Painting resin with gold acrylic paint

How to Paint Resin

Resin pieces can be amazing on their own but sometimes you want to embellish with paint. Just painting directly on the resin may look ok in the short term but it will easily chip or rub off. First lets make sure you have everything you need on hand.

Supplies
  • Resin pieces (more on how to make those in another post)
  • Scrap paper or news paper to protect your table or painting surface (I like to recycle box packing paper for this purpose)
  • Acrylic paint
  • Paint brushes
  • Gesso or primer
  • Container for paint and primer (I like to recycle take out food containers)
  • Sealer

Make sure you are in a well ventilated space. You can also wear gloves to protect your hands. Follow these steps for a beautiful long lasting finish!

1. Sand the surface. Any resin surface you plan to paint should be sanded first. This will give subtle ridges for the primer and paint to seep into and increase the longevity of the paint job. I use a very simple sander sponge with a fine grit of 120. Rinse off your resin pieces prior to the next step to remove any dust from sanding. Here are some nice sanding sponges that aren’t too expensive either!

Sanding Sponge, Auerllcy Coarse/Medium/Fine/Superfine 4 Different Specifications Sanding Blocks Assortment,Washable and Reusable.

2. Paint with Gesso or primer. This step will give the surface “tooth” for the paint to grip onto. Gesso or primer is used to prepare the surface. The Gesso I used specified a full 24 hours drying time prior to painting. This is the Gesso I used for my project:

Liquitex Professional Gesso Surface Prep Medium, 946ml (32-oz), White

3. Time to paint! Choose an acrylic paint in any color you like! I choose gold which has. A nice metallic look and goes with the red and gold color scheme I’m working in. Acrylic paints are water soluble while wet and permanent when dry. Here is an acrylic paint option in “Glorious Gold”:

DecoArt DM-DA071 Dazzling Metallics 2-Ounce Glorious Gold Acrylic Paint

4. Don’t forget the sealer. Last but not least is the sealer. This will protect your paint from scratches and other damage. You can choose a gloss or matte finish. I went with gloss for my pieces but in the future I’ll be experimenting with matte as well.

Aleene’s 26412 Spray Gloss Finish, 6 Oz Acrylic Sealer, Original Version

I hope you found this how-to useful in painting your own unique resin designs. To see my process in action check out this TikTok:

@lufuluv

Painting resin so it stays! These will be pop sockets! #resin #resinart #crafttok #howto #acrylic #painting

♬ Taste It – Ikson

Any tips to share on how you achieve a great look for your resin painting projects? Share in the comments, we luv to hear from you!