Thx so much for this video! We used it to do a 4’ sign this afternoon (with 4 sections of stencil we masked with painters tape), and your sealing method worked perfectly!
Thank you for this! I did the first of 3 stencils onto canvases last night for my daughter’s nursery and it looked horrible! I found this video this morning and redid the 3 canvases using this method and they all turned out awesome. I did have a little bleeding, but I was able to clean up the edges pretty quickly and I’m so happy with how they turned out. Thank you again!
Hey! Idk if you still use this technique to prevent bleeding, but I found that using mod podge as my first coat prevents bleeding and mod podge is great because it dries clear so it’s awesome to use on stained boards
Hi!!! Just checking back in to see if you were ever able to do those videos of your sealing techniques of the wood prior to applying the stencils? We messaged about 6 months ago! I still refer to your videos all the time as refresher courses! They are the best on you tube! Thank you so much!!!!
Sybil Stinson I’m sorry, I haven’t had a chance to yet. It’s still high on my list of videos to make, but if you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to join my Facebook group and ask away! Search for “Wood Crafts & More”
I absolutely love the video's you have posted! They are delightful and they are the best teaching videos that I have seen on stenciling! Thru questions and your replies with others, there is alot of wonderful and needed information that has been helpful to me but I was wondering if you would be willing to do a video on the process you have mentioned with sealing your wood after you have painted the base with the chalk paint prior to placing your stencil on and then continue on to complete the sign in this video? I know that it would be so helpful to me and so many other fans that follow you! Thank you for everything you do!
Sybil Stinson Omg, you are too sweet! I’m so glad you are enjoying my videos. I can definitely work on another video. To clarify, you would like to see specifically the process of how I seal the base paint before laying the stencil? So, brushing or spraying on the sealers I like to use, and then laying the stencil? And then the rest of the process from then on to completion? I usually just spray some sealer on when I’m doing it before the stencil, but if that’s something you’d like to see I can do that. And I agree, a video of how I seal and finish a sign would be helpful too. I love a few layers of Polycrylic brushed on and then buffed out with steel wool. Let me know if I’m on the right page and I’ll work on making some time for another video 😘
OMG...I am so excited to hear from you so quickly! Thank you sooo much! You are absolutely on the right page! If maybe you could show us how you BOTH spray and brush on the sealer (including your preferred brush that does not leave brush stokes or atleast minimal amount of brush strokes) after the base coat and then layer the stencil, that way we can see both options (if that is possible). I know you would have to work on 2 different signs to show the techniques but that would be sooo amazing! And then continue on with the stenciling and then sealing the final projects. Is that asking too much? LOL! You truly are amazing and so talented, I feel we would be learning from the best :) I remember reading in one of the comments (I literally went thru every video and every comment and reply so I can't remember which one I read this on...LOL) where you spoke about lightly sanding with a 220 grit sandpaper (I believe to distress and smooth out the painted base) and I would love to see how you do all that as well. For us visual folks (LOL), that would be awesome as well. I know you have mentioned thru out all your replies you have mentioned all your favorite products you use...maybe you could show us those in one video as well. Thank you so much! I am so grateful for you! By the way honey, what is the font that you used for "make life more"? So adorable! Always looking for a cute print font!!!
Sybil Stinson Thank you for all the details! I will work on getting a video (or several 😜) done as soon as I have a break from orders! As for the font, I will go check as soon as I sit down at my computer again. In case you haven’t read in another comment yet, I do have a Facebook group called “Wood Crafts & More” if you search for it and request to join just mention Sweet Pea and you’ll get right in. It’s a great place to share your projects and seek advice from not only myself, but lots of other very talented members as well. I’d love to see you there! And I’ll work on those videos and that font for you ASAP! 😘
Thank you so much! I look forward to any new videos you do :) I did read about your facebook page and got accepted yesterday to the group! Thank you for that!!!! YAY!
Allison Ritchie some people use modpodge but I found that I could still see the bleeds on the edges of the letters with modpodge even though it’s clear. It’s not super noticeable but I’m a perfectionist and it bothered me. Totally possible thought.
With this technique work with acrylic paint? I have seem lots of people say to peel wet but you do dry. Very interesting. I hate peeling wet, I get so full of paint.
It could, but some cheap acrylic paints do like to peel up with the stencil, so it’s not worth the risk for me. There’s a lot of work involved in prepping for signs, so I prefer to do as much as physically possible to ensure a flawless outcome.
I have been following your tutorial exactly! But:( when I go to paint my stencil with the exact same paint it's very hard. It shows all brush marks, and when it dries it looks like it's cracking! Any help?
Madyson Brown the paint is hard, or it’s hard to do? Chalk paint is very thick and usually shows brush marks unless you do really thin coats. You can thin the paint down with water if you’d like or lightly sand it when it dries. The cracking usually only happens if you do it too thick. Try thinner coats and that should help. Also, a quality brush helps too. I tend to use soft bristle flat artist brushes for my stencils, unless it’s a large sign and I’ll just use a nice normal paint brush. Hopefully that helps! Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
Hi again! I never get tired of watching your videos as a constant teaching tool! LOVE THEM!!! So I tested out your suggestion of sealing the base coat with a sealant and I used the Krylon Matte Finish spray to help not have those little wood splinters come up when I pulled up the vinyl and I believe it helped alot :) But what I did have an issue was (not a super bad issue) when I pulled up the vinyl after I painted the letters, in a few spots it pulled up the paint ever so slightly. I was wondering if I wanted too long to pull up the vinyl or does that occur when you pull it up too soon (maybe those areas the paint had not dried enough). Is there a magic time (besides being dry...LOL) to wait to pull up the vinyl so the letters have crisp lines everywhere? For the most part it was perfectly crisp lines except those few spots. Do you have any tips on this issue? Does this ever happen with you? If so, how do you fix it? THANK YOU again for all your valued advise and constant help! I know I speak for everyone that you are the BEST!
Sybil Stinson Thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my videos! To be honest, I never have that issue (except ONE time using black spray paint and letting it dry in the sun and it got super hot and stretched lol) but I tend to like my letters distressed a little, so I usually lightly sand my letters a little before pulling the stencil, or I use a damp paper towel to distress the letters a bit. Even if I don’t want them distressed, I still tend to run some sandpaper over them lightly just to get rid of the brush strokes in the paint. Maybe that’s why they never peel? I have some 300 grit sandpaper cut into small squares set aside and on hand just for that purpose. Maybe try that and see if that helps? I know some people like to pull their stencils while the paint is still wet to avoid that issue, but I never do that. I always end up making a mess that way. Trying sanding them a little and see if that helps. Good luck!
That is a great idea. I bet in the process of doing that, you slightly break up any build up in areas around the letters that could pick up with the pulling up of the vinyl. Smart! Did you do that to the sign in this video by any chance (and this step was not shown on your video)? Also, do you do 2 layers of the top coat color for the letters (in this case the black). If so, do you wait for the 1st coat to dry before applying the 2nd coat?
Sybil Stinson I did not do that to this sign in the video. And I usually do 2 coats of black, or however many coats it takes to fully cover the base paint.
Hi, just to clarify. For non distressed boards- before you lay your vinyly, you spray with a poly? Does this prevent splintering? Does the bleed trick also work with stain (instead of paint)?
Any suggestions....on how to keep from scratching the base paint on sign when weeding the vinyl after you paint? I always have little scratches all over...
if you stain the boards do you do it the same way? Sand with 80 grits wipe clean and then apply the stain let it dry and sanded and distress the wood with 220 grit sand paper apply the sealer then apply the stencil...paint the lettering and remove the stencil and apply the sealer.....hope that makes senses.
Sherman Chan For the most part, yes. I do have a video on that though. Hopefully that helps! See it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rJEmoy3s5_I.html
Laura Bordelon I put a coat of poly on the board first if I’m worried about t peeling the base paint, but if I sand the paint really smooth (to 220) before laying the stencil it’s much better about pulling up paint.
What products do you suggest using to seal the signs and what are your steps? What about for outdoor use? Thanks in advance! Your videos are so helpful!
Amanda Shown Thank you! When sealing my signs, I always spray the first coat of sealer to make sure I don't smudge the letters with a brush, and then brush on any additional coats after. Brush on (canned) sealer is more cost effective than sprays, so I only use them for that initial seal and use the brush on as much as possible. For the spray sealer, indoors and out, I use Krylon Crystal Clear sealer. I've found that it sprays much better and doesn't clog as quickly as other brands, specifically Polycrylic, their tips clog and sputter so easily! For the coats I brush on after, I use Polycrylic for indoors and a water based outdoor spar urethane for outdoors, usually Varathane brand. You can brush on that outdoor sealer over the indoor spray without any issues.
It seems like you started in the middle..what did you do before you started painting -did you paint bpard first them put stencil.also i noticed you covered the whole board with stencil..thanks
Paula Hawthorne Sorry, I skipped the board prep to keep the video a reasonable length. I'll have to make another video just to show the board prep. I sanded the board with 80 grit sandpaper, painted it with chalk paint, sanded and distressed the board with 220 grit sandpaper and then applied the stencil. I do have a video showing you how I put the stencil on the board. It's not covered completely, but it is close. That wasn't intentional, just how it ended up. But it is nice to give yourself some room to paint without getting it on the board. Let me know if you have any more questions :)
Hi. I love your videos! I noticed you added a base coat prior to adding the black paint. Do you recommend this because it allows the colors to be brighter or stand out more?
Taliea Strohmeyer thank you! No, adding the base coat seals the stencil, meaning if any paint was going to bleed through the stencil’s edges it would bleed the same color as the background so it’s not visible.
Hi! I watched this video a long time ago and I think it’s a great idea ....I have been using water based sealer to do the every which way first coat...my husband suggested that the poly needs to be sanded before paint coat to prevent peeling up paint....I’m wondering if you see the need to rough up or sand the poly I read in comments that you have used with stained signs...would love your feedback I’m afraid to try it...so silly! Also one more question have you had luck with painting White over black? I’m getting ready to do big subway sign black board white letters? Thanks for video😊
Kimberly Drake it’s ok! You may not HAVE to sand, I’m sure I’ve done some without sanding every time, but I feel like it keep the paint from peeling and also keeps it from building up such thick letters. As far as white over black goes, it is possible. I would recommend chalk paint or primer so you have a good high coverage paint. But you might also try a reverse stencil. So paint the board white, lay down your vinyl letters (not stencil, but the actual letters), paint more white to seal, then paint black. Then peel the letters revealing the white underneath. Hope that makes sense! Good luck!
I have a question I use Oracal 651 and sometimes I have it stick to the wood and pulls fibers off. So then I have to go in and touch up the paint. Do you ever have that problem with oracal 631?
Jules Enriquez Sometimes, Yes. But not as bad as 651. I’ve found that if you sand your paint with 220 sandpaper really smooth before putting the stencil down it really helps. If it’s a sign that isn’t distressed and needs to be perfect, I’ll put a coat of sealer down first. That solves the problem.
Linda Seguin I used normal tweezers and a little metal pick I got at Harbor Freight. I use dental picks too and they have some cheap ones at Walmart or on Amazon.
Hi, where did you get your pick tool at. Doez it leave indents or scrape the paint when your picking off the inside pieces. My tool is a cricut tool and its thicker. No matter how easy i am, it always makes an indent in the wood where im picking little pieces off. Thank you
Ashley McGeary I got a set of picks from Harbor Freight, but you can use dental picks too. It will still dent/scratch the paint underneath if you're not still careful with it. But these are much sharper than the ones meant for vinyl so you don't have to push so hard to grab the vinyl. An exact knife works well too, but you still need to use caution as to not damage the paint on/around it.
Thank you so much. Also I am having same problem with paint ripping off my signs when I pull the vinyl off. I took your advice and sanded before I applied the vinyl. But it tends to rip off where there are these lines, small hard to see chunk scratch type lines. Would it be ok to seal sign first; painting on with a matte polycrylic?
Sorry to be a pain, but one more question. So I decided to use polycrylic to seal the base coat before I apply the vinyl stencil; in hopes that the basecoat paint doesnt peel off. (I dont have an issue with the letters or stenciled paint peeling off, just base cost). I used acrylic craft paint for the sign. Can I use the polycrylic over acrylic paint? (Also I was making a sign that person just wanted background stained. I had issues with the lettering peeling off when pulling stencil off; like paint wouldnt stick. So I followed your steps from your " how to seal your stencil for a stained background" video, and it worked for me. The lettering didnt peel off.) Thank you
Great video! Do you finish your signs with anything? Any sealer? My paint is very "chippy" when I take off the vinyl which is such a bummer. But if I sand AFTER peeling off the vinyl will that help do you think? I get so bummed doing all the work and it looking very "meh" at the end. Your vinyl came off so clean with no little paint chips. Any recommendation?
I've found that sanding the base layer of paint with 220 sandpaper to make it really smooth helps reduce the amount of paint that peels up with the stencil. Also, spraying on a coat of Polycrylic will help too if you're wanting to make sure it's nice and clean. When I'm all done with the whole sign I spray with Polycrylic and brush on any additional coats of sealer until I get the look I want. I always spray a coat of sealer before brushing to avoid the letters smearing.
Sweet Pea Woodworking & Decor such a fast response thank you!! Do you spray before you lift the stencil up as an extra measure of precaution or are you normally fine lifting up just after the paint is dry? Thank you!!
Great video! Do you mind sharing the name of the curly font you used? Most of the ones I've found are not very thick when you die cut them, so sometimes it is hard to see them. Thank you!
Brandy Geno I actually just recorded that video yesterday and will try to get it edited and uploaded in the next couple of days. I use Polycrylic to seal the stencil but I do have a couple steps in there to make sure it works without any issues. Keep an eye out for the video soon!
Sweet Pea Woodworking & Decor thank you! I saw the video and it was great! I have another question, so I used the method in the video above, and I use the same type of vinyl as you but my vinyl is sticking so much to the wood I can barely pull it off do you have any tips? It's leaving behind a sticky residue
Is it just hard to peel off, or is it peeling up paint and wood with it? I've found that sanding the paint with 220 grit sandpaper to make it really smooth helps a lot! It seals the pores of the paint too so the vinyl doesn't pull it up and it comes off easier. You can put a coat of Polycrylic down before the stencil too if you still have issues. If I get sticky residue left behind, any kind of white eraser will take it right off without harming the paint.
its really hard to peal off and leaving a lot of sticky residue behind, I did sand it before I put the vinyl on. Im wondering if its because I used chalk paint. do you think if I sealed it, it would cover the sticky residue? trying to erase it all might take a really long time
Brandy Geno I use chalk paint too and it's not usually too hard. I have a larger rectangle eraser I use sometimes and I can get off the residue pretty fast with that. You can seal over it if you don't really see the residue. I only use the eraser if it looks dirty or if the residue has paint stuck to it. You're using 631 vinyl right? How long do you leave the stencil on? The longer the vinyl is on the board the more the adhesive sets, so try not to leave it on longer than needed. Also, I've heard some people use a hair dryer or heat gun to make it easier to pull off. But I haven't tried that. I did leave a stencil to dry in the sun once and it got really hot on accident and it left a really sticky mess so I figured a hair dryer would do the same. But I could be wrong. Might be worth trying?
MIKES yes, I think the idea would still work on metal. However, metal is usually really smooth so you shouldn’t have any bleeds anyway. If it’s smooth enough you shouldn’t have to seal it with anything.
Sweet Pea Woodworking & Decor Ah understood. I’m wanting to make a house sign and saw your vids. I’m wondering if I could print onto the vinyl and then hand cut out the letters with a scalpel and just cut through the vinyl and leave the backing sheet.
MIKES most vinyl isn’t able to be printed on, and it’s really hard to control how much your cutting by hand and not cut through the backing. I would be happy to help you come up with a stencil and ship it to you if you’d like to give it a try!
Elizabeth Garcia Thanks Elizabeth! It’s not paper. It’s actually vinyl adhesive sheets. The type is use the most is called Oracle 631 vinyl and it’s available at a lot of places. I usually buy it on Amazon.
Celia Chavez I design and cut my own stencils with my vinyl cutting machine. I have a Silhouette Cameo, but there are other brands available. I LOVE my Cameo ❤️
Robert Long Honestly, I started using 631 because it was cheaper than 813 and I liked the idea that I could use it for other things besides just stencils. And it worked so well I haven’t had any other reason to try 813. I should definitely give it a try one of these days! I might find out I love it. I have friends that have used it and hate it, but I also have friends that use it all the time and love it. I think it really just comes down to personal preference.
I think I might give the 631 a try. I've had luck with the 831 stencil and like last night no luck. The paint still got under the stencil. Old wood sometimes works and sometimes it does not.
Robert Long Its worth a try! Everyone has different preferences, but I’ve had really good luck with it. Just make sure you sand you paint with 220 sandpaper really smooth before you put he stencil down. Or put on a layer of sealer to protect it from pulling.
cheri swenson I like Waverly Chalk Paint from Walmart. Sometimes I use diy chalk paint (latex+calcium carbonate) or flat spray paint, but my usual is Waverly.
tealwingz it’s about sealing the stencil’s edges so they don’t bleed. Not about sealers for actual signs. Sorry if that was misleading... I seal all my signs with Polycrylic. Or water based spar urethane for outdoors.
Hi. I'm just starting to make signs with vinyl. I've made signs before, but I would hand paint. I LOVE your videos!!!! Soooo helpful. Does your sealer ever turn your letters yellow?
