Wow!

wish I had the patience ~ these are stunning !

There will be many tears when it gets painted over.

Okay, my question is how do you clean a stenciled wall? I painstakingly stenciled an Arts & Crafts motif in my Mission-style kitchen. But the walls get splattered and greasy. How do you clean around a stenciled image without resorting to Q-tips and an OCD friend to help? Has anyone clear-coated over a stencil or is there some other handy DIY trick I don't know? Thanks

At that point, wouldn't you just be better off with wallpaper?

Yeah, isn't that pretty much the whole point of wallpaper?

1) yes, you need to clear coat over stencilled walls or use paint that can be wiped.

2) what makes it better than wallpaper is you don't need to remove it when you want to make a change. You just paint over it. Also, it's substantially cheaper than wallpaper with similar up-to-date designs.

I've never had the patience for stencilling (though I like the results). I have, however, spent a lot of hours in the past week getting just one layer of wallpaper off the walls of a biggish room. I'm not done yet, either. I could have painted over it, but I was thinking of someone in the future (probably me) having to remove wallpaper with paint over it.

May be paint is less expensive, but trust me, wallpapering is easier! Besides, if you prepare the walls correctly, removing wallpaper is a breeze. I used a wallpaper remover (I think it was made by Zinsser; it was blue and came in a spray bottle) that worked great on everything except paper that was applied directly to drywall.

@Madame Tut: I clean a stenciled wall the same way I do other walls. Never had a problem, never used a sealer. Many yrs ago (before stenciling was popular) I leased an apartment with no kitchen backspash (that is to say, there was drywall only) even over the stove. So, I stenciled my own, lol, with wall paint. I lived there for several years. It [usually] got a quick swipe with the dishrag or sponge when I wiped down the counters after dinner. And when I got lazy, a vinegar/water solution in a spray bottle cut to the chase....er, cut thru the grease. When I moved out, mgmt asked me NOT to paint over it. It still looked as good as the day I painted it. No fear. No Q-tips required. And fwiw, I can guarantee you I am more OCD than you.

@cobalt blue: Glad your wallpaper worked well for you! But for some of us, creativity - not cost - is the motivating factor. And while you might find stenciling tedious, I find it relaxing.

Rachel's is stunning, the color is beautiful.

@cobaltblue, @skippingdaisies, @T_Violet One more advantage of stenciling to wallpaper is creative freedom! When you paint the pattern on the wall, you get to decide exactly what colors you want to use, and any special effects you want to add. You're right, there are a lot of neat wallpaper patterns available these days, but when you have something very specific in mind, short of having custom wallpaper created, this is a really unique and special way to make a room truly one-of-a-kind! :)

I love the clean look of a stencil and the simplicity of a repeating pattern. I've been looking for ideas on how to redecorate our master bedroom and I think stenciling may be the way to go!!