For any crafter planning to decorate wine glasses, glass mugs, or other glass items that may need to be washed routinely, dishwasher safe paints are a must.
So, what are the best dishwasher safe paints for glass? The best dishwasher safe paints for glass are highly pigmented, easy to use on glass, and non-toxic. Dishwasher safe paints also need to be water and heat resistant to withstand the dishwasher.
Not all paints for glass are dishwasher safe, so it’s important to pay attention to the labels. For more information on the best dishwasher safe paints along with product recommendations, keep reading below!
Key Qualities Of Dishwasher Safe Paints For Glass
Highly Pigmented
When you’re painting on glass, it’s important to use paints that are highly pigmented. If the paints don’t have enough pigment in them, they won’t show up well enough on the glass.
Since glass is transparent, the colors can get lost and come across as faded as light shines through the glass. To prevent the colors from appearing lighter than they are, use highly pigmented paint.
Sometimes it can be hard to tell how pigmented paints are just from the product listing, so you’ll need to look for two things.
The first is if the product description uses the words “highly pigmented.” Often glass paints will specify if they’re highly pigmented so customers know how vibrant they’ll appear.
The second is if the product description uses the word “transparent.” If the paints are described as transparent, the paints will certainly allow for light to come through the colors, making them appear a little lighter than they are.
Even if the paints you use come across more transparent than you wanted, you can paint in multiple coats to achieve the highly pigmented look.
Easy To Use On Glass
If you’re trying to paint wine glass, beer glass, or other type of glass cup or dish, you’ll notice it can be difficult to get your image or words just write because of the odd shape of the object.
Usually, artists paint on a flat surface, so it can be a challenge to paint on a curved object.
The best paints for glass should be easy to use on glass. This means not only can you easily use them on the curved surface of a glass, but the paints go on smoothly and look saturated.
Some lower quality paints may be difficult to apply on glass because of the slick surface. The paints will separate as they go on and may have the appearance of oil mixing with water.
If it’s a good quality paint, it will go on smoothly and have a smooth, clean look.
Non-Toxic
Since drinking glasses are used for people to consume beverages, it’s important that the paint is non-toxic.
This means that it will be safe to have on the outside of a glass or dish you use to eat or drink. Even if the paint is non-toxic, it’s not recommended to have in a place where it will come in direct contact with food or beverages.
Most paints for glass are non-toxic and water-based, but you want to double check before purchasing. There are some paints that do not specify that they’re non-toxic, and those would not be safe to use on dishes you use for food or drinks.
Another advantage of using non-toxic paints, aside from them being safe on drinking glasses, is that they have a very minimal smell. You can safely use the paint indoors to create your custom glassware.
Water And Heat Resistant
For the paint to be dishwasher safe, it has to be water and heat resistant. Dishwashers use a lot of water to wash the dishes, and typically that water is hot water to also sterilize everything.
After the hot water, the dishes are then dried with hot air. So, for the paint you use on glass to be dishwasher safe, it needs to be heat and water resistant.
Typically, if you find paint that specifies that it’s dishwasher safe, it’s likely going to be water and heat resistant, but it’s best if you can find paint that includes both phrases in the product description.
The Best Dishwasher Safe Paints For Glass
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | FolkArt Enamel Glass & Ceramic Paint | Available in 50+ colors, 2 oz. bottle, highly pigmented, dishwasher safe (top rack only), non-toxic |
| 2. | ARTISTRO Acrylic Paint Pens | Available in 12 pack or 30 pack, medium tip paint pens, highly pigmented, dishwasher safe, non-toxic |
| 3. | Glass Paint Dishwasher Safe Pebeo Vitrea 160 | Available in 10 pack, can also find individual bottles online, highly pigmented, dishwasher safe, non-toxic |
| 4. | Pebeo Vitrea 160 Assorted Glossy Glass Paint Markers | Available in 9 pack or individual markers, highly pigmented, dishwasher safe, non-toxic |
| 5. | ZEYAR Acrylic Paint Pens | Available in 12 pack, medium point or fine point markers, highly pigmented, dishwasher safe, non-toxic |
| 6. | COLORFUL Stain Glass Paint Set | Available in 24 pack with paint accessories, 0.4 fl. oz. tubes of paint, highly pigmented, dishwasher safe, non-toxic |
| 7. | Magicdo Stained Glass Paint | Available in 12 pack with paint accessories, 0.4 fl. oz. tubes of paint, highly pigmented, dishwasher safe, non-toxic |
1. FolkArt Enamel Glass & Ceramic Paint
FolkArt is a reputable paint brand with plenty of paint options for a variety of crafts.
Thankfully, they also have this gloss acrylic paint that works on glass and is dishwasher safe. The enamel will keep the paint from chipping easily and create a lovely glossy finish.
This paint specifies that if it goes in the dishwasher, it should be on the top rack only, so pay attention to the directions and keep it on the top rack.
This paint is also highly pigmented, available in over 50 colors, and non-toxic.
2. ARTISTRO Acrylic Paint Pens
For those looking to use paint pens instead of paint in a bottle or tube that needs paintbrushes, this set of 12 paint pens from ARTISTRO is perfect.
These are multi-surface paint pens that work well on glass, are non-toxic, and are highly pigmented. Their basic pack comes with only 12 colors, but you can get their 30 pack to give yourself more color variety.
Although they don’t specifically state that they’re dishwasher safe, many customers have noted that they’ve put their glassware in the dishwasher after using these paint pens, and the dishwasher has not washed away their designs.
3. Glass Paint Dishwasher Safe Pebeo Vitrea 160
Pebeo Vitrea is a brand of paints that are specifically formulated to work on glass.
Unlike multi-purpose paints that will have varying results when used on glass, these Pebeo Vitrea 160 non-toxic glass paints are guaranteed to work well.
This pack comes with 10 different highly pigmented colors that permanently bond with the glass to give you a long-lasting final product.
The product description specifies that they are both microwave and dishwasher safe.
4. Pebeo Vitrea 160 Assorted Glossy Glass Paint Markers
If you liked the idea of having Pebeo Vitrea non-toxic glass paints but didn’t want to work with paintbrushes, try their paint marker set.
This set comes with 9 highly pigmented colors that are easy to use on glass.
You can also buy them individually if you want to get more of a certain color.
They’re specifically dishwasher safe and water and heat resistant, so you know you can trust these for your glassware.
5. ZEYAR Acrylic Paint Pens
Even though these ZEYAR Acrylic Paint Pens say that they’re for porcelain, they also work great on glass.
These paint pens are non-toxic, highly pigmented, and dishwasher safe.
The product description say that they are water resistant and durable in high temperature.
To achieve permanent results with these paint pens, it’s best to bake your project in the oven to help the paint cure.
You can get these paint pens in medium point or fine point.
6. COLORFUL Stain Glass Paint Set
For those who enjoy working with paintbrushes, we recommend this set of 24 non-toxic paints from Colorful.
These paints come in small tubes that can be squirted out onto the included paint palette and applied to glass using the included paint brushes.
They’re highly pigmented and non-toxic, so you can achieve beautiful colors while keeping your glassware safe.
These paints are also dishwasher safe with or without baking your project in the oven.
7. Magicdo Stained Glass Paint
This set of 12 acrylic paints from Magicdo is another great option for dishwasher safe paints for glass.
These paints come in vibrant colors that will stand out against the transparent glass surface. They’re non-toxic and are described as being water resistant.
We recommend trying these paints out on a test project before using it for a high quantity of glassware items.
Some customers have noted that these paints did not hold up when the glass was put in the dishwasher.
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