Decoupage is the art of embellishing objects such as furniture, chests, boxes, etc with pictures or art cut out from paper or thin fabric. French in origin, the technique of decoupage developed around the 18th century, primarily to resemble Asian, in particular, the Oriental craft of hand-painted lacquer artifacts, which were imported into the Western world at great cost and inconvenience. Decoupage is not restricted to furniture alone; you can apply this technique of ornamentation to any kind of object. If you are curious about how decoupage can be applied to the décor in your home, look no further! Some interesting methods of decoupage are listed below.
Step 1
Materials required.
- Item you want to decoupage - table, chair, frame or other similar items
- Oil-free cleaner
- Sandpaper
- Decoupage medium - available in any craft store
- Paper or fabric painted or printed with the designs you want
- Pair of sharp scissors
- Polyurethane
- Paintbrush
Step 2
Prep the item. Use oil-free cleaner to clean the item you want to decoupage and let it dry thoroughly.
Step 3
Sandpaper the surface where the design paper or fabric will be placed to allow the decoupage medium to adhere well. Clean the item again with oil-free cleaner and allow it to dry.
Step 4
Apply a coat of decoupage medium to the surface of the object.
Step 5
Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the design or image you want to decoupage, moving the paper or fabric as you cut, rather than your hand. This will provide better control and you'll be able to cut around the exact contours of the design. Trim any white edges which may be left once the full design has been cut-out.
Step 6
Apply the decoupage medium to the back of the paper or fabric design cut in the previous step.
Step 7
Paste the cut-out paper or fabric on the surface of the item to be covered. Use a flat ruler or ice cream stick to remove any air bubbles which may have formed and also get rid of any excess decoupage medium.
Step 8
Allow the surface to dry for a couple of hours once the full design has been pasted.
Step 9
Add one more coat of decoupage medium over the full surface and wait until this has also dried.
Step 10
Sandpaper the surface very gently and add a coat of polyurethane across the full surface. Repeat this process about 4-5 times and then let the item fully dry out before putting it to use.
You would have realized by now, that decoupage is easy and simple and that anyone can do it! If this interests you, go ahead and get started and decoupage your entire home décor! How you choose to do it and what designs you will use are limited only to the extent of your imagination and creativity.
