How much does a paint cost? It costs good money, right? What if I tell you that you can make quality paint at home? Well, there is no doubt that your house needs quality paint. Painting your house makes your surface look beautiful, gives your room perfect ambience and in some cases, it increases the value of your property. The beauty about paints is that you get to choose what color and quality you want. With different varieties available, sometimes it can be challenging to pick the right one for you.
However, if you can make various paints, you can try them on small surfaces until you find one that satisfies you. From my experience, making your own paint at home allows you to be creative. When you have to buy paint, you do not have room for mistakes because it costs a lot. Here, we provide you with a how to make paint at home guide for all types of painting.
Contents
Types of Paints that You Can Make at Home
Some types of paints are hard to make at home because they require specific equipment that will measure the ingredients in specific ratios. Buying this equipment can be very expensive, unless you want to produce paint for commercial purposes. Fortunately, most of the paints can be made at home without the need of employing state-of-the-art equipment. The paints include:
Water-Based Paint
Most of the paints available in the market are either water-based or oil-based. Making water-based paint at home is possible because it doesn’t require a lot.
Flour-Based Paint
Flour-based paints are amongst the easiest to make at home. To their advantage, flour-based paints are very versatile. In recent times, I have made paints from several grain types, however, wheat flour is my most common preference.
Chalk-Based Paint
If you are a lover for colors, chalk-based paints are your most suitable option. With varying colors of chalk and consistent supply, you can create strong, easy on the eye and bold paints at home. Moreover, chalk-based paints are perfect for use in spray bottles and on rollers.Related reading: Best Paint Sprayer For Chalk Paint
Milk-Based Paint
That’s right, you can make paints from milk! If anything, milk-based paints are some of the safest paints that you can make at home. Milk is used to bind pigments as opposed to latex, which is mostly used to bind oil-based paints. With the safety assurance that comes with milk-based paints, you can create paints of different colors for your kids’ birthdays or for general home use.
Acrylic-Based Paint
Even though acrylic-based paints require more and costly ingredients, it is still cheaper and possible to make it at home. The main advantage of an acrylic-based paint is that it is heat resistant. It also gives options to professional painters.
How To Make Water-Based Paint at Home
With my experience with paints, I have come up with a very easy routine for making water-based paints. You will need:Corn syrupWaterSugarVinegarBaking soda
Step 1: Create a Liquid Base
Creating a liquid base is the first step. You will need to mix corn syrup with water to create a perfect blend. However, worry not if you do not have ready corn syrup as you can always make one. Simply boil 480ml of water for every 900g of sugar.
As the mixture boils, stir it continuously until the sugar is completely dissolved. After, lower the heat until the syrup created is clear. At this stage, you should be very careful not to reduce the heat too early or too late. Over boiling can result in the mixture turning into a hard coffee while under boiling won’t give you the perfect syrup mixture.
Step 2: Mix the Corn Syrup with Vinegar and Baking Soda
Take 3 tablespoons of the corn syrup that you have created and mix it with 100ml of vinegar. Take 85g of baking soda and mix all the ingredients in a pot. Stir them continuously until you have a smooth consistency.
Step 3: Add Your Preferred Food Color
The final step is to add your preferred food color. This will give your paint your desired color and should not exceed 4 drops. Water-based paints are safe for use with kids because their ingredients are fairly harmless.
How To Make Flour-Based Paint at Home
Flour-based paints are perfect for giving your surfaces a matte exterior finish. Adding to the fact that this paint is very easy to make, it is also non-toxic both to you, those around you and the environment. For this project, you will need:
Water Wheat flour (or your preferred type)A pot for boilingDishwashing soapColoring pigmentIron sulfateLinseed oilCooking stoveMixing bowl
Step 1: Boil water and Make a Mixture
Put 7 quarts of water into a boiling pot and put it on the cooking stove to boil. As the water boils, take 23 ounces of white wheat flour together with 1 ½ quarts of cold water and mix in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Add the Mixture into the Boiling Water
After the water has come to boil, add the flour mixture into the boiling water. While you stir continuously, add your preferred coloring pigments, 9 ounces of iron sulfate then finally, add 1 quart of linseed oil. Continue stirring until you have a perfect consistency.
Step 3: Stop Boiling
After about 15 minutes of continuous stirring, remove the boiling pot from the cooking stove. Add 3 ½ colorless dishwashing soap and continue stirring until the mixture cools. Voila! You have your flour-based paint! If you want more paint, simply increase the ingredients with accordance of the provided ratios.
How To Make Chalk-Based Paint at Home
Chalk-based paints are very easy and fun to make at home. You will need the following ingredients:
Baking sodaWaterLatex paintMixing bowl
Step 1: Mix Baking Powder with Water
Using your mixing bowl, mix 220g of baking soda with 100 ml of cold water and baking soda. Mix the mixture until you have a perfect flow.
Step 2: Add Latex Paint
Take 480 ml of latex paint and put it into a separate mixing bowl. You should be very careful on the type of latex paint that you pick because it will determine the color of your final paint. Take your baking soda mixture (from step 1) and mix it with the latex paint slowly as you stir. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth.
It is important to note that if you intend to use your paint to give your furniture a new look, you have to apply it quickly after you get a smooth mixture. Chalk-based paints are known to dry very fast. Once they do, they are not as effective.
How To Make Milk-Based Paint at Home
Milk-based paints are perfect for painting aged furniture. The paint gives your furniture a translucent finish because it is relatively thinner than most of the other paints. When layered over wood, the paint is easy on the eye and provides a vintage finish. You will need the following ingredients to make a milk-based paint at home:
Lemon juiceMilkCooking potSieve lined with cheesecloth Dry color pigmentA mixing bowl
Step 1: Mix the Lemon Juice with Milk
The first step when making a milk-based paint at home is to mix ½ a cup of lemon juice with a quart of skim milk. The lemon juice should be fresh from a lemon fruit. You should achieve that by squeezing some lemons into a cup. After mixing the lemon juice together with the milk in your pot, let the mixture sit overnight. This will allow it to curdle.
Step 2: Sieve the Mixture and Rinse off the Curds
After a night, use a sieve lined with cheesecloth to sieve the mixture. This separates the curds from the whey. Finally, rinse off the curds and put them in a mixing bowl.
Step 3: Add Dry Color Pigment
Finding your preferred color pigment should not be hard. The products are available both online and in your local stores. Sprinkle sparingly into the mixture as you stir until you achieve your desired hue.
With the experience that I have with homemade paints, the trick is to always use them as soon as you are done. Home-made paints do not have preservatives that can allow them to stay fresh for a long time. Applying your milk-based paint immediately after you make it gives your furniture a perfect finish. After the furniture dries, the lingering odor will go away.
How To Make Acrylic-Based Paint at Home
Making acrylic-based paints at home is mostly done by professional painters. They are somewhat complicated and require you to wear protective gears because of the many paint pigments involved. However, even though it’s a bit technical, you can still make acrylic paint at home. You will need the following ingredients:
WaterRaw pigmentWalnut or poppy oilGloss (for gloss paints)SpatulaColor pigmentA flat mixing surface
Step 1: mix Raw Pigment with Water
After wearing your protective gears, take your raw color pigment and pour it onto your flat mixing surface. Take about 3 drops of water (depending on the amount of your raw color pigment) and mix it with the pigment. While at it, ensure that your mixture does not appear grainy.
Step 2: Add Walnut or Poppy Oil Together with Gloss
To your water and color pigment, add 2 tablespoons of walnut or poppy oil. If you want to make a glossy paint, add a tablespoon of gloss to the mixture and use a spatula to stir. Stir thoroughly until you have a consistent mixture.
If you want to make more acrylic-based paint, simply increase the ingredients using the same ratio provided here.
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Conclusion
Paints are amazing because they complete our houses and make our surfaces easy on the eye. While it is true that you can always buy paints from the stores, why not have some fun and create yours at home? Some of the paints that you can make at home include acrylic, chalk, milk, wheat and water-based paints.
Using the ratios provided in this article, you can make as much paint as you need. However, you should always make just about enough paint to walk you through your painting project. Most home-made paints do not last for long. Hopefully, this article has been informational to you. If so, kindly leave a comment below.
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