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Types of Stencil Material
Types of Stencil Material

Learn all about mylar, our adhesive material, and stainless steel

Kath Ramirez avatar
Written by Kath Ramirez
Updated over a week ago

If you would like to order samples of our materials, you can find them here.

Mylar

Mylar is our most popular material for stencils. Durable and flexible, this 14mil (thickness of about 5-6 pieces of printer paper) is ready for any project. It's semi-transparent, semi-flexible and smooth to the touch. Every piece is precision-cut on our in-house laser cutting machines.

This material is ideal for a wide variety of projects. If you're working on a flat surface like a wall, table, floor or canvas, then mylar will be the best choice. If you're planning on covering a surface with a repeatable pattern stencil, we also recommend mylar because of its reusability.

Mylar can be cleaned using acetone and does not become brittle with age. It can be used and reused hundreds of times. However, you want to avoid heat.

Projects for mylar plastic stencils: Canvas paintings, wall murals, accent walls, tables, shipping containers, cornhole boards, signage.

Surfaces to use mylar stencils on: Drywall, canvas, concrete, wood, metal, brick, really any flat surface.

Showing the flexibility of our 14mil mylar plastic material

Adhesive

Our adhesive material is made from 7mil clay-covered polyethylene with a tacky backing attached to brown kraft paper. Adhesive material is entirely flexible and can be easily bent, folded and cut. The material is kiss-cut, meaning that only the polyethylene layer is cut, leaving the paper backing intact.

The biggest advantage that adhesive stencils offer is their ability to capture detail. They're thinner than mylar, allowing you to get closer to your painting surface with paint. This results in more crisp lines. However, our adhesive material is meant to be single-use. It can be reused if there is minimal damage but may not yield ideal results.

Adhesive stencils can also be used on curved surfaces such as buckets, traffic cones and barrels.

Projects for adhesive stencils: Labeling traffic cones, printing apparel, precise artwork, glass etching, window art.

Surfaces to use adhesive stencils on: Plastic, metal, wood, canvas, brick, concrete, rubber.

Our tacky adhesive stencil material being peeling from its backing

Metal

Our metal stencils are by far the most durable option. They can be used similarly to a mylar stencil or even remain untouched as a sign or piece of artwork. We cut them from 0.6mm stainless steel and they're significantly heavier than adhesive or mylar stencils. They're stiff and have little to no flexibility.

Metal stencils are dishwasher safe, can withstand heat and make for the most aesthetically appealing product. They're the longest-lasting and most durable option we offer.

Projects for metal stencils: Business promotion, wood burning, reusable coffee stencils, wall art, custom packaging.

Surfaces to use metal stencils on: Any flat surface.

Stencil Stop's 6mm stainless steel stencils

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