What is the proper technique for using rubber stamps when painting?

Question

I have heard that you can use rubber stamps with regular house wall paint to paint on walls. I bought some butterfly rubber stamps to decorate my nursery, but was looking for tips on this. Do you dip the stamp in the paint or do you brush the paint on? Any tips are appreciated. THANKS!

Answer 1

Most rubber stamps have either too much detail or not enough surface for the paint to hold onto since paint is so much thinner and runnier than the inks made to use with rubber stamps. If you really want to give it a try, I suggest using a rubber brayer to apply a very thin coat of paint because if you dip the stamp or use any kind of brush, the paint will run into areas of the stamp not meant to be part of the design. Now the stamps that will work well are the foam stamps that are also sold in the rubber stamp department. These are meant to be used with paint and are less detailed with a higher raised surface to avoid the mess you may encounter with rubber stamps. You just brush the paint onto these with a foam brush or simply dip into a very shallow pool of paint. The brush however will allow you to use different colors on the same stamp.

Answer 2

Paint Stamps For Walls

Answer 3

Dip it in the paint, just dont soak it in the paint or it will make a mess. Start by testing it on a piece of paper or a board. That way you can see how much paint to get on the stamp and have an idea of how much pressure to use when you do it on your wall...happy painting!

Answer 4

If you're nervous about actually using paint on the walls with the rubber stamps you can always use ink on clear contact paper and stick that on the wall.

That way when you're done with that particular "look" you don't have to repaint the room, just pull down the contact paper.

Answer 5

If you want one color, just dip it & blot off the excess on a paper towel. If you want more than one color, paint the stamp - a thin foam brush works well for this. I use styrofoam plates to hold the paint. You can buy craft paint at Michael's, etc., for a nominal fee - maybe $1/bottle.