (in a solid color) and to decorate the room more generally, but i am thrilled with the outcome, and to have banished those boring white walls with some organically-themed and cost effective color!
1 Comment
mommy
7/10/2016 02:22:11 pm
Wonderful result!
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Author: Leah BartlettLover of projects, big and small! I try to not be intimidated by lack of experience/skill/know-how. Archives
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