Stencils let you decorate any flat surface, and the choice of designs is endless.
By repeating a stencil design as a pattern, you can achieve the same visual effect as wallpaper at a lower cost.
You can buy stencils from a shop that sells paper-craft supplies or, better still, make your own in a design of your choice, cut to size for the surface you want to cover.
To get the result, follow the steps in the guide we found on channel4.com.
You will need: water-based acrylic paint in two colours (or more combinations, depending on the effect you want), a paint roller and tray, a tape measure, a pencil, a spirit level, a stencil, and either spray adhesive made for stencils or masking tape.
STEP 1
Prepare the surface you will be stencilling by rolling on 1–2 coats of water-based acrylic paint.
Remember that the colour you choose at this stage will be the base shade of your background.
Wait until the paint is completely dry.
STEP 2
Mark your design on the wall.
Work out how many times you will need to repeat the pattern to cover the whole wall, and position the stencil with an eye to how the design will meet at the corners.
Using a tape measure and spirit level to keep the lines accurate, trace the stencil design in pencil across the whole wall.
STEP 3
Fix the stencil to the wall with spray adhesive (made for stencils) or masking tape.
With the paint roller, apply 1–2 coats over the stencil, choosing a colour that contrasts with the background base you have already painted.
This will give a more striking result.
Remove the stencil and leave the surface to dry thoroughly.
STEP 4
Repeat the process across the whole wall, using the pencil marks you made earlier as a guide.
