Create Faux Wallpaper Using Paint and a Stencil
Last week I posted the reveal of the guest bath in my house. Today, I want to show you how I used an all-over wall stencil to create the look of wallpaper. I call it faux wallpaper.
Wallpaper can be pretty pricey even for a relatively small space, an all-over stencil costs around $50 and can be reused. There are so many patterns to choose from, plus the best part you get to choose whatever color you want.
All-over wall stencils are designed to help you cover large areas quickly so depending on the size of the room you may be able to get the project done in a day or even an afternoon.
My bathroom is small with an angled ceiling, a door and a window which had to be stenciled around. It took me a full day to get the job done.
The hard part for me was the fact that the ceiling is angled.
I had to fit the stencil in each of the corner angles, plus 3 more above the door and the window in the room. To make it easier, I started stenciling from the top of the plank wall and then up to the ceiling. For the last row along the ceiling line, I cut the stencil in half with scissors to make the process easier. More about how I did this in the tutorial.
Note: Plank Wall On Bottom Half of Walls
I did a full plank wall in the powder room that is off my kitchen. I wrote the tutorial for that here: Easiest Way to Install a Plank Wall
Since I only went half way up the wall for the guest room bath, I capped the top plank off using a trim piece of molding. I added this trim piece after I stenciled.
How to Create Faux Wallpaper Using a Stencil
What I used:
Royal Design Studio Stencils – Pattern: Floral Fireworks All-Over Wall Stencil
Floral Fireworks All-Over Wall Stencil (Size Small)
supplies needed:
- Royal Design Studio Stencils – Pattern: Floral Fireworks All-Over Wall Stencil (Size Small) – I got two so I could cut one up to fit easily where the angled walls meet the ceiling.
- Fusion Mineral Paint in the color Liberty Blue
- White base coat of paint: Kilz Complete Coat (Satin finish) that I bought at Walmart. Color Ultra Bright White right out of the can.
- Stencil brush
- Paper plate
- Paper towel
- Painter’s tape
- Measuring tape
- Drop cloths
- Step ladder
You can purchase stencil brushes or foam pouncers at the craft store. My fave is the red-handled one. You can also use stencil rollers that can make the painting process go even faster. I do find that the rollers sometimes leave roller edge lines in large open areas of the stencil design, so I prefer using a stencil brush.
Paint the walls using satin white paint, let dry. I needed 2 coats to hide the previous color and wallpaper on the walls.
Normally I would begin at the ceiling line and work around the room and then keep moving down until I reached the floor or in my case the top of the plank wall. Instead I started at the bottom and worked up. I did this because the ceiling has angles which are hard to get into, plus if things don’t line up around the angles, I could simply fix the design by hand painting with a fine tipped paint brush.
To start, place the stencil on the least seen part of the room. I usually start in a corner, but for the bathroom, I started in the middle of the wall that would become covered by a mirror. You do this so that when you go around the whole room and come back to the starting point, if the pattern doesn’t match up perfectly, it won’t be seen as much. Once nice thing about using an all-over stencil like the Floral Fireworks pattern I did, you can make some mistakes and they will just blend into the design. It is very forgiving!
I placed the bottom of the stencil a little bit lower than on top of the horizontal plank wall. I wanted the actual design to look like it went behind the planks. If I placed the bottom of the stencil right on the edge, the design would be above the planks since there is excess mylar all around the design.
Place a drop cloth to protect the surrounding area. Using your measuring tape, find the center of the wall. Affix your stencil to the top and center of your wall with painter’s tape. Check to make sure that your stencil is level.
Place paint on one side of a foam paper plate. Load up your brush with paint, then remove most of the paint by off-loading (dabbing) it onto a folded piece of paper towel. This is important as you don’t want excess paint to bleed underneath the stencil. Less paint on the brush is better when it comes to stenciling.
Begin to pounce the brush over the stencil. You can lift up the corner of the stencil to make sure you’re not applying too much paint and bleeding through.
Continue to pounce or dab the brush over all the open areas of the design. Once complete, move your stencil over to the the next position.
The stencil will have registration marks that will guide you to the correct placement. The paint was dry enough to move onto the next placement without disturbing the previous paint.
You can see in this photo how the design flows together when you move the stencil to the next position using the registration marks. When you finish the first vertical row, you will use the same registration marks, plus ones on the bottom to make sure you are lining up the pattern correctly to start the next row. I know it sounds complex, but it is very easy once you get the hang of it.
Once you come to a corner or edge, apply painters tape vertically to protect the edge on the adjacent wall from getting any paint on it.
Stenciling into the corners requires you bend the stencil and use painter’s tape to make sure it stays in place while you apply the paint.
Use one hand to make sure the stencil is flat against the wall…
…before you begin to paint with your other hand. Once done, you can remove the vertical line of tape.
Continue to go around the room until you have finished.
How to Stencil and Paint into Angled Ceilings
There may be another way to do stencil/paint into angles and tight fitting spaces, but this is what I did.
I waited to do the ceiling line row last and bought two stencils to use, one to cut up to fit into the ceiling angles or tight places. If only using one stencil, wait to do the angled parts of the wall last using one stencil that you cut to fit the areas. I had three horizontal rows of the stencil design going around the room. Two were the completed design, the third row closest to the ceiling was not. When I did this row, I used the cut up sections of the stencil to paint the design on the wall. If I had left the stencil full size it would have been flopping over and getting paint on the ceiling.
Before I cut the stencil, I found the registration marks and made sure I didn’t cut them off. I then cut the stencil in half and then again into smaller pieces so I could fit them into the tight angles on the wall.
I had to do some touching up both with white paint (base wall color) and the Liberty Blue. I used a fine-tipped paint brush to do this. White paint hid blue mistakes and blue paint fixed an area of the design that did not get completed.
Note: If you have a large room, you may have to stop and clean the excess paint buildup from your stencil. I needed to do this once. The easiest way to clean it is in your bathtub.
For more stenciling tips and ideas, you may want to check out the how-to videos and tutorials on the Royal Designs Studio website.
I followed your instructions and supply list and absolutely love my results! Your little hand towels are the finishing touch and I need them!!! Where did you find? Thank you so much for your inspiration! Karen
Hi Karen – I got the towels from the site, Birch Lane. Sadly they are no longer available. :-) I looked to see if they still had something similar, but couldn’t find anything.
HI DIANE,
A LITTLE LATE TO THE PARTY!!
I LOVE THIS PROJECT!! AS MANY READERS COMMENTED, I WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VISUALIZE THE FINAL PRODUCT AND WOULD PROBABLY NEVER HAVE CHOSEN THIS STENCIL! JUST BEAUTIFUL!
MY QUESTION….WOULD THIS TECHNIQUE BE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE ON A LOW CEILING, BEDROOM WALL? I WOULD SAY THEY ARE 7 FEET HIGH….
HOW DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE ON THE BACK WALL, BEHIND SOME SHELVES….
THANKS FOR YOUR THOUGHTS….!
Hi Mary –
It would look amazing on a ceiling, but would be really hard to do since it is overhead. Keeping the stencil in place will be a challenge and your neck and arms will take a beating.
I would use the stencil on a wall – it will look amazing and be easy to do. It would also look nice on a wall behind shelves. If the shelves can be removed first, then it will be easy. If you have to stencil around the shelves, it would be hard and you may not be able to line up the stencil correctly and get into the corners on the wall where the meet the shelves.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE!!!
I really appreciate you’re thoughts and comments!!!
You can stencil ceilings by having removable vinyl cut in your stencil pattern. Look up Modello designs. -(Kris Dufaux…professional decorative finisher.)
Bought this stencil and going to try it!
It’s just beautiful and very unique….better than wallpaper. I love this bathroom!
Thank you Kathleen.
I LOVE this bathroom. and I realized when I went to the stencil site and looked at their offerings that I would not have seen how great this stencil would look. and I wouldn’t have chosen such a great color. You have a spectacular eye for color choices and maybe even more importantly you seem to have a knack for knowing how great something will look.
Just beautiful (I love blue,too). You’re an inspiration. Thanks for sharing your ideas and talent.
..just beatiful !!
Love,love love!
That looks awesome! I’ll be you go in there sometimes and just sit and admire your work! (I sure would!!!)
I love it! Lots of work but, oh so pretty.
Just so pretty! You do everything so well!
Outstanding and unexpected. I would have never guessed how fun yet sophisticated that stencil would have looked.
It looks beautiful! How did you stencil around the light fixture or did you take it down?
Hi Jennifer – I took the light down to paint and stencil the walls. There was enough light from the window. If you don’t have a window in your room, you could bring in a few table lamps and remove the shades to add light while you paint.
I love it!!!!! Well done!!!!
Well done, Diane! I’ve done similar wall treatments with stencils so I know this was quite a bit of work. It is such a pretty color and I love the pattern. That said, adding the planks is a stroke of genius cuz it’s a place for your eyes to rest. Very nice!
I had been thinking of doing my dining room with planks only. After seeing your post and and finding a great stencil I have changed my mind to wainscoting with oriental tea garden wall stencil. Great job
What a great idea – and your pattern is both fresh, and versatile in it’s style. It turned out beautifully!!!! I used to work in a wallpaper store but always favored the patterns that looked like they were painted on. Best thing about stenciling is you can match other hard-to-match colors in your scheme if you need to, which can be challenging with wallpaper. And – you can even stencil fabric items to match it like curtains, pillows or bedding.
Just. Wow. So pretty, and so doable.
The pink flowers are the perfect touch :)
What a great job you did. This bathroom is perfection. I love it so much !!
This is so neat. I am going to try it in my bathroom.
I love your stenciling! When I first saw it the other day, I thought it was wallpaper. You are so talented! Not only did you apply the stencil perfectly but just finding such a pretty one is quite amazing.
Very pretty! It looks like wallpaper, but no wallpaper stripping if you ever tire of it. I cannot get on the wallpaper resurgence, because I remember the agony of removing it! I declared never again, once I was rid of all of it!
It absolutely took my breath away! It’s beautiful! You are so amazingly talented. Can you provide information on the floors and the light fixture? I wish I had your “mind’s eye.” Seems my AFTER of selections never seem as I imagined them for months/years and I am left disappointed and questioning my ability to design and decorate our home.
We are looking to install new flooring throughout our house and I can’t make a mistake on this one. So hard to look at any size sample and expand it in your mind as to how it will look on our floors.
Again, the bathroom is so wonderful! If that were my bathroom I would walk by several times a day just to look at it.
Well done! (Have you ever thought about writing another book?)
Hi Elana – The flooring is the same flooring I have used in my studioffice, hallway of darkness, laundry area and powder room. It is called NuCore Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring. It has a cork backing that makes installation over existing floor or sub-flooring very easy. It has texture and has a matte finish. You can read about it in this post: https://inmyownstyle.com/2016/01/how-to-install-luxury-vinyl-plank-flooring.html
The light fixture I bought at Lowes. I mounted it upside down, or for me…the right way :-) The glass shades that came with the fixture where too yellow, so I bought 3 separate whiter shades at Lowes to replace them. Here is a link to the fixture: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kichler-3-Light-7-2-in-Chrome-Oval-Vanity-Light/50356118
I would like to write another book and have been thinking of the angle I would take to write one. Not sure what will be the best.
When you posted your bathroom make-over, my first tho’t was, “I wonder where she ever found that Wallpaper? It’s soo trendy!” Well, you did such a great job that you fooled me & I’m sure, many others, too! I love that you used stencil brushes and pounced on the paint, as I think that gives much more variation to the paint shade. Great job, as always! I really like that stencil and am thinking about getting it for a focal wall in a guest bedroom. Thanks for the wonderful ideas, as always!
It looks so great! Really fresh and modern, yet classic. I like the half planked wall too!
I am cra…cra…crazy over your bathroom! I’m thinking I see a project in my future. You did an amazing job! Thank you for sharing.
You did a phenomenal job! Patience galore, attention to detail, thanks for the great tutorial. Lovely bath, so fresh. Have you considered using dark blue grout in your tub?
Your bath really turned out lovely and the walls really pop.
I love it! I found your blog via a link on Inspired By Charm, and I’m so glad I did! I’ve been stalking since then to make sure I caught the tutorial for the walls. One of my favorite things about yours is that the blue is swirly and uneven. It’s got depth to it. Can you tell us what type of white paint you used? I’m wondering if it was semi-gloss and that helped the blue to slide so wonderfully?
Hi Jen – Thanks. Love having a new reader. I used satin Kilz Complete Coat that I bought at Walmart. I used the color Ultra Bright White right out of the can.
Diane!!! I love it! The pattern, the color!!!
Absolutely beautiful!!!
I stenciled back in the 80’s!! Curtains, walls! I think I have a few places at the Lakehouse I might do!!
Thanks for this informative post!!
Nancy
Your room is lovely! and your tips and “how to” are helpful!
And you are an inspiration.
What a beautiful transformation. You always have such good visions in your mind for what a space can look like. That is one of the things I love about your projects. I wish I had your design eye. :)
Diane, this is absolutely gorgeous! Love all your tips too!
This is so fresh and wonderful! Love the contrast of the blue and white. You can never go wrong with that.
That bathroom is amazing Diane!
Thanks Laura – I know you are a blue and white lover, too. Happy weekend…will you be spending it in your beautiful backyard?
Simply Ahhh-MAZING, Diane! Thank you for posting this so quickly. My interior walls are all higher at the center of the house then angle down to the outside walls. And my half bath is pretty small….I won’t be able to remove the vanity and toilet, but they will be an additional stepping support system….or so I keep assuring myself, anyway. I’ve been wanting to plank the walls in there for quite some time so lucky for me I can just refer to your posts for both projects!
Have a great weekend and enjoy your twin!
Hi Sharon – I like your thinking… :-) Toilets and vanities do make for good step stools. I did a full plank wall in the powder room that is off my kitchen. I wrote the tutorial for that here: https://inmyownstyle.com/2016/07/easiest-way-install-shiplap-wood-plank-walls-to-your-home.html
Since I only went half way up the wall for the guest room bath, I capped the top plank off using a trim piece of molding. I added this trim piece after I stenciled.
Thanks, good to know. I had wondered about that but figured a piece of trim would be the answer.
Absolutely beautiful. Walking into your cheery bathroom would make me smile! Job well done ??
This turned out beautiful!! Great job. Super idea to buy 2 stencils and have one for the odd adjustments. This really brings out the bathroom and looks great.
Love this… It’s so fresh and pretty!!