If you want a fresh and modern option for storing and displaying your kitchen ingredients and laundry powders, glass containers are the way to go. But how do you make sure you don’t confuse the flour with the powdered sugar or the dish detergent from the laundry detergent? Why, by painting labels straight on the glass, of course!
I use these super functional glass storage jars throughout my house (in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, garage, and craft room) and by painting custom labels directly on the glass, they become super stylish to boot. Plus, you really can’t go wrong with the classic sophistication of glass, so it’s a triple win when it comes to chic storage.
Due to the fact that they’re so versatile, using chalkboard on the glass allows you to customize the labels at will and if you need to transfer the jars from one room to another, you don’t need to do anything more than wiping off the chalk label and writing on a new one.
Here’s what you’ll need to make chalkboard painted glass containers:
- Glass storage jars: I’m painting two small canisters today
- Chalkboard paint: I love Martha Stewart’s blue paint
- Acrylic craft paint: I selected a glossy white
- Frog tape (or other type of painter’s tape)
- Stencil
- Stencil brush
- Chalk
Before you begin painting, clean the surface of the glass using rubbing alcohol and allow it to dry thoroughly. This ensures no oils or dirt interfere with the paint’s adhesion to the glass.
When you’re ready, tape off the area you want to paint. To figure this out on mine, I measured the stencil I was going to use and added an extra inch to each side. Thus, because my stencil measured 2 ½” x 4 ½” I taped off an area measuring 3 ½” x 5 ½” on my glass.
Paint the inside of your taped box with the chalkboard paint. You’ll probably need several coats so be sure to let the paint dry in between each application, about 30 minutes.
*Tip: I find that by alternating the direction of my brush, I can get all over coverage and eliminate noticeable brush strokes. So, for the first application, I painted vertically, then for the next, I made horizontal brush strokes, and so on, for about four coats total.
Allow the paint to dry overnight and then carefully peel back the tape. If you find that some of the paint bled through, you can always cover it up with a decorative ‘border’ with your craft paint.
From here, I taped down the stencil in the center of the blue box and used the stencil brush (also called a ‘dauber’ or ‘pouncer’ when in sponge form) to lightly apply a couple of coats of white craft paint.
I can’t stress the ‘lightly’ enough. Dip your brush into the paint, swirl off the excess on paper towel and you should barely have any paint on your brush before you start dabbing. Trust me; the effect will be worth the extra effort now because if you use too much paint, you’ll have to start all over again with the chalkboard paint. Not fun!
Carefully peel back the stencil to reveal the awesome design below! If you need to create a border, go around the edge of the blue box with a brush to mask any errant blue paint seepage spots.
I chose to leave mine without a border and simply finished the container from here: Label with a piece of chalk, fill it with its contents, and place the newly decorated glass jar in its designated home. It really is as easy as that.
Glass containers truly are one of the most versatile receptacles for just about anything you need to store. And colored chalkboard paint is a great option for customizing the glass to suit your décor.
So, what are you storing in your painted glass containers?
Writing on behalf of Dulles Glass and Mirror, an innovative manufacturer of glass table tops, glass shelves, and all other glass and mirror products, is Rheney Williams, who incorporates glass in many of her DIY projects. Follow Dulles Glass to see how they’re changing the way glass products are manufactured, customized and delivered.
