Have you ever thought about painting your glass jars? There are several good reasons to paint your glass jars, such as improving their appearance and color coding them to signal what is inside them.
You can paint any glass jar regardless of its size and shape. As long as the jar is made of glass, you can paint your custom glass jar or bottle with any number of colors to establish the creative artistic look you want to showcase.
Preliminary Steps
Before you begin painting your glass jars, you must take the necessary preliminary steps to prepare for the paint job. Those steps are as follows:
1) Choose the Glass Jars to Paint
What type of glass jars do you want to paint? Why do you want to paint them?
Most people use glass mason jars to store and preserve foods like dried fruits, nuts, grains, pasta, and oatmeal. Mason jars have wide enough rims to make them ideal for sealing contents airtight. If you have several different food items to store in multiple mason jars, you may want to paint the glass to indicate what is inside them.
Some glass jars, such as glass honey jars, have a unique shape that almost resembles a beehive. You could store thick liquid substances in honey jars to best preserve them with an airtight seal, including honey and maple syrup.
2) Gather Your Tools and Accessories
Purchase and gather all the necessary tools and accessories to paint the glass jars. The most essential tools and accessories include:
Paint brushes
Spare newspapers
Face mask
Goggles
A variety of paints (e.g., chalk paint, spray paint, acrylic paint, glass paint)
Primer
A flat work surface (e.g., flat wooden table)
Depending on the type of paint job you want to perform on your glass jars, you may need additional items.
3) Clean the Glass Jars and Removal All Labels
The next step is to clean your glass jar surfaces with warm water and mild soap. If there are any stickers or paper labels on the glass jars, do your best to remove them without leaving any residue behind. Soak the jars in warm water for around 30 minutes before peeling off the labels. If residue is left behind on the jar afterward, gently peel or scrape it off until no residue is left.
4) Place Newspaper Down
Lay some newspaper on the ground or floor where you plan to paint the glass jars. The newspaper will go underneath the glass jars to prevent the airborne paint from landing on the ground or floor surface. Try to wrap up all nearby furniture and personal objects to protect them as well.
5) Brainstorm Paint Design Ideas
What kind of paint designs do you want to showcase on your glass jar surfaces? Would you like to paint all the jars with different solid colors, or do you want more creative pictures and imagery? Brainstorm some different paint design ideas suitable for your glass jars.
Of course, it helps to have some artistic skill to paint creative imagery onto your glass jars. Some helpful techniques can assist you in this process if you are not the most skillful artist. You will learn about these techniques and more below.
Top 10 Unique Glass Jar Painting Ideas
Do you need ideas for effectively and creatively painting your glass jar? Below are the top 10 unique ideas for painting glass jars.
1) Chalk Paint
Chalk paint is a powdery, decorative paint that can leave a stunning matte finish on your glass jars. A simple can of chalk paint and a paintbrush are all you need to create exciting and creative visuals on your glass jar surfaces. There is minimal prep work required.
Of course, you can use chalk spray paint, but a paintbrush is better for achieving a more robust paint design on the glass. Since chalk paint is porous, it is easy to manipulate it into different patterns and effects. You don’t even need a sealer either.
2) Draw Designs with Hot Glue
Do you know how some artists sketch their designs before painting or illustrating them? If you don’t feel confident about painting decorative designs directly onto your glass jars, consider drawing them with a hot glue gun first.
You can use a hot glue gun to draw simple designs and decorations, such as hearts, dogs, and swirls. After the glue dries, use a paintbrush to paint over the glue-based designs. Feel free to add any words with the paintbrush to brand the bottle if necessary.
3) Spray Paint
Spray painting leaves a smooth, beautiful finish on the glass surface. However, this method requires a lot more preparation work than chalk paint. Due to the toxic paint fumes emitted into the air, it is better to spray paint outside. But if you have no place to spray paint outside, at least choose a place indoors with open windows and plenty of ventilation.
Shake the spray paint can for a couple of seconds. Hold the spray paint can about six inches from the glass jar. Press down on the nozzle to spray paint onto the glass surface. Spraying horizontally while constantly moving your arm to apply the paint coat is best. After spray painting the glass jar, leave it alone to dry for about 30 minutes. Then, apply another paint coat if necessary.
4) Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is a quick-drying paint made from synthetic polymers. You can choose between several different acrylic paint colors because the palette is quite extensive. Acrylic paint is the best choice for multi-colored paint designs on glass jars.
Remember that you must apply primer to the glass before painting it. Acrylic paint alone cannot stick to the glass that well, so you need to use primer as a preparatory coat to ensure the paint stays on the glass for a long time.
5) Multi Surface Paint
Multi-surface paint is a versatile paint formulated to stick well to non-porous and porous surfaces, including glass. You may want to use multi-surface paint if you plan to paint other types of surfaces too. That way, you can use the same paint can for multiple surfaces.
Supposedly, you can apply multi-surface paint to glass surfaces without using primer. However, applying primer to the glass first is still recommended, especially if you have an older glass jar. The primer will ensure the paint sticks well for the longest time possible.
6) Glass Paint
Glass paint is a type of paint formulated with oils and acrylic polymers for glass surface applications. It is a great way to add rich colors and textures to your glass jars that look vibrant and fresh.
Curing the paint is usually required after the application process. The recommended temperature for curing glass paint is 350ºF for at least 20 minutes.
7) Apply Stencil Stickers
If you’re not a creative artist who can paint beautiful images freehand, one way around that is to apply stencil stickers onto your glass jars first. Stencil stickers have letters and patterns cut out for paint to seep through.
The idea is that you will apply the stencil stickers onto the glass surfaces and then paint over the stencils. Once you peel away the stencils, the painted designs will be left on the surfaces.
8) Add Glitter
Another simple technique for spicing up the appearance of your glass jar paint designs is to add glitter to the paint after it dries. You don’t even need to do a fabulous paint job. Just paint the entire glass jar any color that you want.
After the paint dries, apply decoupage glue to at least 30% of the glass jar. Put your hand inside the jar to hold it and give it stability. Grab a container of extra-fine glitter with your other hand and sprinkle it over the glue on the surface of the glass jar. The glitter will create a glossier and sparkly appearance on the glass jar.
9) Marbelizing Paint Spray
Marbelizing paint spray produces a marble-like effect when sprayed onto surfaces. The paint usually has contrasting colors like black and white to create a more impactful and elegant look.
Apply a light mist of the marbleized paint onto the glass jar surfaces. There is no need to keep spraying in the same spot for too long because it will achieve the desired look quickly.
10) Distressed Appearance
How would you like to give your glass jars a more distressed, rustic-looking appearance? Distressing a glass jar will provide it with a vintage aesthetic as if it came out of the 19th century.
Apply at least three coats of paint onto the glass jars. After the paint dries, lightly sand the edges and every other raised area on the jars with 220-grit sandpaper. Use orange or yellow paints for the best rustic effect.
Final Thoughts
Painting glass jars requires patience, creativity, and practice. You may not perform the best paint job on your first few tries, but you will improve as time passes. Make sure you purchase a bulk number of glass jars to practice on in case you mess up the first couple of paint jobs. By the third or fourth try, you should start to feel like a professional.
