It seems like glass painting is all the rage lately- and now Plaid is hopping on the bandwagon with Martha Stewart Glass Paints. As you may remember, I reviewed the Martha Stewart Craft Paints and they were purported to work with glass, too. (Actually, I tried them and they worked great.)
So why the specialized line? Well the Martha Stewart Glass Paints come in a number of finishes for all your glass-specific needs, including:
- Gloss Opaque
- Translucent Frost
- Fine Glitter
- Metallic
- Transparent
Here’s what it says on the Plaid website:
The centerpiece of the Martha Stewart Crafts™ Glass Paint Program is the new, specifically formulated paint for glass and ceramic surfaces. Featuring a lovely palette of 120 colors hand-selected by Martha, the paint beautifully enhances glass and ceramics. Dishwasher-safe when cured, the paint comes in seven distinctive finishes: opaque – gloss, pearl, and metallic; transparent – gloss and liquid fill; translucent – fine glitter and frost. Fine tip allows for quick and easy application. Use for painting, silkscreening and outlining on glass surfaces. Weather resistant for indoor and outdoor use. Non-toxic. Permanent. Dishwasher safe on glass. USA-made.
Of course, if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a thousand pictures. so here is a quick video overview with my swatches so you can see for yourself what the finishes are like!
And here are those photos so you can see them close up:
So, I painted a few votive cups to see how the finish would work. Here’s my gold-edged votive ( I just used a pouncer to apply it.)
There are two methods for curing the Martha Stewart Glass Paints.
- The oven-curing directions are as follows: After drying for 1 hour, place in cool oven. Set temp to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 min. (Glass must heat gradually) After 30 min turn the oven off. Let glass cool completely in oven. Don’t use for 72 hours.
***NOTE: DO NOT OVEN-CURE THE FINE GLITTER FINISH. AIR-CURE ONLY!!!***
- Air dry method: it will cure after 21 days and it will be dishwasher top-shelf safe!
Your glass needs to heat up slowly and cool down slowly to avoid shattering. It took my oven 3 hours to cool off, so actually the oven-curing method, while shorter, still turns out to be a 4-hour process. I just want you to know so that you are prepared!
So, after my votive came out of the oven, I gave it a wee scratch with my fingernail. As you can see in the photo below, it did scratch off:
It was still warm, so I let it sit out over night to REALLY cool off… and tried again. Yup, it still scratches.
So this is just to let you know that while it’s a bake-on product and is dishwasher-safe ( I ran the votive through the dishwasher on the top shelf and it came out fine) it is NOT an enamel. Take care as to where you will put your design, because there is a chance it will wear off with use. On the plus side, you can remove the paint with a razor blade even after it is dry- great for fixing major craft-fails!
I played with the Martha Stewart Glass Paints and new silk-screens (that’s a review for another day) and found it lots of fun. I worked on some ceramic ornaments and a glass serving piece. (Only a sneak peek of them, as I have a full tutorial coming up next week!)
The reason to buy Martha Stewart Glass Paints is for the finishes. You have to love the ability to make faux Blue-Bell-Jar crafts, the fun metallics, and the spunky glitter paints. If you keep some of the limitations of the paints in mind, I think you’ll find it a fun tool in your craft box!
PS- See how I created my Serving Platter and Bowl here!
Currently each bottle retails for $3.49 USD for a 2 oz bottle which includes the fine point applicator tip. There are also boxed sets of 8 colors for $29.99 USD which actually turns out to be MORE than buying them individually- but if you want to buy the set you can save big by using a coupon!
Disclosure: Samples provided for review purposes.
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Jade says
Came out great!!!
Diane says
Thank you for a great review! I can’t wait to try Martha’s new glass paints! I love your leaf embellished clear bowl!
Jenny says
Thank you so much! I’ll have a step-out tutorial next week, so you’ll get the details of exactly how I made it! ; )
Lynda says
Jenny, love your tuts! Thanks.
Jenny says
Aw, YAY! Thank you Lynda for making my day! : )
Laurie H. says
Thanks Jenny. I love your reviews. You really do a great job. Also, I love your nail polish. What color are you sporting in this video. I think I love it too!!!
Jenny says
Thank you so much! This is the “Moon Candy” line by Revlon and the color combo is “orbit”- I got it at Target! : )
Vicki O'Dell says
Great review! I can’t wait to see how you made the leaves. I’m going to have to make something similar because I love that project for fall entertaining! 🙂
Carmen Lucero says
Hi Jenny, I was really excited to read about these glass paints on your video because a light bulb went off in my head when you said the white opaque looks like the etching cream OMW!! I’m sure you can also “etch” the glass, but will have to be carefull about it coming off. Mmmh, I wonder if there is a protective covering one can put on top?
Thanks for your great tutorials!
Carmen
Stazzi says
Looks like a lot of fun. Love the stamping idea. I wonder how well the would paint on or dip. I am a bit bummed about the fact that they scratch off so easily. My initial thought on these was, neat-o, I can decorate Babybumble’s mason jars….guess not!
Cindy Coleman says
Thanks for giving your input on these glass paints. I wonder if the glitter finish came off because it wasn’t cured? Did you try the test again after 21 days? Just wondering if that could make a difference.
Kindest regards,
Cindy
Jenny says
Cindy- the samples on the video were not glitter- they were made with the metallic gold- and they were oven-cured. Any coating you put on top of glass will run the risk of scratching off over time with use/and or abrasion.
Amber says
Thanks for the video! Very helpful. Do you mind explaining the difference between the frost etching paint and the translucent frost paint? I’m having a hard time deciding what I need. Thanks again!
Katie says
I don’t know if the MS liquid fill glass paint has been added since you reviewed or if they just didn’t send you any… There is very little information online about it. It seems to be the recommended way to dye or tint glass like mason jars or wine glasses. They also make a liquid fill medium… I think that’s to mix with the original 5 finishes but no way to know for sure since it seems to be such an obscure product. =\
Jenny says
Katie- sorry, they did not send any “fill” paint…maybe it wasn’t in the original product line. I’ll look into it…-Jenny
Jenny says
Looks like this video might be helpful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCQU5vl8LrI
Rachel says
Thanks for the video, very helpful! I was very happy with the opaque versions of this paint, but the transparent ones were barely visible, even with a couple of coats. They are the barest tints. Also be aware in this line that the letters in the silk screen stencils are only good for working “forwards”– that is, if you want to paint them on the underside or inside of a glass, bowl or plate, you can’t, or your letters will be backwards. But they work beautifully with this line of paints, and I found that the Martha Stewart all-around paints didn’t work so well with the silk screens.
Linda says
very informative. Gave a lot of information I was looking for. I h=just wish that there was a food safe paint to paint on solid ceramic plates . Linda .
ANewBride says
Your candleholders look great Jenny, but here’s a warning to anyone thinking of painting wine glasses – I bought this paint to paint wine glasses as wedding favors for my guests. Even after following all instructions to a T (prepping and drying glasses) it was not even an hour into the reception that all of the paint was sliding off the glasses with condensation from a warm day (in January) and wine. I may as well have used dried ketchup to decorate the glasses, it would have stayed longer.
Jenny says
So…does that mean you heat cured them or let the rest for 21 days?
Helen says
Wish they sold Plaid glass paints in the UK. Seems you can only order them in USA and Canada.
Annette M. says
i am lookoking for a product that will match the color of vintage blue mason jars, specifically to use on chandelier crystals. which product and techniques will give a smooth finish and how do i match the color to the jars? what are the MS glass stains compared to say the fills. thanks.
Lorraine says
Helen… You can buy plaid glass paints in the UK on ebay or at brushstrokescrafts.co.uk. I get all my supplies from there.
Michelle says
Hi:)
When using the glass paint, try air drying the glassware for 48 hours before putting them in the oven. The paint should be complety dry before heating or the paint will melt off or chip. I have made many wine glasses this way and they didn’t chipped. I have also used the fine glitter glass paint, with air drying for 48 hours, and they come out beautifully:) Hope this is helpful.
Jenny says
Great tips Michelle- thanks!!
Chloe says
Hey Jenny,
I did a project using these paints, specifically the transparent gloss paints. Once, my piece was done oven curing, it came out all bubbled and wrinkly. Is that normal? What should I do? I followed all of the instructions to a t. Help.
Jenny says
Chloe- no, that is not normal. One reason for the wrinkling is that the piece might not have been air-dryed long enough before oven-curing, and another is that your oven temps might be off. I’ve learned that ovens are not particularly accurate (!) and that you should always use an oven thermometer to adjust accordingly.
If it’s bubbled and wrinkly, presumably you should be able to scrape off the paint and try again. Also, make sure you clean the glass with Windex or rubbing alcohol before re-painting. Good luck!
Rian says
Hey Michelle, I know you said that you let the glitter air cure for 48 hours first. Did you mean prior to baking it or before using it?
Laura says
Hi
I have been painting glasses..wait an hour bake..I am using folk art enamel paints.
Having problems with it scratching off.. Which is really frustrating me as I spend time painting them and wanted to sell them.
What can I do to help keep my art firmly on and scratch proof?
Help? X
Jenny says
I’m pretty sure the directions state you must wait 24 hours before you bake them. There is a chemical reaction that needs to happen and I don’t think you can rush it!
Alisha says
Hello! I am going to start painting wine glasses this weekend with friends. I was wondering why the fine glitter finish cannot be cured in the oven? Some websites say its OK and a few say not to. What is the reason?
Jenny says
Alisha- you’d have to contact the manufacture for that information. We aren’t chemists! ;D
Mickey says
I let my project, wine glasses with monograms, air dry for 45+ days. The paint will stay on if you never wet it. When I hand washed my glasses, the paint came off easily and completely. I gave these as gifts, so quite embarrassing.
Jayne says
Because of convenience I decided to use Martha Stewart’s Gloss glass paint instead of my regular paint. I was making a medieval style goblet for a customer. During the process I have to clean the extra glue and acrylic paint off the already “permanently” painted glass. IT ALL SCRATCHED OFF!!! This is a cleaning that I have done for years while using PEBEO glass paint with no problems what so ever!!! Now this order is ruined and cannot be fixed. A lot of time and effort wasted. It broke my heart!
If you want a “PERMANENT” glass paint you can actually work with, without any worries and want customers to be happy with your product use
PEBEO GLASS PAINT!! I have learned a HUGE lesson here.
I have another eight glasses painted with this paint waiting to be worked on and I can’t use them…
P.S I went “exactly” by the instructions that were given for curing the glass in the oven
Kismet Clay Designs is on Facebook you can see my work there.
Debra says
This was a great tutorial ! But , if it’s for glass it would not come off ! Thank you Jayne , you saved me time and money ! I guess I will have to go with Pebeo glass paints , they come out great and do not scratch off !
Deb Gatz says
Dear Craft Test Dummies: I attempted to send an email prior to this and apologize (!) if this is a repeat but it didn’t look like my first one was sent. I stumbled upon this website looking for reviews for the Martha Stewart Glass Paints and what a happy accident! I would like to know if it is possible to mix these paints or if they dry too quickly to be able to get the desired color. Thanks again for a great tutorial!
Jenny says
I think they would be fine to mix- they are not alcohol paint and do not evaporate quickly.
Vinny says
Hi jenny
I bought a glass paint , while i cleaned this votive holder, the paint came off . I washed the holder with a little bit of warm (not hot) water and when i dried it , the paint came off.
Can you tell me why it’s happen ?
regards,
Vinny
Jenny says
Vinny- I’d try cleaning the glass thoroughly with window cleaner, then applying the paint as directed. MAKE SURE you let it dry or cure per the directions before washing it! Good luck!