Have you seen all these nice workshops painting on wine bottles, lamps and wine glasses imitating stained glass? Gorgeous! But what paint do they use?
You can use acrylic paint and acrylic enamel for glass on wine bottles, windows, ornaments, glass doors and bowls and make it stick permanently.
Unfortunately, acrylic paints will stick to glass only if you’re using a special medium and prime your glass surface properly and a special paint.
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Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Glass?
If you are curios if you can use acrylic paint on glass, the answer is absolutely yes! Acrylic paint will stick to glass but not permanently unless you use special paint and sealer.
Acrylic paint is safe to use only on the outside part of any glassware, as the acrylic paint is not food safe.
You can use acrylic paint on any glass surfaces:
- wine glasses and bottles,
- vases,
- mason jars,
- glass and ceramic mugs,
- glass bowls and plates,
- cake stands,
- windows,
- glass sheets,
- mirrors,
- faux stained glass
- aquariums (outside)
But glass needs some preparation and special glass paint (like Folk Art or Pebeo Vitrea 160 Glass Paint) that will stick to a smooth glass surface without peeling.
Read also: 12 Permanent Acrylic Paints on Glass That Stick
You will also need to seal the paint on the glass with Mod Podge, in oven, or using a spray sealer to make sure it won’t wash off and will stick to the glass permanently.
It can be any acrylic paint but the best results will be only with acrylic paint labeled “for glass and ceramics”.
There are not many of them on the market, and if you don’t have special paint, you can still use cheap craft paint or regular acrylics on you glass item but it will not be a permanent painting.
You can seal it with dishwasher safe Mod Podge but it is still not guaranteed it won’t peel off.
Can you use acrylic paint on glass temporary?
Any regular acrylic paint will work on glass temporary, including acrylic paint pens and cheap craft paints.
You can draw and paint on windows or glass ornaments and them peel off (for ex Glory Glass paint is peelable) or wash it off.
So don’t worry, for temporary projects acrylic is perfect.
Challenges of Using Acrylic Paint on Glass
When you paint acrylic on glass there are some important things to keep in mind.
First, acrylic paints are not compatible with glass surfaces by default without proper priming and using the right paint and medium, and will tend to slip down and/or stick loosely on the surface, making them difficult or impossible to clean up.
Secondly, from a painting point of view, glass is a non-porous surface that is difficult to seal and acrylic paints will not adhere well to it, leading to the acrylic paint film peeling off after a short time.
Why?
The answer is simple – glass is non-porous, so the paint doesn’t soak into the surface and only sits on top. Without sealing you can just scrape the paint off the glass.
Third, acrylic paint was not designed as food safe or 100% skin safe.
As decorative medium acrylic paint and glass will work perfectly. So be careful with glass kitchenware and do not paint glass surfaces that will directly touch food.
Related posts:
- Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Metal?
- Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Fabric? How to Paint it Permanently: Best Guide
- Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Wood? Best Supplies for Painting Acrylic on Wood
What Type Of Glass Will Work With Acrylic Paint?
Basically, the glass used for kitchenware and windows is good for acrylic painting because it is thin and flexible.
In general, the glass itself is not the best surface for acrylic painting, but absolutely doable. There are 6 different glass types:
- Float glass.
- Toughened glass.
- Painted glass.
- Patterned glass.
- Solar control glass, and
- Laminated glass.
You can paint on any glass, but keep in mind that if you want to bake your glass piece, you need to know its coefficient of expansion (COE). This coefficient shows how flexible this glass is.
Regular glassware is suitable for acrylic paint and baking – it is flexible and quite thin.
I guess, for your home projects you will not use laminated or solar control glass – they are thicker and have industrial use.
can you bake acrylic paint on glass?
When the acrylic paint is dry on glass we need to seal it to make it permanent and waterproof. But not all acrylic paints are safe to bake!
There are special bakeable acrylics and there are also modern paints for glass that do not require baking anymore. They are permanent and washable simply after they dry.
If you opt for baking it is still acceptable and it is actually a non-toxic option, since sealers can have toxic fumes and chemicals in them. But you need to follow simple instructions.
Official instructions were released by craft brands, for ex., Folk Art – they have glass paint that is bakeable.
A dry painted glass item can be baked for 30 minutes in the oven at 350ºF. The key is to put it strictly in the cold oven!
So if you want to bake the glass, choose paint like Folk Art glass paint. If you prefer not to, Colorful Acrylic Glass Paints don’t need to be baked at all!
Have you tried painting on glass with acrylics? Did it work?
Masha Eretnova, born in 1991, is a Buenos Aires-based certified teacher, artist, and member of the Professional Artist Association with 20+ years of personal painting journey.
She started painting and drawing very early and is now an international abstract artist and educator passionate about acrylic painting, gouache, and crafts.
Her works are part of international exhibitions and contests, including ArtlyMix (Brazil), Al-Tiba 9 (Spain), Exhibizone (Canada), Italy, and many more.
Besides her artistic pursuits, Masha holds a post-grad diploma in Teaching Film Photography and 2 music school diplomas: piano and opera singing.
Last update on 2024-04-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API