When Decoupaging With Napkins, How Do I Create a Flawless Finish? (2025)

Firstly, think of your surface. Whether you are découpaging a tabletop, a coaster, or creating artwork, make sure your piece is cleaned thoroughly.

Next, choose your base colour. There are a few things to consider here – are you covering the whole area, such as a tile (which make excellent coasters!) or are you using just part of the napkin? If you’re covering the whole area, choose a very light colour so any areas of lighter pattern on the napkin will show up better.

If you’re only using a small piece of napkin, then pick shades as closely matched to the background colour as you can – for example, a white napkin background on grey paint will look more “stuck on”. Whereas with a matching background, the découpage will blend into the paint and look seamless.

Colour sorted. Smooth out the surface you have painted to a flat finish, leave it to dry, and remove any residual paint dust with a damp cloth – I like to use a 120-grit sponge sanding pad.

Using the tile example, start by applying a small amount of Frenchic’s Finishing Coat or Top Tuff Coat over the painted surface. While it’s wet, lay your napkin over the whole tile leaving an overhang (you can remove that later).

Then put your hand in a plastic bag and smooth out any wrinkles – it works perfectly, and unlike using a brush, the napkin is almost guaranteed not to tear. Remember once the napkin is on the wet sealant it will be more fragile.

Then I dry the whole thing, using a hairdryer on a medium heat setting. To remove any excess, take a piece of sandpaper and swipe downwards over the overhang, and it will come off quickly. When dry, using a sponge, I apply another very thin layer of Finishing Coat or Tuff Top Coat and dry it again.

At this stage, take a 120-grit sanding sponge and sand it all over. This will not remove the image as the sealant has protected it but it will flatten the surface even more. You can repeat this step as many times as you need to, but usually once or twice will do it. Finally, one last thin coat of sealant and it will last for years.

To add an extra dimension, why not use Easy Crackle? Pictured below, I used the off-black shade Panther then Easy Crackle, and then the subtle, off-white shade Virgin to create the crackle effect. Then I used the découpage steps above, all over, to turn an old tile into a fabulous coaster. Happy découpaging!

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