Painting techniques for glass paint

There’s nothing that looks better than an absolutely crisp, straight paint line. If you’re doing some decorative painting, you may want to know how you can achieve professional quality results without actually being a professional painter. Here are a few tips to help you achieve professional results with glass paint.

Achieving a straight line with glass paint

You can easily achieve a straight line by carefully applying painter’s tape to your surface before painting it. Use a high quality painter’s tape to avoid leaving sticky residue on the glass when you remove the tape. Let the paint cure before removing the tape!

Because glass paint takes 24-48 hours to cure, you will want to use extreme care when removing the tape to avoid damaging the paint that abuts the tape. If you intend to paint the previously taped areas using a different color, reclean the freshly exposed areas with rubbing alcohol to ensure that no adhesive from the tape remains. Cured glass paint offers excellent resistance to rubbing alcohol.

Even coverage with glass paint

If even coverage is your goal, a HVLP paint sprayer will be your best friend. To get the best coverage, move the paint sprayer in even strokes horizontally across your glass surface. Once the surface has been coated, repeat with vertical strokes to cover any spots you may have missed. Extend your strokes beyond the edges of the work piece to ensure an even coating across the entire glass surface.

Texture with glass paint

Glass paint doesn’t usually preserve brush strokes very well, but you can get variance in paint thickness by using a sponge or stippling brush. If you’re working with a small piece of glass, a paintbrush or small hand-held sponge may be the best tool. For large pieces of glass, a solvent-resistant sponge roller and very thin coats of paint will provide better variability in coverage.

Stencils

You can work with stencils to achieve patterns in glass paints. Make sure your stencil is firmly positioned. The film used for window clings (which can be found in home improvement and craft stores) is a clever way to create and apply stencils to glass. Because they hold well and don’t leave a residue, they’re ideal for creating more intricate patterns. As with painter’s tape, you’ll want to wait until the paint is cured to remove the stencil.

If you’d like more information about glass paint, or would like to purchase glass paint online, please visit our online store.

Photo Credit: Michelle Kwajafa, via FreeImages.com