1.23.2013

Moroccan Wall Stencil FAQ

Well, turns out, lots of you want to jazz up your walls... cheaply.  Is there any other way?  haha Seriously, my DIY Moroccan-Style Wall Stencil Tutorial got lots of attention and as a result, I got lots of questions.  So, I figured I'd gather them all together and get the answers all in one place. Here we go. These are the steps that worked for me.
*Keep in mind, I work on a mac and I have Acrobat Professional.

  • How did you get your shape to print out so big?

    • Click here for the shape.
    • Right click on it and Save Image As. Pick a place to save it on your computer.
    • Go to the file you just saved, open it. Go to File, then Print.
    • When the print menu pops up, it should look something like this.
    • In the lower left corner, click PDFSave as PDF. Again, pick a place to save it.
    • Open the PDF you just saved and again, go to File, then Print. Still with me?
    • In this print menu choose Tile All Pages from the Page Scaling drop down. Set your Overlap to at least .25" so some of your design doesn't get cut off in the margins.  And, if it still looks like the shape is printing out small, adjust your Tile Scale (mine is set to 150% here).  The preview on the right shows that the shape is going to print on 4 sheets of paper.
    • Finally, click Print and tape your shape together!
  • How did you get your lines so even?
    • I used a small craft brush with short bristles.  If your bristles are short, no matter how heavy or light your hand is, the bristles won't spread out too much.  This will give you an even line.  If you can't find a brush with short bristles, cut one down to about 1/4". (PS. my lines aren't really that even... haha)
  • What color paint is that?
    • The background beige is "Bonjour Beige" by Glidden from Home Depot.  The lighter beige is the same paint with some white mixed in I think. :)
  • Are your walls textured?
    • Nope... just some light "orange peel". But, lots of you told me you were going to try this on a giant canvas.  Great idea if your walls are too textured.
  • How did you do the corners?
    • I used the paper I printed out and folded it into the corner.  It was easier than folding cardboard.
  • Did you paint on the inside or outside of the pencil line and did it show through?
    • I painted right over the middle of the pencil lines and they did show through a tiny bit. But, I don't think anyone would ever notice.  It's pretty light.
So I hope that helps if you were having trouble.  If I get more questions, I'll be sure to update. Remember, it does not have to be perfect.  The impact here comes from all of the lines meshed together... not each individual line. Let me know if you try it!

11 comments :

  1. Great tip about the paintbrush bristles. I never would have even thought of that!

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  2. my print menu dosent appears like that!!

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  3. my print menu dosent appears like that!!

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  4. Perhaps tracing the pattern with a colored pencil which is similar to the paint you are going to use would work?

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  5. I just did this today! Wow I apsolulty LOVE IT!!! I did this pattern on one wall in my craft room! My wall is a light pastel blue and I painted my lines with a magenta pink! I should have tryed using a color pencil of magenta pink cuz my pencil lines show even with painting 2 coats over them.

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  6. This is our current project! I used/am using a chalk marker (the same colour as the paint I am going to use) to make my guide lines. When I mess up, it easily wipes off w/ a damp rag. We have opted to use it on a smaller scale as our daughter's room has slanted ceilings and low walls. The paint scheme is dark grey, "almost" mustard yellow, and bright blue. The moroccan tiles are white to coordinate w/ the trim. This is such a lovely technique. Thank you for all of the details you have provided!

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    1. Great idea with the chalk marker! We start construction on our new house this month and I can't wait to do this again at our new place. Everyone has given me such great ideas on how to make it easier/better :)

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  7. For the people who don't have a mac, use Microsoft Publisher. Create a banner, select blank, create the size and copy and paste the pic in. Then use the tools to enlarge it and print it. It prints in tiles.

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    1. Thanks for the help! IT support is always the tough part of this job. haha :)

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  8. How did you know where to tape your level so the stencil was straight?

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    1. I eyeballed taping the level to the stencil. Even if it's a little off it won't matter since you'll place the stencil/level combo on the wall the same way every time. Does that make sense? Stenciling goes wrong when the stencil goes up a little differently each time you move it. Then the pattern gets all wonky. So even if the level is not 100% perpendicular on the stencil cut out, it will still go on the wall at the same angle every time if you just keep the bubble in the middle of the level. Phew! I hope I answered that one. :)

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