How to Craft with Nail Polish
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Have you ever thought about using your nail polish for everyday crafting on surfaces OTHER than your fingernails? Nail polish might not be your go-to craft paint, but after you discover its versatility, you'll realize it's a great item to stock among your craft supplies.
We're so smitten with the idea of crafting with nail polish that we wrote about about just that! Our book, titled Craft with Nail Polish, is packed full of projects, ideas, and techniques.
Be sure to check out our book for some really fun ideas, but for today we'd like to share with you some of our favorite tips for how to craft with nail polish.
Why craft with nail polish?
Nail polish is incredibly versatile and has a few advantages over regular acrylic craft paint, including its ability to adhere to almost any surface. Nail polish glides easily onto glass, metal, ceramics, paper, wood, and more.
Once on the surface, nail polish is extremely durable. Its glossy finish resists scratches and stands up well to everyday wear, just like it does when it is on your nails! Nail polish also self-levels and dries quickly, meaning it will not have a lot of uneven brush strokes like you would get with most acrylic paints.
And it comes in such an amazing array of colors and finishes... how can you resist?
How to make consistent dots
To make perfectly even dots, ditch the brush and reach for a skewer or the end of a paint brush handle. Pour a very small amount (it dries quickly!) of polish onto a piece of parchment for dipping. Dip the end of the tool into the puddle of polish, then touch it to the surface to create a perfect, round dot.
To create consistently-sized dots, dip the tool fresh into the polish for each dot. To create dots that diminish in size, make multiple dots without re-dipping into the polish.
How to fix mistakes with nail polish
For small mistakes, you can use a toothpick to gently scrape away the polish. Cotton swabs dipped in acetone can also get rid of unwanted polish areas. If you mess up your project and want to start over, just wet a paper towel with acetone and rub the polish until it's all removed.
How to paint fine details with nail polish
The built-in brush that comes in the polish is super convenient, but not always the best choice for fine details. Instead, use a fine liner brush or a toothpick to do more detailed designs.
How to get good coverage with glitter nail polish
Glitter nail polish looks so pretty in the bottle, but by the time you spread a thin coat on your surface, you might find that you've got terrible coverage because the base liquid in the polish is transparent. Fix this by first basecoating the surface with a solid color that complements the glitter polish color.
How to make light polish colors brighter
If your chosen polish color is light or translucent and the item you're painting is really dark, you might have trouble getting good coverage without tons of extra coats of polish. Make your job easier by first basecoating the the surface with opaque white polish. This will make your light colors show better with fewer coats needed, and will make bright colors really pop.
Chica and Jo Craft With Nail Polish
Want more nail polish crafting ideas? Check out our NEW BOOK available on Amazon for 20+ step-by-step projects that use nail polish to create customized items with unique flair.
Our instructions and photos will walk you through easy DIY projects for using nail polish to add colorful flair to glasses, mugs, jewelry, decor, planters, and more. Learn techniques like marbling, paint pouring, masking and stenciling. Order your copy today!
10 comments so far:
Do you recommend more expensive Nail polish or is the cheap stuff okay? Does the smell go away? I was thinking of painting a wooden jewelry box from the craft store entirely with nail polish. Thanks
CRD, we have found that the cheap stuff works just fine! We bought a bunch at our local Dollar General and Five Below stores. The smell does go away after it cures.
What can I use to "thin" nail polish? I want to re-paint some old hot wheels cars, but the nail polish is too thick, it tends to fill in small details ( But is GREAT for hiding imperfections!) Any suggestions? It's thicker than model car paint (I'll be trying nail polish on plastic next) But "tester type" paints are 10-15 TIMES more money! :O Any suggestions?
Ken, I totally get where you're coming from... model car paint is pricey! We haven't tried thinning down nail polish, but I wonder if a little nail polish remover might do the trick? I would definitely suggest you test on something else first, but let us know how it goes.
Ken, don’t use acetone or polish remover to thin the nail polish. You can get a specific nail polish thinner. I like the brand Seche Vite (get the product called Seche Restore). You just add in a few drops at a time until you get the consistency you’re looking for. The Seche Restore has the added bonus of making the polish dry super fast as well!
Peach, thank you so much for sharing that advice for Ken! We didn't know nail polish thinner existed, but we just looked and found lots of options on Amazon including the Seche Restore you recommended. So cool, thanks again for the tip!
Is it safe to paint the outside of a tea cup with nail polish...I wasn't sure if it was safe? I would use the cup for tea or a homeopathic remedy in milk or yogourt for my cat...
Carol, it is safe to use on the outside of a cup, just keep it away from areas your mouth will touch.
Has anyone tried gel nail polish and UV light for painting on plastic? How did it compare to regular polish in terms of control and durability?
Lisa, we have not tried that type of polish, but hopefully one of our readers can shed some (UV) light on the subject! :)