Stained stencil on bare wood

[xraymtb]

Hope someone can help me with an idea the wife had!

She found an old coffee table that she wants me to 'fix up' and would like a stencilled pattern on the top in a dark stain with the wood remaining natural elsewhere. I'm thinking the stain might bleed into other areas?

 

[marcros]

As a minimum you will need to cut around the stencil outline with a knife. That should stop bleed but it is something that I have never done so...

 

[Chrispy]

I have an old stencil set for making up posters etc on paper, and with that you use a short bristle stiff brush to dab very dry water colour paint though the stencil, could you do something like that then seal it in with a coat of polish /varnish?

 

[bugbear]

Hope someone can help me with an idea the wife had!

She found an old coffee table that she wants me to 'fix up' and would like a stencilled pattern on the top in a dark stain with the wood remaining natural elsewhere. I'm thinking the stain might bleed into other areas?

Yes - do an overall neutral varnish first.

BugBear

 

[HappyPixie]

Similar to Bugbear's response, you could reverse the stencil process (i.e, as a negative). Apply stencil mask where you want to stain, and varnish or wax the rest. Remove mask and the stain should soak into the wood with probably less bleed than the usual process of stippling the stain through the stencil.
Just a thought
Steve