Category: FAQ

“When decoupaging with napkins, 
how do I create a flawless finish?" 

Karen Jones

Creative artisan
Title

Question

I want to get that smooth, flawless finish when decoupaging with napkins, can you help?

Answer

First, think of your surface. Whether you are decoupaging a tabletop, a coaster or creating a piece of artwork, you’ll need to make sure your piece is cleaned thoroughly.  

Next, choose your base colour and there are few things to consider here – are you covering the whole area, such as a tile (which make excellent coasters!) or are you using just a part of the napkin? If you’re covering the whole area, choose a very light colour, that way any areas of lighter pattern on the napkin will show up better. 

Match your background

If you’re only using a small piece of napkin then pick shades as closely matched to the background colour as you can –for example, a white napkin background on grey paint will look more “stuck on”. Whereas with a matching background the decoupage will blend into the paint and look seamless. 

 

Colour sorted, smooth out the surface you have painted to a flat finish, leave to dry, and remove any residual paint dust with a damp cloth – I use a 120-grit sponge sanding pad.  

Decoupaging a whole area

Using the tile example, start by applying a small amount of Frenchic’s Finishing Coat or Top Tuff Coat over the painted surface and whilst it’s wet, lay your napkin over the whole tile leaving an overhang (you can remove that later). 

 

Then put your hand in a plastic bag and smooth out any wrinkles – it works perfectly and unlike using a brush, the napkin is almost guaranteed not to tear – remember once the napkin is on the wet sealant it will be more fragile.   

Separate your layers

Remember that most napkins are 3-ply, so you’ll need to carefully separate the layers and only use the very top layer. Napkins can be fiddly to cut out as scissors give a straight edge, if, however, you take a small artist’s paint brush, dip it in water and wet it just outside of the area you want, then tear the image out it gives a much better and quicker result. Napkin and paint chosen, item cleaned, painted, and smoothed – now to get down to the decoupage itself.   

Dry and seal 

Then dry the whole thing – I use a hairdryer on a medium heat setting. Take a piece of sandpaper and swipe downwards over the overhang and the excess will come off quickly. When dry, using a sponge, I apply another very thin layer of Finishing Coat or Tuff Top Coat on and again dry. 

 

At this stage, take a 120-grit sanding sponge and sand all over, this will not take the image off as the sealant has protected it but it will flatten the surface even more – you can repeat the this step as many times as you need to but usually once or twice will do it. Finally, one last thin coat of sealant and it will last for years!


To add an extra dimension, why not use easy crackle. I used Panther then easy crackle, then Virgin to create the crackle effect, then decoupaged over to give an old, crazed tile from an old coaster. Happy decoupaging!  .
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Supporting Samaritans

We are so proud of our affiliation with Samaritans. Interior decorating, painting, crafting and upcycling have long provided significant mental health and wellbeing benefits, so this is a natural partnership which will benefit many. 10% of sales of the colours in the Frenchic for Samaritans collection will go towards funding the vital work of Samaritans.

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Supporting Samaritans

We are so proud of our affiliation with Samaritans. Interior decorating, painting, crafting and upcycling have long provided significant mental health and wellbeing benefits, so this is a natural partnership which will benefit many. 10% of sales of the colours in the Frenchic for Samaritans collection will go towards funding the vital work of Samaritans.

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