Is wall stenciling outdated?

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Herringbone Wall Stencil

This herringbone stencil offers a sleek Nordic vibe. Customers have shared their stunning DIY project photos using this stencil in various spaces such as nurseries, bathrooms, and bedrooms.

One reviewer stated, "This stencil was durable and easy to use. My project turned out GREAT, and it didn’t take nearly as long as I expected (3-4 hours with several breaks). The secret is to use a spray adhesive that isn’t permanent (I found some at Michaels) to hold the stencil down for each application and a small roller (don't overload it with too much paint). Here’s a guide on how to stencil a decorative border at the top of your walls."

This post is one I've wanted to write for two years. Honestly, I adore the final look but I will never undertake stenciling an entire wall or room again. I hope my experience helps anyone considering this project.

Let’s rewind to my mindset before I embarked on this project:

Pinterest is to blame.

The inspiration! The creativity! And every project seems so 'easy'!

Have you come across those gorgeous stenciled walls on Pinterest? The pros were enticing:

• I have previously stenciled small areas, for example a wall map or my beloved Beer Safe which came later. Clearly, I find the concept of stenciling appealing.
• Wallpaper costs about $400. Paint is less than $50. Now that’s a no-brainer!
• I was free to choose any color combination possible.

It indeed seemed straightforward!

More like a brain-dead zombie as I laboriously worked through the stenciling process. So what went wrong?

PAINTING AND STENCILING THIS DINING ROOM TOOK 5 WEEKS AND MAYBE 150 (OR MORE) HOURS

Yes, you read that correctly. Stenciling turned out to be one of the most exhaustive and tedious projects I have ever tackled and, truthfully, I’ve encountered my fair share of exhausting and time-consuming projects. However, this one stood out due to its repetitive nature.

What Went Wrong?

A Design Flaw

In a room this size, there is only one stencil to work with, which allows you to cover only a 20x24 inch area at a time. The stencil I chose needed some overlap to stay aligned. While this might initially seem practical, laying a stencil over fresh paint complicates the process. We had to alternate sides of the room to avoid smudging. Doing this on a ladder or in corner areas added to the difficulty.

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1 Mistake = 100 Fixes

As someone with a slight perfectionist streak, I envisioned crisp, clean lines.

Here’s the catch.

Let’s say you make one mistake per stencil square—some paint sneaks under the stencil or you miss a spot along the edges.

Now, multiply that minor mistake by the 100+ times I repositioned the stencil.

Mistakes became harder to spot since I selected two closely matching colors. In fact, the wet darker stencil area was nearly indistinguishable from the base paint color.

While some people might find minor paint errors acceptable, I desired a professional finish. Consequently, I spent a considerable amount of time using a tiny paintbrush to refine all the mistakes and edges.

Honestly, I might have hand-painted or fixed about 20% of those walls.

The Instructions Were Misleading

Corners were the primary reason I would never repeat this project. Various YouTube tutorials depict users flawlessly aligning their stencils in corners (one of them was from the company I bought the stencil from). My project felt like trying to fold origami using a friend’s left hand. It was awkward, frustrating, and nearly impossible. I ended up stenciling as much as I could on both sides separately, then hand-painting the corners to connect it all.

This made me convinced that my stencil was defective, prompting me to reach out to the company. I wasn't seeking a refund—just confirmation that my struggles weren’t solely due to poor DIY skills. They offered me a second stencil and reassured me that mine met their quality standards.

No thanks!

It became clear that a stencil brush outperformed a roller. Although rollers save time, I was told that as long as I used a dense foam roller with minimal paint, the results would look designer-perfect. NOT IN MY EXPERIENCE!

The end result was a beautiful wall, but I would never replicate this method. I say this not to dissuade others from stenciling—after all, I still appreciate stencils for smaller endeavors. I simply learned a tough lesson with this DIY stenciling attempt. It was challenging to title this post negatively, understanding that some hurdles stemmed from my own errors. I made numerous mistakes, and I hope to help others avoid the same fate. However, the nightmare lingers far too vividly for me.

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Stenciling Projects I Would Consider Again:

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