A question often asked by beginners is, "How do I finish my wood project"? As you may have noticed, tolepainting has become a popular choice for finishing woodcrafts. However, not everyone is inclined to tolepaint. Decoupage is an easier way of giving your wood a decorative look without requiring artistic traits.

So what is Decoupage? Simply put, it's the technique used to decorate an area by inlaying cutouts of printed material or thin objects. Some examples would include wrapping paper, personal photographs, cards, invitations, stamps, dried leaves, etc. It can be used on several types of material such as fabric, plastic, tin and wood. Sinking your material is done by building up the area surrounding your cutouts and covering them, using several coats of glue or finish.

You can find unfinished wood blanks or wood projects such as plaques, frames, CD holders, birdhouses, magazine racks, breadboxes, etc., in most craft or hobby shop. Some projects can also be found on Our Website.

To decoupage your wood, you must first decide on several options:

1. Will you be using one print to cover the entire wood surface or several small prints to cover some of the surface?
2. If the latter, will you use acrylic paints to basecoat your wood or use a stain?
3. What color of paint or type of stain will you use?

To help complete your decoupage wood project and depending on your choice of options above, you'll need some or all of the following supplies:

• Medium & fine sandpaper
• Wood filler
• Sealer
• Acrylic Paint or Stain
• Foam & Flat Brush
• Scissors
• White Glue (that dries clear)
• Wax Paper
• Clear Finish

  Below are the basic steps to decoupage and finish your wood project:

  Gather your printed material together that you wish to use. Remove the inside detail of the cutouts, if desired. Cut the outline of your prints. Plan your cutouts on your wood piece to see how you would like the arrangements.

  Fill cracks, and small holes with wood filler. Sand your project smooth with a fine grade sandpaper then seal the wood. Basecoat your surface using your choice of Acrylic paints. You may require two coats to cover the wood. If you prefer to stain, apply one coat of your choice of stain instead of the sealer. For those of you who want to use a single cutout to cover the full surface, you can skip the above.

  Lay your cutouts face down and with a foam brush, apply the white glue. Carefully place your cutouts on your wood surface as previously planned. Working from the center using your fingertips, push air and excess glue from beneath the cutout. With a damp cloth or paper towel, wipe off the accumulated glue. Repeat this procedure for the remaining prints.

  When the cutouts have dried, apply as necessary, several thin coats of white glue or clear finish whichever is applicable, to inlay the cutouts onto the wood. Allow each coat to dry completely before applying subsequent coats.