By Divya Gupta

Ah! The love for a classic rocky chair never fades off. But these vintage beauties often get neglected and start looking pale and faded over time. Don’t worry, today’s DIY stencil project will help you upgrade your rustic rocking chair into a charming lilac beauty that you won’t stop adoring.

Find the stencils for this project here: 

Medallion Stencil

Floral Border Stencil

Step 1:Blend it with the Rest

Stenciling old furniture is all about embracing the timeless piece and enhancing its look by applying subtle finishes. Before digging into painting, make sure you access the interior style of your room and select the shades that complement the space. One can never go wrong with light-toned colors that bring out antique vibes. Here, we have used Lilac chalky paints that have a matte finish. The paleness of this shade really accentuates the chair and make it look sophisticated.

Step 2: Go Crazy with the Stencil Patterns 

Vintage furniture items are all about intricate designs and meticulous details. Opt for stencil patterns that highlight the antique features of the furniture like florals or Damask.

Don’t limit yourself with one pattern! Instead, use your creative flair and use multiple stencils for different areas of the chair. For instance, you can use a geometric pattern in the center of the stool and punctuate it with a bold floral border! The sky is the limit when it comes to stenciling different surfaces.

In this project, we have used three floral patterns each with organic and ornate styles. Honestly, it ended up looking so chic and classy! 

Step 3: Prepare the Base 

Before digging into the stenciling bit, always prepare the surface. Try to balance the contrast using light and dark shades.

For instance, if your wall is dark, opt for lighter shades, and in case of light walls, use darker shades to amplify the look. Use sandpaper to even out the surface and then splash the wall with your favorite color!

Step 4: Ready, Set, Stencil! 

Once your base prep is done its time for the best part, stenciling! Fix the stencils using a painter’s tape or some glue to secure it properly. Furniture pieces have a wobbly form but don’t fret about it at all. The beauty of DIY stenciling projects lies in the imperfections.

As a rule of thumb, always use paint as less as possible to avoid bleeds. The best practice is to pour the color on a tray and then offload the brush to remove excess paint. For a rustic look, use dead brush strokes in circular motions. This helps in covering the surface neatly without leaving ugly brush stains.

Step 5: Add a Pinch of Personality 

Just like everything else, your DIY stencil project needs a bit of depth and detailing too! For this furniture makeover, we have used pearlescent paint to emphasize the grooves. The subtle yet prominent glow of this metallic tone strikes a perfect contrast with the lilac shade. It is such a simple way of achieving a ‘finished’ look. You can use other accent colors that match the style of your furniture and design.

Just like that your old vintage rocking chair is now transformed into stylish furniture that will easily become a cynosure in the room! You can try this DIY stenciling technique with almost any kind of furniture, be it a stool, console table, coffee table, or dining chair. Let no furniture in your house lay around ugly and unused!

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Until next time, happy stenciling!

Stenciling is a very rewarding and fulfilling process. Just follow these basic steps and be ready to bag endless compliments. For more such awesome DIY stencil projects, here are some examples:

This project uses our Floral Stencil

This project uses our Medallion Stencil:

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Until then, keep stenciling!