DIY Sherlock Wall Stencil: WE ACTUALLY DID IT!

I'm pretty pumped about this one, you guys.

Not only am I about to show you how to make large-scale wall stencils on the cheap, I'm *also* going to show you the completed Sherlock accent wall we just finished for our friends Chris & Christie. And you guys, it looks goooooooood - if I do say so myself.

First, to remind you what it looks like, here's a photo of the Sherlock set via Sherlockology:

That iconic black-and-white wallpaper is flocked, which is why the interior of the damask pattern looks almost solid black from most angles. It's also not technically black-and-white: the background is actually a metallic cream-and-pale-blue stripe, while the pattern itself is a deep chocolate brown.

Now here's a look at our almost-finished wall:

 

 We used a cream base coat and deep chocolate brown paint - but you can see the effect still looks very black-and-white.

 If you look closely you can see the top and bottom two rows haven't been touched-up yet, so those rows have thinner interior lines. I'll explain that in a minute. Keep reading.

When we were faux finishers John and I made our own stencils all the time, but this is easily the most difficult pattern we've ever attempted. However, IT CAN BE DONE, if you have the patience for it. (And if your walls are textured, then if you're willing to do a lot of touch ups afterward.) 

If your stencil pattern is small you can cut it out of a clear report cover or overhead transparency; those work great for stencils. If your pattern is larger than 8X10, though, here's a cheap way to do it:

YOU WILL NEED:

- A printed pattern

- clear spray lacquer, any sheen

- a roll of clear packing tape

- This Krylon spray adhesive

(Not sponsored, that's just the best of 3 different brands we tried)

- small foam roller

- latex paint

First you need a pattern. Luckily the Sherlock wallpaper is all over the internet, so it's easy to find. Even better, John's already done the work for you. We made ours the right size (we think), so grab this graphic below, go to Kinko's, and have them print it full-size. It should cost about $3.

 Here's our print-out from Kinko's:

Tape your print-out down to a work surface outside, and spray it with clear spray lacquer. Spray it until the lacquer completely saturates the paper, front and back:

 

We used Minwax, but any clear lacquer should work.

You should also saturate the entire paper, not just around the design like we did here. (We learned this the hard way.) You can trim the paper closer than this, though; all that excess edging will only get in the way later.

The reason we're lacquering the paper - and the reason you should NOT skip this step - is because water and paint will seep into your paper after you cut out the stencil. If your paper isn't sealed, it will swell up and start to fall apart. Not good.

When your paper is fully dry again, bring it inside and tack it down to a table:

Now we're going to cover the entire thing in packing tape - twice. Overlap each row so there are no gaps. Do all vertical lines first, then horizontal. Flip the paper over and repeat for the back.  

 Ooooh, shiny.

At this point you should have your paper pattern sandwiched between 4 layers of packing tape, and we are FINALLY ready to cut. Woohoo!

Use a new, sharp craft blade, and err on the side of giving MORE width to those tiny interior lines. If one rips, don't panic; just sandwich it between more packing tape, then cut away the excess tape.

 As you can see this stencil is extremely delicate, so lay it flat when not in use and be gentle moving it around. It's also a good idea to make more than one if you're planning to do a large wall like ours. (We ended up using two, since they wear out over time.)

So there's your stencil. Now what? How do you get started actually putting it on the wall?

It helps to start with a guide piece. John printed half of the pattern and taped it in the corner about halfway up the wall, like this:

 

Now the first full stencil lines up off of that guide piece. John included guide cutouts on the top, bottom, and left side of the stencil, so once you get started it's pretty easy to line up the next piece.

Spray the back side of your stencil with spray adhesive, pat it down with a paper towel to remove any excess, and stick it to the wall:

See the guide cut-outs on the left? That helps get the spacing right.

Use a smooth foam roller to apply the paint, but make sure you roll off almost ALL the paint on a scrap piece of cardboard before moving to the wall. You want very little paint. Excess paint will bleed like crazy, so better to have too little and build up slowly.

 

To keep the pattern level John used a laser level (a fancy gadget left over from our painting days), but you can use a piece of string or even a measuring tape with a level to make sure your stencils follow the same line. This step is crucial; once you start to veer off course the whole wall will look crooked, so remember to check that level every time! 

Oh, and don't trust the lines on your walls or ceiling; those are rarely straight.

 Here you can still see our initial guide piece taped to the wall on the left. Leave all the partial pieces 'til the end; we'll fill those in last. (One you've done all the full stencils, you'll need to cut up your stencil [sob] to fit in all those remaining spaces.)

As the cosplayers like to say in their armor tutorials: Repeat 'til Cry.

When your stencil starts getting too gunked up with dried paint, take it outside and spray it off with the hose. Lay it flat on the driveway to do this, so the water pressure doesn't bend/break any of those tiny lines. Then pat it dry. This is where it helps to have two stencils: you can keep going with your spare while a helper cleans and dries the first one. Make sure it is COMPLETELY dry before moving on, though; excess water will make your paint run!

Now let's talk bleeding. Paint bleeding. If your walls are textured, then odds are you'll get a lot of it. (John's sample on cardboard is darn near perfect, though, so if you have glass-smooth walls: LUCKY.)

Here's a close-up of the stencil right after applying on the left, followed by my touch-ups on the right:

 See all the jagged lines on the left? You can't really see them if you step back, but if you're like me (and our friends) you'll still want to fix them. So Christie and I've been going back with small artists' brushes and re-painting all those interior lines. Yes, it's tedious, yes, it takes a while/forever, but it's sooo much prettier when you're done. (Plus I find it rather soothing, so I can't wait to go back and help finish the rest.)

Only the middle rows have been touched up here - so again, all that bleeding really isn't noticeable from a distance. So hey, if you decide to leave the bleed, no judgment here.

 It took John about 8 hours to stencil the whole wall by himself, so count on a solid day's work for an accent wall around this size. Touching up all the bleed, on the other hand, could take anywhere from several hours to an eternity, so I can't help you there. :D

 Let's end with one more Before and After, since I love them so:

 Before...

 ... and After!

We painted the other walls in the room green to match Sherlock's place, too. (We just did our best with the color match, since reference photos vary quite a lot.) Chris and Christie have lots more Sherlock plans for this room - plans I'm really excited to help with - so I'll keep you guys updated as we do more!

I hope this inspires some of you to try painting your own Sherlock wall - or at least give stencils a shot! If you have any questions fire away in the comments, and John or I will do our best to answer.

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