How to Customize Drop Cloth Curtains with Paint & Stencils

As I shared with you guys yesterday I’m really excited about the goals we’ve set for 2016 and completing various projects around the house. We made a lot of progress in 2015 and that just makes me want to build on what we accomplished last year even more. One room in our home that has undergone a lot of changes over the past 6 years is the dining room. Back when I thought my style was coastal cottage, the dining room looked like this…

Since then, I’ve embraced the fact my heart totally speaks in neutrals and the dining room evolved to this…

The dining room area is one of the first rooms you see when you walk in the front door. This house has an open floor plan, which I love. It makes me really think out my design choices and how I want to carry colors and style from one room to the next. But there was one thing in the dining room that always gave me trouble…the curtains. This room has been without curtains, lace curtains, crochet trimmed, plain canvas drop cloths curtains, you name it. I finally just left these up even though I new they were totally wrong given the length.

I just couldn’t seem to settle on a style I could live with for longer than a few months. Then I found a picture of some curtains I fell totally in love with. The only problem was the fabric was crazy expensive. So, I started looking for an alternative option online and I came across a stencil in a similar design pattern as the fabric I wanted.

Royal Designs Studio* has a stencil option for all your creative needs. They have stencils that can accommodate projects as small as a flowerpot to stencils that can be used on walls. I know, right? So cool! I’ve never stenciled anything on fabric before and to be totally honest, I was worried about bleed through, lining the stencil up right and even using an all over pattern that big. But Royal Design Studio has an entire website dedicated to projects that answer those concerns and to help guide you through the process which means there’s no need to worry. I chose the Royal Design Studio Otomi Allover Damask Wall Stencil, which you can find here from the Wall Stencils Collection. This was my experience in creating a custom look for the dining room curtains…

We use drop cloth curtains in almost every room of the house so I knew in advance I would use them for the dining room too. My original fabric inspiration had a gray background. I used a fabric dye purchased from my local craft supply store to dye the drop cloth curtains a shade of gray that is really close to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Paris Grey.

I layered the dropcloth I normally use for painting furniture with a plastic drop cloth we use to protect the floors when we’re painting the walls on top in a large open area on the floor. This is a really important step because you don’t want the paint to soak through and get on your hardwoods, tile or carpet so make sure you have plenty of coverage on all sides of the piece your stenciling.

Once my protective layers were in place, I spread out the dyed drop cloth that would become my canvas for the stencil. Make sure there are no lumps, bumps or large wrinkles in any of the fabric because you need a smooth and hard surface to stencil on.

Next, I gathered the rest of my materials. I used a 4-inch foam roller with a plastic tray, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White, blue painters tape and a damp cloth for wiping the stencil.

I placed the stencil on the fabric and taped the sides with blue painters tape to hold it in place.

Given that I had thinned the paint out just a bit, I made extra sure not to have any excess paint on the foam roller. You can off load any extra paint by simply rolling the paint loaded roller onto a paper towel. Taking care to do this step each time will really help guard against any bleed through. After that, I started rolling using an even amount of pressure with each roll…

I had to roll over some spots a few times before I got the amount of paint coverage I was looking for but the stencil is really sturdy so I felt comfortable with doing this.

Once the paint was dried, I moved the stencil around to each area I wanted painted making sure to wipe it with a damp cloth before taping it down again. This step saved the paint from becoming tacky or cakey on the stencil, which was a big help during the clean up process. Also, when you’re ready to move on to the next section, there are guides from previously stenciled areas that will serve as a visual cue when lining up the stencil from one finished area to the next.

Speaking of clean up, I soaked the stencil in a little bit of hot water and a mild detergent and wiped dry.

Literally in one afternoon, I was able to achieve a look I loved.

It’s so hard to believe my dining room went from this…

to this…

but you guys, that’s the power of creativity and a little diy.

Here’s one to share

If you’re thinking about giving your home a new look let this year be the year you stop putting off those projects and just get started already. It’s time to celebrate the New Year and live in a home you love!

*A very special thank you to Royal Design Studio for sponsoring this post. All opinions and experiences are my own. This is a product I’m definitely excited about using again!

See you guys back here tomorrow. I can’t wait to share my 2016 Blog and Business Goals!

Many blessings,
CoCo