I finally tackled the stencil project we’ve been talking about for weeks. I ordered the large feathered damask stencil that John and I had our eye on, wanting a subtle tone-on-tone design above the chair rail in our office. We didn’t want strong contrast because it would compete with the dark teal built-ins and the lively curtains in the nearby dining room. Instead, we chose a soft gray for the main pattern with a tiny pop of leftover “grellow” from the kitchen for an accent. The stencil was a splurge at $54, but it’s extremely well made and worth noting for anyone considering a similar project.
The stencil is made from thick, durable plastic, so it won’t tear or crease as you tape, reposition, and press it into corners. It’s also large—over two feet tall and almost two feet wide—so you cover more area with each placement and don’t have to move it constantly. That size really speeds up the process compared to smaller stencils.
A quick note about my expression in one photo: I made a ridiculous face when John snapped a shot, and I have no idea why. I joked about not wanting to look naked in the picture, yet I somehow ended up channeling an intense look that made me laugh later on.
I tried to justify the expense by reminding myself how little we spent on other parts of the room—$6.30 on cabinet supplies and $27 for a 13-foot counter—so a small indulgence here felt reasonable. Wallpapers, even inexpensive ones, would likely cost more than $54 for the whole area above the chair rail, so the stencil still made financial sense in my book.
Full disclosure: stenciling is hard work. I hadn’t applied a large repeating wall stencil before—only smaller projects like a sunroom floor in our previous house—so I underestimated how physically demanding it would be. My arms cramped after an hour, and it took about four and a half hours (from 8:00 p.m. to around 12:30 a.m.) to nearly finish one wall out of the four I plan to stencil. I still wanted to share the process and some in-progress pictures despite the late hour.
Here’s what worked for me during the process:
1. Prep the room. Clear the space and cover the desk and floor with drop cloths to protect surfaces from splatters.
2. Use stencil adhesive spray on the back of the stencil before taping it to the wall. This keeps the stencil flat against the wall for a crisp edge. I repositioned and resprayed the stencil a couple of times when it started to lose adhesion. Protect the floor with cardboard or another drop cloth while spraying.
3. Center the pattern first. We started in the top middle of the wall to align the design, then worked outward in all directions.
4. Use delicate painter’s tape to secure the stencil edges so you don’t risk removing fresh paint when you adjust it.
5. Small foam craft brushes worked well for me. They’re essentially dowels with flat foam tips and are good for applying paint with a tapping motion.
6. Load the brush by dipping it into the paint, then dab it around the edge of the plate to remove excess. Apply paint by tapping the brush against the stencil openings rather than brushing. This prevents paint from bleeding under the stencil.
7. Tap at a right angle with a lightly loaded foam brush to maintain a clean edge. Too much paint causes slips and smears behind the stencil.
8. If paint builds up on the back of the stencil, lay it face down on the drop cloth and wipe the backside with a dry paper towel before respraying adhesive and reapplying.
9. The stencil repeats, overlapping the previously decorated area by a few inches. I didn’t wait for paint to dry completely before repositioning; instead I applied thin layers carefully and aligned the stencil precisely for the repeat. The thin application helped prevent smudging where the stencil overlapped fresh paint.
10. Corners are the trickiest part. Getting the stencil to lie perfectly flat into the corner openings is difficult, and it’s near impossible to reach every tiny nook. Fortunately, this organic pattern hides minor inconsistencies well. What looks imperfect while painting often blends in once dry.
After about three hours I had made substantial progress on the first wall, and after four and a half hours I was nearly finished with one wall. At that point, it was late and my hands were cramped, so I stopped for the night and planned to continue in additional sessions.
Paint colors I used:
- Wall base: Moonshine by Benjamin Moore, color-matched to a no-VOC formula in satin finish.
- Main stencil tone: A half-tint of the wall color, mixed in a no-VOC satin to create a subtle tone-on-tone contrast.
- Accent “grellow”: Leftover kitchen paint in Sesame by Benjamin Moore, color-matched in a semi-gloss finish for a slight sheen and a small pop of color.
I plan to complete the remaining walls over the next few days, aiming to finish by the end of the week if my hands hold up. So far the results are worth the effort: the pattern reads like subtle, modern wallpaper—noticeable without competing with adjacent rooms. The small accent color really elevates the overall effect without overpowering the subtler gray-on-gray design.
Have you stenciled a wall, piece of furniture, or room? I’d love to hear about your techniques, timing, and any tips for corners or faster application. I’ll share finished photos once the room is complete—hopefully with slightly less cramped hands and a big sigh of relief.
P.S. I’m chatting about budget-friendly kids’ clothing finds elsewhere and how I save on Clara’s clothes and shoes—excited about a recent score of 47-cent shoes. More about that another time.