DECOUPAGE

WHAT IS DECOUPAGE?

Decoupage is a French word that refers to the practice of decorating objects with paper cutouts. Influenced by a craft tradition that includes ancient Chinese paper-cutting, felt appliqués found in parts of the world as diverse as Siberia and Mexico, and the Polish folk art of paper-cutting, decoupage has a rich history. The first evidence of decoupage as the art of applying paper to furniture comes from France in the 17th century. Its long-lasting, global popularity is a testament to how simple and easy the art of decoupage is, and how effectively it can add some beauty to your furniture.

WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR DECOUPAGE?

When decoupaging, you'll need some Image Medium, which is a glue-cum-varnish hybrid that will stick the decoupage paper to your furniture and protect it for years to come. You'll also want a flat brush to apply the glue (choose something with smooth, flat bristles rather than a tightly packed Chalk Paint™ full-head brush, which is designed to hold a lot of paint to add texture. washing unnecessarily hard!). We think Decoupage looks best on painted furniture with matching or complementary Chalk Paint™, explore the range of colors here.

WHAT CAN BE DECUPATED?

We've decoupaged walls, furniture and stair risers to massive effect and stunning results. Decoupage will work best on Chalk Paint™ or unpainted wood. Some ultra-cheap, smooth plastics may resist decoupage. It's always best to test the image medium on a small, discrete area of ​​the surface you want to decoupage to see if it holds.

HOW TO USE DECOUPAGE?

Recommended tools:

• Decoupage papers

• 1 x Image Medium

• 1 x small flat brush

• 1 x small chalk colored wax brush

• Clear chalk-colored wax or varnish

  • Scissors
  • Consider the background color of decoupage paper before applying and if desired use Chalk Paint™ to match and blend with the design.
  • Whether painted or unpainted, your surface is dry and clean.
  • Apply an even coat of Image Medium to the surface using the small flat brush. It acts as an adhesive to stick decoupage paper to any surface.
  • Place the decoupage paper on the surface, gently press from the place where you first laid the paper to the opposite side, smoothing out all the folds.
  • After allowing the Image Medium to dry for at least 30 minutes, apply a layer of Image Medium over the top of the decoupage paper to seal it.
  • Once dry, apply a coat of either clear chalk colored wax or varnish to finish. In high traffic areas, use two coats of gloss chalk paint for maximum protection.

Annie Sloan's Decoupage Tips:

  • Explore this technique in the test area because tissue paper is easy to use.
  • Wet paper may stretch and wrinkle, but should shrink as it dries. To get a soft edge, tear off the decoupage paper instead of cutting with scissors.