Silhouette offers several stencil material options to ensure you have the right material type for the right kind of stencil project.
In order to determine which material you need for your project, you'll need to decide which feature is more important to you:
- You want to create a reusable stencil that can be used more than once (see Stencil Material or Stencil Sheets below)
- You want to use a more detailed design (see Stencil Vinyl below)
Stencil Material (Rolled)
Stencil Material can be used to create larger format (up to 12 x 24 inches) reusable stencils, generally intended for walls or other similar surfaces.
The adhesive backing on this product allows you to place your stencil onto the project surface and have it stay in place while you apply paint onto the cut-out areas of the stencil. The adhesive can continue to be used multiple times as you move it from one project surface to the next.
Pros:
- Large format for larger projects
- Creates a reusable stencil
- Adhesive backing for easy application
Cons:
- Designs cut out of this material are limited to 'stencil' type designs only. This means that inner parts of designs (islands) must be connected by a space (bridge) to the outside of the design.
Stencil Sheets
Stencil Sheets can be used to create smaller format (up to 8.5 x 11 inches) reusable stencils, also intended for walls or other similar surfaces.
Stencil Sheets are offered in the following varieties:
- Adhesive-back for when you want to have the material held in place onto the project surface
- Non-adhesive back for when you do not want an adhesive backing due to the project surface properties
Pros:
- Small format for smaller projects
- Creates a reusable stencil
- Adhesive backing option for easy application, or non-adhesive backing option for special project surfaces
Cons:
- Designs cut out of this material are limited to 'stencil' type designs only. This means that inner parts of designs (islands) must be connected by a space (bridge) to the outside of the design.
Stencil Vinyl (Rolled)
Stencil Vinyl can be used to create stencils intended for using fabric ink on fabric surfaces, or to create single-use detailed stencils for use with paint or etching cream on other surface types.
Stencil vinyl is cut just like regular vinyl. However, after cutting out your project, you will weed out the positive design parts (instead of the excess material from around the material).
Transfer Tape is required to transfer Stencil Vinyl onto the intended project surface. This action allows you to create more detailed designs that don't need to be 'stencil' designs.
Pros:
- Can use any design for more detailed stencils (not just 'stencil' designs)
- Vinyl is more flexible allowing for better application onto fabric surfaces
- Adhesive backing for detailed placement
Cons:
- Stencil is only one-time single use. The stencil cannot be reused after it's removed from the original project surface.