A Room Makeover Guide for Acanthus Armoire Wall Stencils

STEP BY STEP GUIDE

1. Prime piece with White Dove. Let dry.

2. For the first layer of the two-tone base coat, mix three parts glaze with one part Celtic Folklore (medium lime green) in lined paint tray. Note: Experiment on a practice board to determine desired paint-to-glaze ratio. Adjust ratio as needed. Glaze mixture should be a light shade to showcase darker stencil design and thin enough to manipulate and pull from surface with plastic wrap.


3. Load foam roller with a generous amount of glaze mixture and apply to one side of the armoire. While paint is still wet, press a large piece of plastic drop cloth over the entire glazed surface. The plastic will be slightly wrinkled, which will create the textured look. Remove the plastic by pulling down from the top (see photo A). Let dry.

4. Continue applying glaze mixture to each section of the armoire and pulling off with fresh plastic as above. Let dry.

5. For the next layer of the base coat, mix three parts glaze with one part Stem Green (light olive green) paint in a lined paint tray.

Note: Test glaze on practice board as above.

6. Working on one section of the armoire at a time, apply the glaze and pull off with fresh pieces of plastic as above to create a subtle variegated background. Let dry.

7. Plan placement of the large-scale stencil on armoire's side panels. 
Note: On our armoire, we were able
 to use two full stencil repeats down the length of each side. Spray the back of the stencil with stencil adhesive and adhere to the side of the armoire. Use pencil to make registration marks for next repeat.

8. Pour Seminole Green (leaf green) paint onto a foam plate. Using a makeup sponge or small foam brush, pounce paint over the stencil, applying paint more heavily around the edges.


9. Remove the stencil. While the paint is still wet, use a damp sponge to lift excess paint from middle of patterns to give a weathered effect (see photo B). Re-position stencil, aligning registration marks, and apply paint to next stencil repeat. Randomly lift off excess paint as above before moving on to next area. Repeat on the other side panel.

10. Determine placement of the stencil on one of the upper front panels of the armoire. If there are portions of the stencil that extend past the inset panel, cover them with painters tape to prevent stenciling outside the desired area. Spray the back of the stencil with stencil adhesive and adhere to the desired location. Stencil with Seminole Green paint as above.

11. Repeat process to stencil the lower front panel inset on the same side of cabinet. Note: If your lower panels are a different size. you may need to re-tape the stencil to cover areas that extend outside the lower panel area.

12. For the remaining front
panels, reverse the pattern by flipping the second copy of the stencil over so the adjacent panels mirror each other. Tape off unwanted areas of the stencil's pattern. Apply paint as above.

13. Add a small amount of glaze to the Seminole Green paint. Using a small artist brush, paint trim around the panels and on the edges of the armoire top. Let dry. Protect with a clear sealer.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

  • Armoire or other large furniture piece
  • Benjamin Moore flat latex paint in White Dove, Celtic Folklore and Stem Green
  • Aqua Finishing Solutions AquaGlaze and AquaSeal
  • 2 paint trays with liners
  • Two 3" sponge paint rollers
  • Large plastic drop cloths
  • Repositionable Spray Adhesive
  • Acanthus Wall and Floor Stencil
  • Delta Ceramcoat acrylic paint in Seminole Green
  • Foam plate
  • Small foam brush or makeup sponge
  • Clean rag
  • Painters tape
  • Small artist paintbrush