How To: Stencil a Floor

Add some color and pattern to a wood or concrete floor this summer by purchasing a couple cans of paint and a stencil pattern... like the one shown here from Maryam Montague’s new book, Marrakesh Design: Decorating with All the Colors, Patterns and Magic of Morocco (Artisan; 2012).

The room is just one of the many paint- and stain-decorated motifs featured in Peacock Pavillions: a boutique hotel in Marrakesh that she and her husband built, designed, and decorated. 

With the help of decorative artist Melanie Royals of Royal Design Studio—and a team of decorative painters (now fondly known as the Peacock Painters—Maryam was able to incorporate decorated walls, floors, ceilings, furniture and even tent canvases with the exotic colors and patterns for which Morocco is known.  Along the way, “I became a stencil artist myself,” says Maryam, “and I’m astonished at how easy (although time-consuming) and inexpensive stenciling is!”

Inspired to tackle the project yourself? Here's how:

TOOLS AND MATERIALS:
Tape measure
Pencil
Low-tack masking tape, spray adhesive, or repositionable stencil spray adhesive
1 large stencil
Stencil brushes
Concrete paint
Paper towels
Sealant (polyurethane or other)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Clean the floor you’ll be stenciling, and let it dry thoroughly.

2. Measure the floor to locate its center, mark it with a pencil.

3. Using masking tape or spray adhesive to position the stencil at the marked center so that it does not move while you are painting.

4. Dip a clean, dry, stencil brush into the paint, and remove as much excess paint as possible from the brush by tamping it down on a stack of several paper towels.

5. Stipple (lightly tap) the stencil brush on the surface in the negative space of the stencil, working on small sections at a time. To avoid bleeding, make sure that there is only a small amount of paint on the brush at all times.

6. Use the same technique over the surface of the entire stencil.

7. Remove the stencil and reposition it. Make registration marks to line up the overall pattern adjacent to the previously stenciled area. Repeat.

8. Let the paint dry for five days, then apply a protective finish, if desired.

Excerpted from Marrakesh By Design by Maryam Montague (Artisan Books: Copyright © 2012). Maryam Montague is also the author of the blog, My Marrakesh.

Photos courtesy: Marrakesh By Design

For more on stenciled floors, go to our slideshow: Stenciled Floors: The Best of Today's Designs .

Want more How To? Browse all project in 30 Days of Easy Summer DIY