Stained glass windows have long been the subject of awe and wonder. Their beauty seems brand new every time the sunlight hits them.
Sadly, creating real stained glass takes significant time, skill, and work that not many of us have in us. If you want to have stained glass windows as accents or decoration in your home, you’ll have to find another solution.
A great way of making stained glass windows at home is with paint. Simply choose your windowpane and paint your own stained glass window design.
So, what is the best paint for stained glass? The best paint to use for stained glass is water-based acrylic enamel or acrylic glass paint, though you can also use spray glass paints, glass stains, or paint pens.
There are many ways to create your own stained glass window at home. In this article, we’ll explore the different types of paints, what they can do for you, and the best products in each category.
How Is Stained Glass Made?
True stained glass is made by skilled glaziers, or people who work with glass. The glaziers mix potash and sand at extremely high temperatures – up around 3000°F – and add colors to the soft glass through mixing metallic oxide powders.
While the glass is still in its flexible, soft form, the glazier flattens the sheets and cuts them to shape. They’re then placed into strips of lead specifically spaced to fit the panes.
The process is long, difficult, and only possible for those trained in making stained glass with access to all the materials and equipment required for the project.
Originally, if you wanted stained glass in your home, you would have had to hire a glazier to create a piece for you. This would take a long time and cost a lot of money.
Now, there are alternatives to stained glass. Instead of hiring a professional glazier, you can recreate the look with a few paints, some brushes, and even some imitation lead.
DIY Stained Glass
For those looking to create their own stained glass at home, you’ve come to the right place. The key to DIY stained glass is the type of paint you use. We’ll dive into those types in more details below.
DIY stained glass is relatively easy as long as you have the right materials and understand the steps, but if you’re still deciding between painting a design or getting into crafting real strained glass, we have a whole article dedicated to the best stained glass kits for adults to check out.
One thing to consider before you choose paint is whether your paint will need to be baked in the oven to cure. These are often the best paints but would require some flexibility on your part to be able to bake the windowpane.
If you’re planning to paint a window that’s already standing in your home, that might not be the right paint for you.
Another thing to consider with DIY stained glass is whether you want it to be permanent or not. There are some temporary kinds of paints that would allow you to decorate your windows for a time, then wash away and start again.
In general, when creating your own stained glass window, you’ll need the following items:
- Glass paint or stain
- Glass surface (windowpane, picture frame)
- Paintbrushes
- Toothpicks
- Rubbing alcohol and cotton/tissue/paper towels
- Optional: gloves, goggles, respirator
Let’s dive into a little more detail on the types of paint you can use below!
Types Of Stained Glass Paint
There are several types of stained glass paints to choose from. In this article, we’re going to review options that are more realistic for a DIY project.
Solvent-based glass paints are a type that we don’t go into detail with here because it’s more intended for professionals. These paints are highly toxic and flammable, requiring lots of safety gear and precautions to use.
There also aren’t many solvent-based glass paints that are affordable or easy to find online.
Instead, we’re focusing on the types of paint you can easily order online and get started working with in no time. All of these paints are safe to use and some are even nontoxic.
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | FolkArt Glass Finish Acrylic Enamel | Mixable, packs of 8-16, water-based |
| 2. | Gallery Glass Window Color | Thick consistency, vibrant, smooth color |
| 3. | Krylon Stained Glass Aerosol Paint | Spray version, covers large surface |
| 4. | DecoArt Transparent Glass Stain | Vibrant, transparent, control nozzle |
| 5. | Artistro Paint Pens | Easy to use, 12 pack |
1. Water-Based Acrylic Enamel
Our first paint type, and one of the best choices for stained glass windows, is acrylic enamel. While traditional enamels are solvent-based, acrylic enamels stay true to the acrylic aspect and are water-based.
Acrylic enamels are nontoxic, so you can feel safe to use them without fear of any safety concerns. They’re not safe for food, though, so we recommend not using this type with any small children who may put it in their mouths.
Acrylic enamels are great because they have a good scratch-resistance with or without curing in the oven (though you do get better results and can help your design dry faster when oven-cured).
These also generally have an opaque finish, so they could be good when working with light colors or wanting to add solid aspects to your design.
Suggested Brand – FolkArt
The best brand for acrylic enamels is FolkArt. They have many options to choose from, like their 16 pack of 2-ounce bottles in bright colors, 8 pack of 2-ounce bottles in more neutral colors, or even their 8 pack of 2-ounce bottles in metallic colors.
These acrylic enamels are top of the line. They’ve been used by many other people with glass and achieve great results.
We love the incredible amount of color options, as well as their ability to mix and create new colors with ease.
2. Water-Based Acrylic Glass Paints
Another great option for stained glass windows is to use a water-based acrylic glass paint. These are similar to the enamel because they’re both acrylic, but the paint and enamel will act a little differently.
Generally, the acrylic glass paints will have a more translucent finish, which will help your stained glass window look more like traditional stained glass.
Depending on the brand you buy, some may be able to air dry and some may need to be baked to fully set. Either way you set the paints, they create a beautiful finish in vivid colors that mimics real stained glass windows.
Suggested Brand – Plaid Gallery Glass
The Gallery Glass paints by Plaid are a beloved among many people who make their own stained glass at home.
These paints are ideal for windows that are already in place in the home because they have a thicker consistency, meaning they won’t run down the window if you apply them vertically.
There are several colors to choose from and each one comes in a 2-ounce bottle.
Gallery Glass truly gives you the traditional stained glass look without commissioning a true stained glass piece. Unless you’re a trained glazier, you may never know the difference.
You can even purchase their Simulated Liquid Leading to create those thick, black lines of “lead” to really give it the authentic stained glass window appearance.
3. Spray Paints For Glass
If you’re looking to get more full-window coverage instead of a detailed design, spray paint is the way to go.
Rather than taking the time to apply small amounts of paint in little areas and pay special attention to the detail work, you can simply tape, paint, and go.
A great thing about spray paint is that it doesn’t have to just be a plain, solid window. You can use painter’s tape to create fun designs in the window, like polka dots, stripes, chevron, and more.
Spray paint will get the job done quickly, which can be great for those looking for a simple, quick, easy project. This won’t create the traditional stained glass look, but the spray paint will help you cover larger areas of glass quicker.
Suggested Brand – Krylon
We love the Krylon brand for stained glass spray paint for several reasons. It comes in a large 11.5-ounce can, giving you enough paint to cover a large surface area.
There are also several colors to choose from, so even though you can’t mix your own color, you still have plenty of options.
The Krylon stained glass spray paint has a translucent finish, so although your window will be colored, you’ll still be able to see shapes through the glass.
This can be great if you still want a lot of natural sunlight to come through your stained glass window but don’t want to put a lot of time into a specific design.
4. Glass Stains
If you want to achieve a more authentic stained glass look with something other than acrylic paints, we recommend trying out a glass stain.
Glass stains are great if you don’t have the ability to bake your glass project since they set through air-drying.
They’re easy to apply with a simple paintbrush and toothpick. Plus, they mix beautifully on the surface to create swirls of blended color in your design.
They dry fairly transparent, though the darker your color the darker it will likely dry. The sun will still shine beautiful through no matter the hue of your color.
Suggested Brand – DecoArt
Our favorite brand for glass stains is DecoArt. They dry beautifully with a vibrant but transparent finish.
They’re also incredibly easy to apply with a thin tip nozzle for smaller detail work. For larger areas, you can squeeze more out into the area and use the paintbrush and toothpick to smooth the paint around the area and to your outer “lead” edges.
If you’re looking for a true stained glass window look, these DecoArt glass stains are a great choice for you.
5. Paint Pens
If you want more control than liquid paint and plan to create an elaborate, detailed stained glass window design, paint pens are the choice for you.
Acrylic paint pens work can work great on glass (just make sure the brand you choose lists glass as a compatible surface).
Even if you want to paint the larger background of the stained glass window with acrylic enamels or paints, you can fill in details or draw a design on top of it with paint pens.
Paint pens are also a great option for those who want to use spray paint to cover a large surface area, then add small details around the window, like flowering vines.
Generally, you can find paint pens in varying tip sizes, from large or medium to extra fine. This gives you the flexibility to create the kind of lines and designs you envision for your stained glass window.
Suggested Brand – Artistro
The Artistro set of 12 acrylic paint markers is perfect if you’re looking for a good set of paint pens.
These colors are more opaque but can have transparent qualities when the window is held up to the sunlight.
The great thing about the Artistro paint pens is that they come in vibrant colors, ready to stand out and be bold on your stained glass window design.
You can find their set of 12 fine-tip paint pens here, all in the same colors as the medium-tip paint pens linked above.
These paint pens are typically best set with heat, so keep that in mind when choosing which projects to use them with.
Bonus Tips
When it comes to faux stained glass windows, you can’t go wrong with any of the paint types listed above. They’ll all work great on glass and create beautiful pieces of art.
The brands we listed are our top choices in each category, but shouldn’t be considered the only good brand for each type of paint.
For example, Pebeo Vitrea 160 Glossy is another excellent acrylic glass paint brand. There are 27 different colors to choose from in varying finishes, including glossy, frosted, shimmer, and light.
You can also get their paints in a set of 10 assorted glass paint outliner tubes of 20ml each if you prefer a fine tip for application.
An important thing to remember when using any of these paints is that the colors may not dry the way they look in the bottle. We highly recommend testing a little paint on a piece of glass to see how it will look when it dries.
MissAnitasCrafts on YouTube gives a good idea for paint samples. In her Faux Stained Glass Techniques video below, she shows a full glass frame of just paint samples to have as a good reference for colors.
She also gives the great tip of using puff paint for to mimic the lead lines in the stained glass windows. You can still purchase the imitation lead that we linked above by Gallery Glass, or you can pick up a cheap bottle of puff paint from any local craft store.
Another good tip to cut costs is to use a cheap frame for your stained glass.
You can pick up a regular picture frame from any discount retail store, craft store, or department store and take the backing and fake picture out, then use the glass and frame for your stained glass window project.
If you want to try creating a stained glass window without paints, the video below from Art EmPOURium: Art Everyone Can Try is a great place to start.
She shows you step-by-step how to create a faux stained glass window using a mixture of clear Elmer’s glue and ink dyes, though she does note you can also use food coloring.
Whatever method you choose, the important thing is to have fun and create a beautiful stained glass window to enjoy!
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