Spray paint vs. traditional paint is an everlasting battle of which medium works best when using stencils.

First off, everything is always up to your personal opinion. However, we’ll help you make an informed decision about a few different methods of painting:

For any stencil application, we recommend using some form of adhesive to make sure your stencil stays where you want it to. We like to use a spray adhesive and painter’s tape:

Press down on the stencil in order to make sure it's as close to your surface as possible. The closer it is to the surface, the less paint bleed you'll have.

Let’s start out with arguably the most classic and most used stencil method. It’s easy, even and quick. Simply hold your spray can 10-15 inches away from your stencil and spray in short bursts. Short bursts are much more controllable than a long stream.

As you can see, those lines are pretty crisp. There may be a little bit of paint bleed but not too much.

If you’re looking for something quick, easy and flat, you might want to use spray paint!

Often round brushes are labeled “stencil brushes,” so we put them to the test.

When using paint, less is always more. When you dip the brush into the paint, make sure to wipe off any excess.

The best method for painting with these brushes is to dab. This will make sure the paint is as even as possible, but it'll still have some texture.

As you can see, there’s a little more paint bleed with this one. It also takes quite a bit of time if you want it to be precise. However, it has a more organic texture and that may work best for your project!

Just like with the round stencil brushes, we used the dabbing method. With this one, you really want to make sure the sponge isn’t holding a large amount of paint. You can press the sponge on a paper towel to squeeze out extra paint. The best strategy is to use a small amount of paint and press hard.

There’s some good texture in here, but it’s also pretty even and doesn’t have a whole lot of paint bleed. It’s faster than the round brushes but not as fast as spray paint.

Another classic! This method is quick and easy but requires more cleanup and more prep, because you need somewhere to roll out paint. However, this is definitely the most used method for covering large areas like walls.

Like the sponge brush, use little bits of paint at a time and make sure excess paint is rolled out of the tool. Because you have so little paint on the roller, you’ll have to press hard to get an even coverage.

We’re big fans of using a paint roller. It doesn’t create very much paint bleed if done right, it’s fast and creates a very even and clean finish.

To learn more about painting using a ruler, check out our article "How to Paint Stencils on Walls."

It’s easy, it’s straightforward, and quick! Using a large paint brush will give a unique texture to your finished product.

The downside to a paintbrush is that you'll likely have thicker pools of paint along the edges of the design.

If you’re looking for a raised texture, a large paintbrush could be for you!

At the office, we use all of these methods for different projects. No matter what you're working on, there are multiple options for what paint and method you can use.

If you don’t see your desired materials on this page, feel free to send us an email at [email protected] or DM us on our social media for advice. Whatever you’re planning on making, we’ll make sure you get the help you need.