You may also want to put on an old t-shirt or an apron to protect your clothes.
Wallpaper Magazines or catalogues Greeting cards Fabric or paper napkins Pages from old books
Vases or pots Plates, trays, mugs, or bowls Lamps and lampshades Frames Hardcover book Glass or plastic bottles
For example, if you’re covering a dresser, you may just want to cut 3 large pieces of paper that fit 3 drawers perfectly. If you’re decoupaging a small box, you might want to rip a variety of materials and overlap them on all sides of the box.
If you prefer, use a glue to make the decoupaged item and then apply a standard varnish later. You may be able to use a spray glue, if you can find one that dries clear.
For example, brush the glue onto an entire dresser draw and then quickly press the material onto the glued surface.
You can buy a varnish that dries clear, matte, or glossy.
Wipe the dust away each time you sand the furniture.
Acrylic paint Chalk paint Spray paint Watercolors Waterbase stain
For example, if you’re decoupaging a dresser, you could cut long strips of wallpaper or tear smaller pieces of book pages.
You might not need a plan if you’re decoupaging 1 or 2 large pieces, but it’s helpful if you’ll be making a patchwork effect with lots of smaller pieces.
If you’re decoupaging a large piece of furniture, avoid coating the whole thing in the glue before placing some of the material on it. Some of the glue will dry before you have a chance to apply the material.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions about drying time since they’ll vary by product.
If you’d like more protection, let the first coat dry and apply another coat of glue or varnish.
If you don’t want to paint the outside of the pot, you’ll need to apply a sealer to protect the pot from water damage.
For an improvised look, you could tear the material instead of cutting it. You can also cut out interesting shapes to make an abstract design on the pot.
If you’d like a large, bold image on your pot, just decoupage 1 image. For a fun pattern, stick smaller torn or cut images onto the sides of the pot.
You don’t need to wait for the material to dry if you’d like to overlap other pieces over the material.
If you’d like an extra layer of protection, brush on another layer 15 minutes after the base layer has dried. You may only need to apply 1 layer if the decoupage items you’ve decoupaged thin materials or the pot won’t be placed outside.
