A Few Interesting Facts About Decoupage You Didn't Know

Decoupage comes from the French word découper, meaning “to cut out”.

Decoupage is a crafting technique that involves cutting motifs from napkins, printed rice paper, or similar types of thin paper, then gluing them onto a surface and decorating an object with them.

Besides napkins and glue, the technique also uses:
- acrylic paints
- special-effect pastes
- crackle varnishes for an antique look
- small items that can be glued on at the end, such as feathers, pearls, and glitter
- and hand-painted details

Surface

Decoupage can be done on a variety of surfaces:
- wood
- plastic
- glass
- metal
- ceramics
- and fabric...

But each of these surfaces needs preparation! Most importantly, items must be clean, dry and free of dust and grease (wipe them with alcohol), and fabric must be washed and dried without fabric softener. Gesso, a white acrylic-based primer, is applied to the item before you paint it with acrylic paints.

Acrylic Paints and Glue

First paint the item with acrylic paint, although napkins can also be glued directly onto light-colored items. Use a special decoupage glue that dries completely clear. This is important because napkins are translucent and very delicate. After gluing on the napkins and letting the glue dry, you can use acrylic paints to add details or hide transitions and edges.

Final Varnish

Every decoupage project needs a final coat to protect it, especially if the item will be used every day. Because wax pastes or solvent-based products are sometimes used alongside acrylic ones, choose your final varnish carefully:
- acrylic varnish for pieces made only with acrylic products
- solvent-based varnish for pieces that combine products with different bases

Have you fallen under the spell of decoupage?