How to Decoupage
How do you decoupage?
Decoupage is the craft of gluing paper onto an object and then sealing it under further coats of glue until the paper stops looking stuck on and starts looking like part of the surface. It is a good school-holiday activity — it lets kids' creativity shine and leaves them with a keepsake for their room.
The whole technique rests on one glue doing two jobs. Selleys Aquadhere Interior goes on neat as the adhesive that bonds paper to timber, then goes on again thinned with water as the sealing coat. The number of sealing coats is what controls the finished look, and that is the part worth understanding before you start.
What you need
- A wooden cut-out of an initial (or any small timber object)
- Your favourite wrapping paper
- Selleys Aquadhere Interior
- A brush
- A small bowl for mixing
- Scissors
How to decoupage
- Cut your wrapping paper to fit the wooden initial.
- Apply Selleys Aquadhere Interior liberally onto the wrapping paper and paste it onto the wooden initial.
- Gently smooth out until all bubbles are removed. Allow to dry for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix 2 parts water to 1 part Selleys Aquadhere Interior.
- Apply this mix to the top of the wrapping paper as a protective seal.
- Add further layers as you like. The more layers you apply, the more the decoration will recede into the background and look like a painting. If you do multiple layers, allow it to dry between coats.
Why each step works
Glue the paper, not the timber
The instruction is to apply the glue to the paper and then paste it onto the timber. That is deliberate. Wrapping paper is thin and will cockle the moment it gets wet, so wetting it first and then laying it down means the paper has already expanded by the time it meets the surface. Gluing the timber and dropping dry paper onto it traps the expansion, and you get ripples that cannot be smoothed out.
Smoothing out the bubbles
Work from the centre outwards with your fingers or a soft cloth, pushing air towards the edge. Any bubble left in place dries as a permanent blister, and once the sealing coats go over it there is no fixing it. Take the time here; it is the only step you cannot undo.
Thirty minutes before sealing
The adhesive layer needs to grab before you flood water over the top of it. Half an hour is enough for that. Seal too early and the thinned mix will lift the paper and let it slide.
Why the seal is thinned 2:1
Neat PVA is too thick to spread evenly over paper — it drags, leaves brush marks and can tear a wet sheet. Thinning it two parts water to one part glue gives a coat thin enough to flow out level and dry clear. It also soaks into the paper fibres rather than sitting on top of them, which is why the paper progressively stops looking like a separate layer.
Layers and the finished look
This is the part that makes decoupage look professional or homemade. Each thinned coat fills a little more of the paper's texture and the small step at its cut edge. After one coat you can still feel where the paper ends. After several, the edge disappears and the image reads as if it were painted onto the timber. Let each coat dry before the next — a coat applied over a damp one goes milky and can lift the paper.
PVA of this kind dries clear, so extra coats build depth rather than clouding the image, provided each one is genuinely dry first.
Limitations — what a decoupaged piece can and cannot do
Selleys Aquadhere Interior is a PVA wood adhesive for interior use, and it is not waterproof. That sets the boundaries of the finished object:
- Indoor items only. A decoupaged piece left outside, or in a bathroom, will soften and cloud.
- Not a washable surface. The seal is decorative, not a hard-wearing lacquer. Wipe with a barely damp cloth at most; never submerge.
- Not for food contact. If you are decoupaging a tray or a board, keep food off the decorated surface — see how to create the perfect gift for Mum, which uses a related technique on a serving tray and carries the same restriction.
- Not structural. Aquadhere Interior is not suitable for structural use, so the glue is holding paper here, not holding the object together.
If the piece needs to live outdoors or take weather, PVA is the wrong product and no number of coats will change that. Aquadhere Exterior is the weatherproof grade in the range, but it is a woodworking adhesive rather than a decoupage medium and is not specified for this use.
Choosing paper and objects
Thin papers work better than thick ones — wrapping paper, tissue paper and pages from magazines conform to a surface and disappear under the sealing coats. Card and photo paper are stiff, and their cut edges stay visible however many coats you apply. Ink from an inkjet printer can run when the wet glue hits it, so test a scrap first.
Flat or gently curved timber objects are the easiest. Sharp internal corners are difficult because the paper has to be cut and overlapped, and every overlap shows as a line.
Common questions about decoupage
What glue do you use for decoupage?
Selleys Aquadhere Interior. It is used neat to stick the paper down, then thinned two parts water to one part glue for the sealing coats.
Do I put the glue on the paper or the object?
On the paper. Apply it liberally to the wrapping paper, then paste the paper onto the wooden shape.
How long do I wait before sealing?
Thirty minutes. That is enough for the adhesive layer to grab before you apply the thinned mix over the top.
What is the mixing ratio for the sealing coat?
Two parts water to one part Selleys Aquadhere Interior.
How many coats should I apply?
As many as you like. The more layers, the more the decoration recedes into the background and looks like a painting. Allow drying time between coats.
Why is my finish milky rather than clear?
Usually a coat went on before the one underneath had dried. Let each coat dry fully and the PVA will dry clear.
How do I get rid of bubbles?
Smooth them out from the centre towards the edges while the paper is still wet. Once it has dried, a bubble is permanent.
Can I decoupage something that will be used outdoors?
No. Aquadhere Interior is not waterproof and is for interior use only.
Can I wash a decoupaged item?
No. Wipe with a barely damp cloth if you must, but do not submerge it or scrub it.
Can I decoupage a chopping board or a serving tray?
You can decorate one, but do not let food touch the decorated surface, and clean it by wiping rather than washing.
What paper works best?
Thin papers such as wrapping paper. Thick card leaves a visible edge no matter how many coats go over it.
What else can I make with the same glue?
See DIY air dry clay, DIY sun catcher, DIY Easter string egg and the rest of the repairs and craft section.
What glue do you use for decoupage?
Selleys Aquadhere Interior. It is used neat to stick the paper down, then thinned two parts water to one part glue for the sealing coats.
Do I put the glue on the paper or the object?
On the paper. Apply it liberally to the wrapping paper, then paste the paper onto the wooden shape.
How long do I wait before sealing?
Thirty minutes. That is enough for the adhesive layer to grab before you apply the thinned mix over the top.
What is the mixing ratio for the sealing coat?
Two parts water to one part Selleys Aquadhere Interior.
How many coats should I apply?
As many as you like. The more layers, the more the decoration recedes into the background and looks like a painting. Allow drying time between coats.
Why is my finish milky rather than clear?
Usually a coat went on before the one underneath had dried. Let each coat dry fully and the PVA will dry clear.
How do I get rid of bubbles?
Smooth them out from the centre towards the edges while the paper is still wet. Once it has dried, a bubble is permanent.
Can I decoupage something that will be used outdoors?
No. Aquadhere Interior is not waterproof and is for interior use only.
Can I wash a decoupaged item?
No. Wipe with a barely damp cloth if you must, but do not submerge it or scrub it.
Can I decoupage a chopping board or a serving tray?
You can decorate one, but do not let food touch the decorated surface, and clean it by wiping rather than washing.
What paper works best?
Thin papers such as wrapping paper. Thick card leaves a visible edge no matter how many coats go over it.
What else can I make with the same glue?
See DIY air dry clay , DIY sun catcher , DIY Easter string egg and the rest of the repairs and craft section .