Stencil patterns set out from a marked grid, so the repeat holds its line.
Repeat motifs, borders and all-over patterns set out by hand on a flat, sound base, with the centre and plumb lines marked before the first print, so the repeat holds its line across the wall and the part-motifs at the edges fall where we put them, not where the wall ran out.
- Free site inspection
- Written, itemised quote
- 1-year workmanship warranty
- Same-day callback
At a glance
What's stencil painting on a wall?
Stencil painting prints a repeated motif onto a finished wall using a cut template. The pattern is the easy part. The real work is in the base coat, the setting out and the paint loading: a stencil bleeds if the applicator is too wet or the template lifts, and a repeat that drifts even slightly at each print carries that error into the next one, so the columns start leaning long before you reach the far edge.
When this is the answer, and when it is not.
Sending you to the wrong service wastes your money and our time. This is how to tell.
This is likely right if
- You want a patterned feature wall without the joins and lifting edges of wallpaper
- A plain painted room needs one wall, a border or a ceiling band with some character
- You want a motif customised to your own design, scale or colour rather than a stock print
- A pooja room, headboard wall or child's room needs a defined patterned area
Something else comes first if
- The wall is wavy or roughly finished, a stencil must sit flush to hold a clean edge, so levelling and a proper base coat come first
- There's damp, salting or a leak behind the wall, the motif lifts with the coat under it, and the source has to be traced and stopped first
- A sand or grain texture is already on the wall, where the template can't lie flat and paint runs under every cut edge
What the service includes.
Base wall assessment
We check the wall is flat, dry, sound and properly finished before agreeing to stencil it, because the motif can only be as crisp as the surface under it.
Pattern and colour selection
Motif, scale and colour contrast agreed with you, with a trial print done so you see the real repeat size rather than a photograph of one.
Setting out the repeat
Centre lines, plumb lines and the repeat grid marked on the base coat, so the pattern is centred on the wall rather than started in one corner and left to run out.
Base coat and curing
The background colour applied to the stencilled area and left to harden. Printing onto a base coat that's still soft pulls it away when the template is lifted.
Stencil application
Template registered against the marks and held flat, printed with a near-dry roller or stipple brush in light passes, and cleaned as build-up starts to blur the cut edges.
Edge correction and cleanup
Bleed or skipped sections corrected by hand with a fine brush, setting-out marks removed, and the room cleared and cleaned before we hand it back.
Not included, or quoted separately
- Levelling, putty work and crack repair on the base wall, quoted separately as preparation
- Wallpaper removal, or stripping an existing texture coat to get back to a flat surface
- Damp source treatment and waterproofing behind the wall being stencilled
- Freehand murals, portraits and artwork that isn't a repeat printed from a template
- Manufacture of custom die-cut templates for large or intricate motifs, which is quoted on its own
The sequence.
Inspection and pattern discussion
We look at the wall, the light it gets and what stands in front of it, then talk about motif scale. A small motif on a large wall reads as noise from across the room; a large one gets swallowed behind a bed or a sofa.
Trial print and approval
One repeat printed in the actual colours, on your own wall or a matching board, seen in daylight and under your own lights. Contrast that looks right on a phone screen often looks harsh across a full wall.
Base coat and curing
Background colour applied and left to harden properly. This wait is not padding, it is what stops the template lifting the base coat off with it.
Setting out
The wall measured, centre and plumb lines struck, and the repeat planned so part-motifs fall evenly at both edges instead of a full motif on one side and a sliver on the other.
Printing the pattern
Worked in sequence, template registered against the marks each time, paint kept dry on the applicator, and each additional colour run as its own registered pass.
Correction and handover
We walk the wall with you in raking light, close any soft edges or missed sections, remove the setting-out marks and clear the site.
What moves the price on this job.
We do not publish a rate, because it would change once someone measured your property. These are the variables that decide it.
- The measured area to be stencilled, and whether it is one feature wall or a border running through several rooms
- Motif complexity and the number of colours, since every extra colour is a separate registered pass over the whole area
- Whether an existing template can be used or one has to be cut for your design
- The condition of the base wall, and how much levelling and base coat it needs before stencilling can begin
- Obstructions inside the repeat, switch plates, corners, beams and window reveals all slow the setting out
- Working height, and whether the pattern runs over a stair flight or up a double-height wall
Stencil Painting — your questions.
Will the pattern line up in the corners?
Internal corners almost never fall on a clean repeat, so part of a motif will be cut off. We plan the setting out so those part-motifs are balanced at both ends of the wall and land where they read as deliberate. A flexible template can be worked into a corner, but the print distorts slightly there, we'll show you that on the trial before you decide.
Why does stencil paint bleed under the edges?
Two reasons, both avoidable. The applicator is carrying too much paint, so it floods under the cut edge; or the template is not sitting flush, because the wall is uneven or paint has built up on the back of the template. We work near-dry in light passes and clean the template through the job, which is why a stencilled wall takes longer than simply rolling it.
Can you stencil over our existing paint without redoing the wall?
Sometimes. The existing coat has to be sound, flat, clean and fully cured, and the sheen has to let the template sit flush. Chalky, flaking or heavily washed-down emulsion will lift with the template. We test a small patch first. If that coat is not sound, a fresh base coat over the stencilled area becomes part of the work.
How should we clean a stencilled wall later?
Wipe gently with a barely damp cloth. No scrubbing, and no cleaning agents on the motif. The stencilled layer is thin and sits on top of the base coat, so hard rubbing wears the pattern away before it touches the background. Tell us at the inspection if the wall is in a high-traffic spot, and we can specify a more washable system for the motif.
What happens if the wall gets damaged after stencilling?
Small chips can usually be touched in, because we keep a record of the colours and the setting-out. A larger patch is harder: the repair has to be levelled, base coated, cured, then re-registered against the existing grid. A repair printed slightly out of register is more visible than the damage was, so tell us early rather than patching it yourself.
Let us look at your walls first.
Tell us about the property and we will set up a free colour and wall inspection. You get a written, itemised quotation afterwards, with no obligation to go ahead.
- We call you back the same day to get a picture of the property and the surfaces.
- We agree a time and come out for the free inspection.
- You get the written scope and itemised quotation.
- Nothing starts until you approve it.