Metroplex Savers: My Laundry Makeover: Quatrefoil Style

I've seen the pantry makeovers on Pinterest and thought I might give it a whirl. I've been wanting to redo my pantry for a while now. After I posted my results, lots of people have asked me "how." So here we go...

I saw this blog post and decided to give it a go. I did lots of research and planning - do I buy a stencil or buy vinyl decals?, what kind of paint do I use - regular paint or stencil creme?, what color?, etc. You can do this project however you want, this is how I chose to do mine:

Before I started stenciling, I wanted to add a 5th shelf to put some kitchen items up and away that I don't use every day. And also to spread everything out. I used a 1x2 screwed into the studs for support, then liquid glued and nailed some white melamine on top. Then I caulked over the screws, painted over the wood in white, then got started on the stenciling.

You can buy your own stencils HERE, but I'm too cheap for that. You can also buy vinyl decals HERE, but I'm too cheap for that as well. My only other option was making my own.

I found and printed this printable Quatrefoil pattern, purchased a plastic binder from the Dollar Tree, cut the two sides off and taped them together and outlined the stencil on the binder. Then I bought a Hot Exacto Knife from Amazon to cut out the pattern. I tell you - using this knife was so easy. It just melted the plastic, and I had the stencil cut in no time.

I debated whether to use stencil creme, which is a lot drier and easier to use then regular paint. I couldn't find a color I wanted, so I purchased a grey paint sample can at Ace Hardware. I tried stenciling on a piece of cardboard with a sponge brush, and it bled all over the place. So I did more research, tried it out and liked this method: Dabbing back and forth (horizontally) over the stencil with a stencil brush. So your brush should be perpendicular to your wall...just dabbing, or blotting away. This worked extremely well, and there was little to no bleeding. Any mistakes I made were corrected with the smaller stencil brush in my wall color, white.

As far as attaching the stencil to the wall, I decided not use spray adhesive, just because that was one extra step that I was too lazy to do. I used painters tape on the edges of the stencil and attached it to the wall. As I painted each opening, I used my non-dominant hand fingers to hold that specific section against the wall, just so I know the paint wouldn't bleed. I went over the stencil twice because one coat of paint wasn't enough.

The stenciling did take some time, but I did a little bit each day and within a week I had my pantry finished. I did not paint the sides or the top and bottom, mainly because you can't see the sides, and the top and bottom are covered up with stuff.

After I painted, I hit up Goodwill on their 50% off day and bought some baskets and yellow accent stuff. I organized and organized and finally finished my project. I'm pleased with how it turned out.