How to paint a stool with a stencil

You will need

• 120 grit sandpaper
• Resene Lustacryl paint in your choice of colour; Fleur used Resene Double Foundry
• Resene testpots in your choice of colours; Fleur used Resene Woodland and metallic Resene Gold Dust
• Paint brush
• Painters tape
• Small piece of sponge
• Stencil
• Plate or piece of cardboard

Instructions

Step 1:  Clean the stool well. If the existing paint is waterbased you don’t need to sand it. If the existing paint is solventborne paint, you will need to lightly sand the stool to help the topcoat stick well.

Step 2:  Apply two thin and even layers of Resene Lustacryl paint in your choice of colour; Fleur used Resene Double Foundry, allowing the first coat to dry before applying the second coat. Using loops of painter making tape on the back and sides of the stencil, position the stencil in the desired location.

Using a small piece of sponge, dip it into the paint (green) and then dab it on to a plate or piece or scrap cardboard to ensure that you get a thin and even coverage of paint on the sponge. Too much paint on the sponge will cause bleed-through on the underside of the stencil.

Step 3:  Dab the sponge on to the opening holes of the stencil and move it using a circular motion so that paint gets into all the tight corners. Don’t do this too vigorously as bleed-through can occur. Do this all over the stencil until it is all painted in.

Step 4:  While the green paint is still wet, use the other end of the stencil to dip into the gold paint. Use this on the edges of the stencil openings.

Styling and images by Fleur Thorpe, 2020.