Photos courtesy of Modello Designs
Commitment can be hard, especially when clients are concerned they might tire of a particular wood floor design down the road. In those cases, they might want something less permanent, like a Modello Designs stencil.
These one-time-use stencils come in elegant designs that can be applied onto wood, cork or other porous materials using a gel-stain system and, if the homeowner has a change of heart, easily sanded off. Using stencils has other advantages over all-wood marquetry, says President Melanie Royals.
"It's more cost effective, and the installer has complete control over [the colors]," she says.
The stencils are made from adhesive-backed vinyl, and the patterns are mostly based on historical designs and cover a wide range of global influences and styles. The tile patterns and medallions go up to 8 feet in diameter, and the patterns are scalable, so they can be used to cover a tiny section of a room or combined to fill a home's entire floor. Each stencil allows users up to four colors of their choice using the gel stain system.
The process goes like this: The user stains the area in the lightest color choice. Then the stencils are placed, and stain is applied from dark-to-light, removing areas in the stencil between each staining until all colors have been applied. Then the remaining stencil is pulled up and the floor is coated.
With the stencil down, it's time for the big reveal with the client. That impermanent design may make you their permanent flooring contractor.
