Decorating and Design - Stenciling

Michael Holigan: Well we're in the bedroom and we're going to let you participate in one of your secret fantasies. Going to let you write on the wall. Come over here with me and let's take a look at what Judy and Lyn are doing over here from That Finishing Touch.

Lyn Murphy: Hi.

M.H.: Good to have you here. Looks like we're busy already.

L.M.: This is stenciling. Stenciling's come a long way. If you did it 10 years ago, and you hated it, you're in for a surprise. This is a special non-bleeding stencil cream. It is oil based. So as you use it, and you can see she's using a very light touch,...

M.H.: Ah-huh.

L.M.: ...as you use it, it will not bleed. Gives you a lot of creative flexibility and bouncing in other colors and it takes about 12 hours for it to dry when you're finished.

M.H.: How long does the whole process take?

L.M.: It depends on the size of the piece. If you're doing a little teddy bear, it doesn't take very long at all. This will take approximately, tops, 45 minutes to do the entire seven foot plant stand, plus the flowers.

M.H.: Is this very expensive for someone to do?

L.M.: No, not at all. Stencils range in different prices, depending on how large they are. You can usually go by square foot or how many delicate cuts there are. This one is going to be about six and half, seven feet when we finish it. And I would imagine the total cost is going to be around $70.00. Now this is very, very ornate piece.

M.H.: Ah-huh.

L.M.: You can get it as cheap as about $20.00 up. Well, if you were just starting out I would say you're going to spend about $30.00.

M.H.: And this one's $70.00 because there are so many pieces to it?

L.M.: Right.

M.H.: Okay. How about the paint itself, or the oils. What do they cost?

L.M.: They're very, very economical and very long lasting. They run anywhere from $2.50 to about $3.00 a jar.

M.H.: Oh really?

L.M.: Ah-huh.

M.H.: That's all. And you said they'll last 10 and 12 years?

L.M.: Yes, because they're oils. So, and you don't have to store them anywhere special. Mine are in the garage with all the other paint cans.

M.H.: Well, what are these brushes that you're using? I have never seen a brush like that before.

L.M.: They look like shaving brushes.

M.H.: Yes they do. And you can tell I've never seen one before.

L.M.: It's been a little while.

M.H.: It's been a while.

L.M.: They're made just like a shaving brush, they're very natural bristles, they're stiff.

M.H.: So how much are brushes?

L.M.: They run around $4.50 a piece. You do want to purchase a brush for each color family so you can go from oranges to browns, you know, your golden colors. But you can't go from white to green to yellow to black.

M.H.: Okay, so to do a project, you're going to need the different oils and they're $3.00 or $4.00 each and then a brush.

L.M.: Ah-huh. And then about two brushes at least.

M.H.: And when you're putting it on, it looks like there's a couple of different techniques. Can you describe those for me?

L.M.: Ah-huh. And they're your choice also.

M.H.: Okay.

L.M.: We can use a circular motion as she's putting on and we use that kinda as our traveling stencil stroke. It takes up more space if you're in a hurry. What she's using right now is what we call the bounce or the pounce method where she's just adding color kind of like stippling it in. And as you load your brush, you'll notice that she's not loading a whole lot of paint into the brush. The paint wants to stay right on the very end of the brush, so when you apply it, it's not going up into the brush, it is actually going on the wall. And as you can tell by her paint creams that she's using in the jar, you use very, very little to complete a large piece.

M.H.: And how do you decide on the colors, how much is enough?

L.M.: Less is always best. You want to remove you're stencil to look at it before you make a decision that this is too much or too little. Even with a clear stencil on it, it's very deceiving.

M.H.: Well what happens if you do mess up?

L.M.: Well, if it's this large you simply dip your brush or your rag or something in some Turpenoid and wipe it off.

M.H.: Well do you think I can take a crack at this?

L.M.: Sure.

M.H.: Just stir it on...

L.M.: Okay. Michael while you're doing the first layer, when you're finished with that, then we're going to put a second stencil up. We call that an overlay. And we'll do the charcoal gray on top of this, and that's what's going to give us our lights and our darks and make it have that real look. You're doing excellent keeping that stencil in place.

M.H.: Thank you.

L.M.: The brush will help hold that down.

M.H.: You know I have sponge painted before?

L.M.: Oh, you have?

M.H.: Yes.

L.M.: So you're a master at making little swirls.

M.H.: Well, I made a few mistakes there too.

L.M.: I think that's looking great. You about ready to look and see what it looks like?

M.H.: Yeah, I can't wait to see what it looks like.

L.M.: Okay. You're just going to pull it down. We still lack one other color, but you can get an idea what the entire stencil design looks like now.

M.H.: Wow.

L.M.: Isn't it beautiful?

M.H.: It's a good job and it's not very expensive.

L.M.: Thank you.

Episode 015 1995 - 96 Season

| Cabinets | Countertops | Christmas Tree Formula | Kitchen Remodel | Leftover Concrete | Stenciling (design) | Lending for Difficult Credit |

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