Get ready to swirl your diy paint brush in some good old-fashioned, easy to make homemade paint. Painting at home couldn't be easier; you wouldn't believe how little you need to make toxic-free homemade paints, suitable for all ages.
Whether you want to touch up some furniture or paint with your kids, this guide will tell you everything you need to know for making homemade paint.
Flour Based Paint
Flour based paint is simple and easy to make. It’s also extremely versatile and can be applied to most interior surfaces.
We found a thicker paint consistency flour paint-covered more and didn't flake with this homemade paint. Many types of grain flour paint can be used, but wheat flour is the most common choice for homemade paint.
Water-Based Paint
Most of the paint you’ll find in art supply store like spray paint tend to be either oil or water-based because of its ease of use. It's not a good idea to paint over one type with another; you'll need to sand down oily surfaces for water paints to stick to the surface.
Acrylic Based Paint
Making acrylic-based paint may require more supplies, but it’s still cheap to make and a great homemade paint to use, especially if you're a serious painter. It's quite transparent, but you can build up color quite beautifully, and it's resistant to heat, too.
Chalk Based Paint
If you want to create a rainbow of colors in own homemade paint, then consider chalk paint. Once you have the supplies for make your own paint, you can create chalk paint with strong, bold colors pretty quickly. They're great in spray squeeze bottles, on rollers, or even used in a sprayer. You can also make your own art materials.
Milk Based Paint
One of the safest own paints you can make at home is the milk-based paint. It consists of milk being the binder for earth pigments, rather than latex being the binder for linseed oil paints. Make a range of colors for kids at birthday parties or use this homemade paint to cover up large wood furnishings.
How To Make Flour Based Paint at Home
- 1First, pour 2 cups of warm water instead of cold water into a large mixing bowl. Then add your flour in mixing bowl. We Recommend 680 grams of plain white flour with a teaspoon of salt in mixing bowl.
- 2Once you mix these three ingredients thoroughly with palette knife, you’ll then pour the mixture into separate containers. We always find a muffin tray is perfect for reducing mess.
- 3Squeeze 3-5 drops of your preferred colors of food colouring into each container and mix well. You can have so much fun creating colors here, so mix some reds and blues to create purple!
- 4You may not be entirely happy with the consistency of your homemade paint, so now is your time to change it! Add water to thin it out, or add a sprinkle of flour to thicken the paint. Set it for 10 minutes, and then you're ready to diy paint with homemade paint.
How To Make Water Based Paint at Home
- 1First, you'll need to create a liquid base. You can use light corn syrup, or you can make it from scratch. To make it yourself, simply boil 480ml of water with 900 g of white sugar. Bring it to boil.
- 2Stir the sugar mixture continuously, and once the sugar is completely dissolved, lower the heat so it turns into a clear syrup. Make sure you don't leave it on the heat for too long as it will turn into a hard toffee.
- 3Add 3 tablespoons of corn syrup, 100ml of vinegar, and 85 g of baking soda to the pot and mix the ingredients until it’s a completely smooth consistency.
- 4Your base is complete, so now it's time to add food coloring (2-4 drops) to create your paint of choice.
How To Make Acrylic Based Paint at Home
- 1Since you’ll be working with paint pigments, it’s best to wear protective clothing, like long sleeves and a dust mask. Once you’re all covered, Pour raw color pigment mix onto a flat mixing surface.
- 2A few drops of water to each tablespoon of raw pigment and mix carefully. Make sure that your paint doesn’t begin to look grainy.
- 3Add a liquid medium or acrylic medium to your mixture of thick paste. Start with 1-2 tablespoons of walnut or poppy for oil paint. For a glossy paint, add a tablespoon of gloss medium (found in most arts and crafts stores) to your water and color pigment.
- 4With a small spatula, mix the paint thoroughly and put the excess pain into the freezer. It will last for 2-3 months.
How To Make Chalk Based Paint at Home
- 1You’ll need baking soda and cool water for chalk-based paint. Pour about 100 ml of cool water in a separate bowl and add 220 g of baking soda. Mix well until smooth.
- 2Once the powder is fully dispersed, add 480 ml of latex paint into separate containers. These colors will be your final paint colors, so choose wisely.
- 3Add the baking soda and water mixture into the latex paint, and stir it with a mixing stick.
- 4This latex mix is perfect for furniture, but it needs to be applied quickly once it's mixed as it dries fast.
How To Make Milk Paint at Home
- 1Mix the juice of 1 lemon with a liter of skimmed milk, and leave it overnight at room temperature.
- 2The next day you’ll need to separate the solid curds by draining it through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.
- 3Separate the milk base into separate containers and add food coloring or raw color earth pigments. If it’s for children’s’ fingers and tempera paint brushes, then a food coloring will suffice. Earth pigments are better for richer colors.
- 4There may be a sour smell if you leave it for too long, so use it quickly, and once the paint dries on the paper, the smell will disappear, too.
What Colors of Paint are Easy to Make at Home?
Some colored paint will be easier to create, and some that will drive you crazy just trying to perfect. Some of the easiest colors to make are as follows:
Green | Add one part yellow and two parts blue to your base to get an army green. |
Red | Red food coloring is a great choice to make a bright or deep red; just add two drops to flour or acyclic base for a bright red. |
White | To make a wonderful white, use white latex paint for your base. Mix this with a baking soda and some water, and you'll have a great base. |
Black | Red, blue, and yellow are the three primary colors for what colors make black paint. Mix these three colors in equal parts to create a black. |
Neon | Using a flour base will automatically bring more colors to life. Use hot water and Epsom salts in the procedure and seal the mix after adding your colors in an airtight container. |
What Types of Surfaces Are Good For Painting
Glass
Focus on acrylic paint if your next art project consists of painting glass. You can use acetone as a base if you want to have your regular brush paint permanently in place.
Wood
If you want to create a matte finish on a wooden surface, then a chalk-based paint is your prime candidate. You won’t need to sand or prime the wood before it’s the first coat, but you may need to give your piece a second coat if you want it to be vibrant.
Fabric Paint
Most of the fabric diy paints you buy in-store are simply acrylic paints, with some Liquitex Fabric Medium added to the mix. Yet they’re often 3 times the price of traditional acrylic paints on sale right beside them. Use acrylic paint for fabric if you want your designs to last.
Canvas
Flour based paint is a perfect choice for canvas painting. You can adjust the homemade paint recipe to create a thick or thin consistency. And it’s great with sponges and cotton swabs, so you’ll get more texture on each design.
Leather
Making own homemade paint recipe for leather is difficult, but in no means impossible. Water-based paint won’t be visible and will wash off over time, and chalk-based paint will chip, peel, or crack when completely dry. Your best bet is to use an acrylic-based paint for leather, but be sure to use a sealer paint recipe if you plan to make your own paint recipe for outdoors.
Common Questions About Home Made Paint
What are the 3 basic ingredients of paint?
The 3 basic ingredients of paint are the pigment, binder, and solvent.
What household items can you use to make paint?
Flour, milk, baking soda, vinegar, and water and all great starting points when making paint at home. If you have these ingredients, then you may just need colors, like pigments or food coloring.
What types of paint on our list are easiest for kids to make?
I love making the milk-based paint with my children. Even though you have to leave it overnight, it’s really simple to make and gives a great finish on canvas’ and poster boards.
What home items are good for giving a paint makeover?
The best home items for a paint makeover include your beloved side tables, your bed frame, any wooden or glass surface such as a coffee table.
How long do homemade paints typically last?
How long a homemade paint will last will always depend on the type f paint you make. If you want a paint that you can continue to go back to, then we recommend making an acrylic-based paint.
Conclusion
Who knew make your own paint at home with easy paint recipes or the homemade paint recipe was more like following a cake recipe?
As you can see, it’s really easy to make non toxic paint or toxic free homemade paint recipes that can cover a range of surfaces.
Whether you’re an interior designer looking for an appropriate homemade paint recipe for kitchen cabinets, or you're a mom making own paint for your kids' next birthday party, we hope this guide serves you well.