Do you want to paint glass for decorative purposes? Give new life to certain vases or transform tableware? You still have to use the right paint. The most obvious would be to use a special glass paint, otherwise you can paint with acrylic paint.
Special glass paint
Special glass paint is available opaque or transparent and in a large number of colours. There are two kinds:
- which is diluted with water
- Which is diluted with white spirit or with gasoline
It is the most suitable paint for your painting work on glass. The latter containing toxic products, it is not recommended on tableware that is not purely decorative.
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is the most used paint in all areas: crafts, body painting, industry, creative hobbies. It is the paint most used by DIYers and all amateurs. The fundamental problem with glass when using any color is that it is an extremely smooth material. This means that it is very difficult for the paint to adhere to the glass.
How to paint on glass?
- Prepare your glass to paint it with acrylic paint: your object must be prepared in such a way that the acrylic paint can adhere as much as possible. This means that you must remove all dust, dirt and grease from the surface of your object.
- Clean the glass surface with a degreaser: use a classic anti-degreaser cleaner. In addition, the glass must also be absolutely dry. If you cleaned the glass with water, you need to dry it completely. Also remember that after degreasing, you should no longer touch the glass with your bare fingers or hands, as streaks may form on the glass surface.
- Dilute your acrylic paint with water as desired: a particular advantage of using an acrylic paint on glass is that you can thin it with water as desired.
- Apply particularly thick or pasty acrylic paints: on the other hand, there are also ways with which you can thicken your glass by processing the acrylic paint with a spatula. Acrylic paints compete with many possibilities.
If you paint on your windows, you may be wondering how the acrylic paint will react to exposure to the sun? How does it dry? It is elastic, so it can be used in areas with high thermal expansion. Therefore, acrylic paint on wood is also very suitable.
What precautions should be taken when painting on glass?
When it comes to painting glass there are a few things to keep in mind as it is not entirely safe. If you are decorating wine glasses or champagne flutes, there is always the possibility that these will break. If you work with your children, do not make them handle too thin glass. It’s way too fragile for clumsy little hands. There is a risk of injury. Prefer to give the youngest jars of jam that will suit them perfectly. And the same goes for adults: safety first! In any case, also pay attention to toxicity. Therefore, always stick on the upper edge of the glasses of the tape to leave this space free of any paint. While drinking, your lips should not touch the painted part.
This is also important when painting with children. Even if you think your child has already passed the phase where he puts everything in his mouth, do not be surprised!
Painting on glass: ideas and inspiration
- Are you sure you want to throw what can of jam ? It is, however, great fun for children to paint jam jars and recycle them into a great decoration for their room. They can thus keep dry leaves or small pebbles there, in short, their little treasures.
- Otherwise how about a lantern or a lamp designed by yourself? Choose colored glass, an LED bulb and your interior can shine in a new light. You can also use jam jars for this or buy larger jars at any store. You can design your glass decorations according to the season or take advantage of certain holidays. Create Christmas lights with painted fir trees and elves. Or try your hand at spooky Halloween lights with bats and pumpkins.
- What if you paint a vessel ? There are lots of fun ideas out there. For example, paint small insects, why not ants. This will give the impression that they are climbing on the stems of the flowers.
- why not leave a message on a mirror ? Subtle gift that immediately puts anyone who discovers it in a good mood.
- Or try your hand at stained glass. Everything is possible. Free yourself ! With a little creativity and a few materials, you can create some great one-of-a-kind pieces. Whether as a gift or as a home accessory, there are no limits to painting on glass.