Simply............nobody will have a clue what you are attempting to do.or why? Also what wall and in what context as it relates to the rest of the room.

More context for exactly what you are "simply" trying to accomplish?

Andrew, the stenciling sounds very cool but I'm having a bit of a problem undestanding exactly what the problem is. Can you post photos of the stenciling and the technique that will be used? That would be helpful.

We need to see what you are using and just more info . I usually use tape to adhere a stencil. Are you using a silver leaf foil or some other leaf ?

Take a look at the Stenciling Basics videos produced by Royal Design Studios. The How to Use Registration Marks to Repeat Stencil Designs demonstrates what you are trying to do. Note that the stencil is attached to the wall at its edges and with painter's tape* so no adhesive is left on the wall. Also, there are stiff stencil brushes that reduce the chance that paint will get underneath the stencil. Finally, I don't know anything about the quality of its stencils but Royal's How to Clean Paint Off of Your Stencils & Brushes shows that its stencils can be cleaned for reuse.

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Best painter's tape: FrogTape

Please provide more information or pictures of what you are trying to do.

Hi

Sorry this was confusing.

I am trying to apply fine lines of metal foil to a wall of block colour using a repeating pattern. Because the lines are fine and all joined together a stencil will not hold together. If I apply the the cut pattern of the stencil to the wall with painters tape and remove the fine lines I want to paint the large masked sections of the stencil will fall out.

So, this is why I need to make sure that the large sections that I do not want to foil are attached to the wall.

So for example, the image above shows a gold block colour wall that has had blue paint applied to it through a stencil.

I have a wall of block colour already and would not like to apply gold foil over the entire wall only to block out the majority of it. I would like to apply a pattern like this by applying a mask (blue shapes) to the wall and foiling around them.

I can cut and make a mask to do this already and apply it to the wall with repositionble low tack adhesive and if I was painting that would be fine. However, I would like to apply foil.

This requires glue.

The mask from the stencil is stuck to the wall with glue.

This will mean the foil will stick to both types of glue.

I was asking if there was another way to mask the wall using a stencil to create fine lines.

I hope this helps

From CoPilot Ai:

Question: How to stencil a wall with foil using a stencil that has sections which are discontiguous.

Answer:

Foil stenciling gets tricky the moment your stencil has discontiguous islands—little floating shapes that aren’t connected to the main body. The key is controlling adhesion, pressure, and registration so the foil only bonds where you want it and the stencil stays perfectly aligned each time you lift and reposition it.

Here’s the clean, mechanics‑first way to do it so the foil transfers crisply and the islands don’t shift or smear.

Core Takeaway

You stencil with foil by applying foil adhesive through the stencil, letting it tack, then pressing foil onto the adhesive. For discontiguous stencil sections, you must stabilize the stencil, apply adhesive in controlled passes, and foil in stages so the islands stay aligned.

1. Stabilize the stencil so the islands don’t move

Discontiguous stencils shift easily when you lift them. You need a temporary bond that holds every island exactly in place.

Best stabilization methods:

• Light spray adhesive (repositionable) Mist the back of the stencil lightly. This keeps islands from lifting when you pull the stencil up.
• Low‑tack stencil adhesive sheets These act like a giant Post‑it backing. Excellent for large wall stencils.
• Painter’s tape perimeter + finger‑pressure on islands Works if you avoid spray adhesives, but requires more care.

Avoid: Anything with strong tack (it will pull paint off the wall or distort the stencil).

2. Apply foil adhesive through the stencil—thin, even, controlled

Foil requires a special adhesive (size) that dries to a tacky finish. The mistake people make is applying too much, which causes bleeding under the islands.

Correct application method:

• Use a dense foam roller or stencil brush
• Load it lightly, then off‑load onto paper until nearly dry
• Apply in multiple light passes, not one heavy pass
• Keep the roller pressure extremely consistent so islands don’t shift

Goal: A thin, uniform adhesive layer that dries tacky but not wet.

3. Lift the stencil carefully—this is where discontiguous islands fail

Because foil adhesive stays tacky, the stencil can stick slightly.

To avoid pulling islands out of alignment:

• Lift straight up, not peeled sideways
• Use two hands, supporting islands with fingertips
• If the stencil is large, lift one section at a time while holding islands down gently

If an island shifts, you’ll see it immediately—stop and realign before continuing.

4. Let the adhesive reach proper tack

Foil adhesive must reach the “dry‑tacky” stage:

• It should feel like the back of a Post‑it
• It should not be wet or stringy
• Typical tack time: 10–20 minutes, depending on brand and humidity

If you foil too early, the adhesive smears. If you foil too late, the foil won’t bond.

5. Apply the foil—pressure matters

Place the foil sheet over the adhesive and burnish:

• Use a soft cloth, burnishing brush, or plastic card
• Apply firm, even pressure
• Work in small circles or straight strokes
• Keep the foil sheet from shifting—movement causes double‑imaging

For large wall stencils, foil in sections, not all at once.

6. Remove the foil sheet cleanly

Lift straight up. If some areas didn’t transfer:

• Re‑burnish with more pressure
• Or apply a fresh piece of foil and burnish again (foil is forgiving)

7. Repeat the stencil pattern with registration

Discontiguous stencils require precise alignment each time you reposition.

Use:

• Built‑in registration marks
• A level or laser line
• Light pencil marks on the wall (erase later)

Always check that islands are aligned before applying adhesive again.

8. Optional: Seal the foil

Foil is delicate. If the wall is high‑traffic or you want longevity:

• Use a non‑yellowing clear coat
• Apply lightly to avoid dulling the metallic finish

Common Failure Modes (and how to avoid them)

• Bleeding under islands → Use drier roller + lighter passes
• Islands shifting → Use repositionable spray adhesive
• Foil not bonding → Adhesive wasn’t tacky enough
• Foil smearing → Adhesive was still wet
• Double images → Foil sheet moved during burnishing

Question: Suppose the islands do not float but the stencil is actually continuous with very thin connections among the islands?

Answer:

If the stencil is technically continuous—meaning all those little “islands” are actually connected by very thin bridges—your workflow becomes simpler, but the physics of foil adhesive still demand precision. The thin connectors change how you stabilize, how you roll, and how you lift, but they don’t eliminate the core risks.

Here’s how the process changes when the stencil has micro‑connections instead of true floating islands.

1. The stencil will behave like a single sheet—but the thin connectors flex

Those tiny bridges prevent pieces from drifting independently, which is good. But they also make the stencil more prone to flexing or bowing when you apply pressure.

What this means mechanically:

• You no longer need to worry about islands shifting independently.
• You do need to worry about the stencil bending slightly under roller pressure, which causes adhesive bleed under the narrow arches.

Adjustment:

Use even lighter pressure than you would with a floating‑island stencil.

2. You still need light spray adhesive—but less of it

Because the stencil is continuous, you don’t need to immobilize individual islands. You only need to keep the entire sheet flat.

Use:

• A very light mist of repositionable spray adhesive
• Only enough to keep the stencil from lifting at the connectors

If you over‑spray, the stencil will cling too hard and distort when lifted.

3. The “dry‑roller” technique becomes even more important

Thin connectors create tiny raised areas where adhesive can pool if the roller is too wet.

Correct method:

• Load roller lightly
• Off‑load until nearly dry
• Apply adhesive in multiple feather‑light passes
• Avoid pressing downward—downward pressure flexes the connectors

This stencil geometry demands a roller that is almost starved of adhesive.

4. Lifting the stencil is easier—but must be vertical

Because the stencil is continuous, you don’t need to support individual islands. But the thin connectors can still stretch if you peel sideways.

Lift technique:

• Lift straight up
• Use two hands
• Avoid peeling from one edge

Vertical lift = no distortion.

5. Registration becomes more reliable

Continuous stencils hold their geometry better. You won’t get the micro‑misalignments that floating islands cause.

Still:

• Use a laser level
• Use registration marks
• Check alignment before each repeat

Your Art Deco pattern is visually unforgiving—any drift is noticeable.

6. Foil application stays the same

The foil doesn’t care whether the stencil is continuous or not. It only cares about:

• Adhesive thickness
• Adhesive tack
• Burnishing pressure
• Foil sheet stability

The narrow arches in your design will show any mistake immediately.

7. Summary: What actually changes?

Easier

• No risk of islands shifting independently
• Registration is more stable
• Lifting is simpler

Still critical

• Ultra‑dry adhesive application
• Even roller pressure
• Vertical lifting
• Careful burnishing
• Perfect tack timing

Still risky

• Bleed under narrow arches
• Flexing of thin connectors
• Foil sheet movement during burnishing

I use autmotive pin striping for fine lines

Thanks for all the input everyone

I have decided to go with a latex mask over a fine line stencil. This seems the simplest, excluding wallpaper, thanks for the suggestion Jan. Wiil let you know how it goes.

Best

The art deco stencil you are proposing is for furniture:

• Art Deco Geometric Furniture Stencil: Reusable Mylar Painting Template

Your proposed project appears to be difficult, extremely time-consuming, and error-prone.

As Jan Moyer suggested, a wallpaper would be a better choice, IMO.

Here's a youtube video where the presenter shows how to stencil with foil. Note the amount of effort it takes for just one, small stencil. You'd have to repeat this to cover a wall (vertical and you can't just move the surface around) and each iteration would have to be near perfect.

I'm kinda confused about what you're asking, but I am very experienced with stenciling:

- The stencils I've used have had a "spot" in the corner to help you "set up the next image". I've put sticky notes on the wall and "marked" this spot with a pencil -- this means I don't have to write on the wall.

- I've used painters tape to hold the stencil to the wall. If this means covering a portion of your design, I'd say do most of the design ... then move the tape and finish the last bit.

- I've never used foil, but I know you can buy metalic paint. I'd test both items on poster board before beginning the project on your real wall.

- The secrets to stenciling are: Load your flat stenciling brush with the least amount of paint possible. Brush it off onto a paper towel. Your brush must-must-must be as dry as possible. Don't "brush" like you're painting -- instead, PUSH the flat brush onto the wall. And wash your stencil every 2-3 images; yes, this gets old, but it's necessary for a good final product.

- Practice, practice, practice before you start on your wall.

The process is easy but VERY time consuming.

"I have decided to go with a latex mask over a fine line stencil"

So you will do the following, correct?

1. Attach the stencil to the wall.
2. Apply latex masking fluid over the stencil.
3. Remove the stencil, leaving the islands* masked (protected) by the latex.
4. Apply foil adhesive to the unmasked areas.
5. Apply, using pressure, the foil sheet to the adhesive.
6. Peel the the latex off each island.
7. Repeat Steps 1-6 for each section of wall.

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*the blue areas in the art deco stencil photo above

@wdccruise

Nearly, I will stencil the whole wall at the same time. If I were to use a single stencil that would take forever. I have a machine that can cut stencils . Then remove the islands leaving the fine lines behind and paint pretty much the whole wall with mask, then remove the fine lines leaving the whole wall masked except for the fine lines.

: ) And we STILL do not know the where and why of the project, but will await the result and room pic ..on baited breath?

"Then remove the islands leaving the fine lines behind and paint pretty much the whole wall with mask, then remove the fine lines leaving the whole wall masked except for the fine lines."

Reread what you wrote here. I don't think the order of activities is what you'll actually be doing.

Nearly, I will stencil the whole wall at the same time. If I were to use a single stencil that would take forever. I have a machine that can cut stencils .

That's not particularly realistic.

Mrs Pete: "That's not particularly realistic."

It sounds like he's going to cut a bunch of identical stencils, attach them all to the wall, and then do the masking/painting. But what he wrote, "Then remove the islands leaving the fine lines behind and paint pretty much the whole wall with mask, then remove the fine lines leaving the whole wall masked except for the fine lines" doesn't make sense to me. The foil plan seems to have been discarded.

It would be quicker and more accurate to 3-d print the line pattern on a thin paintable substrate, spray it with gold paint, and adhere it to the wall the way you'd install a wood lattice. Adhering foil is difficult even for pros.