Is acrylic paint suitable for ceramics?
LB Berlin
The honest answer is: It depends. Together we will look at when acrylic paint works on ceramics, where it hits hard limits, and why we at Formwerk Berlin recommend real ceramic colors and glazes for most projects.
If you are looking for high-quality pottery supplies like glazes, kilns or tools, take a look at our website Formwerk Berlin.
Have fun, the Formwerk Team!
Contents
- What is acrylic paint, actually?
- Does acrylic paint stick to ceramics?
- When and where acrylic really works
- The clear limits of acrylic paint
- Acrylic vs. real ceramic colors: the comparison
- Step by step: painting ceramics with acrylic paint
- Sealing: how to make the paint last longer
- Our conclusion at Formwerk Berlin
What is acrylic paint, actually?
Before we get to the actual question, it is worth taking a quick look at the chemistry behind it. Acrylic paint is a water-based dispersion paint: tiny synthetic resin particles (the acrylic binder) and color pigments are finely distributed in water. As it dries, the water evaporates, the resin particles fuse together and an elastic, waterproof plastic film remains.
Acrylic paints are versatile and allow a wide range of techniques. The dried film stays flexible, which is why acrylic hardly cracks at normal layer thickness, even if the surface moves slightly. Very thick layers can still crack while drying, though, especially in the cold or if they dry too quickly. That is why there are special texture pastes for impasto effects.
This everyday practicality has made acrylic the most popular paint for hobby artists. It sticks to a wide range of surfaces: paper, canvas, stone, wood, concrete and also porous, unglazed ceramics. A good bond requires a clean, slightly absorbent surface free of grease and dust. This is exactly the key point.
Acrylic paints are popular, widely available and easy to buy online or in craft stores.
Does acrylic paint stick to ceramics?
The short answer: Yes, but not equally well on every ceramic. What matters is how absorbent the surface of your piece is.
Bisqueware and terracotta
Bisqueware has been fired once, is unglazed and therefore still absorbent. The same goes for classic terracotta. Acrylic paint sticks well to this porous, rough surface, similar to stone or untreated concrete. The pores literally give the paint something to grip.
Important: Unfired clay (greenware) is not a suitable surface. It stays water-soluble and softens under the paint when exposed to moisture. Unglazed but high-fired stoneware or porcelain is also hardly absorbent anymore. Acrylic sticks about as poorly here as it does to glaze.
Bisqueware: fired, but not yet glazed
Glazed ceramics
On glazed ceramics, things look much harder. A glaze is a melted, glassy layer: smooth, dense and not absorbent. Regular acrylic paint sticks to it poorly and can often be scratched off with a fingernail. You can get better adhesion with thorough degreasing, light sanding and a primer for glass and tiles.
“Acrylic paint sticks surprisingly well to unglazed bisqueware. On fully fired, smooth glaze it takes more effort, and you should keep your expectations for durability realistic.” Koray from Formwerk
When and where acrylic paint really works
Let’s be fair: There are definitely scenarios where acrylic paint is a sensible choice on ceramics.
Acrylic paint on ceramics: These uses make sense
- Decorative objects without food contact: Vases for dried flowers, figurines, dishes for keys or jewelry. Food safety does not matter here.
- Indoor flower pots: Works well if you seal the inside of the pot or use an insert pot. More on this under the limits.
- Quick decorating projects without a kiln: If you don't have a kiln and only want to decorate, you can get started right away with acrylic paint. Which modeling materials work without a kiln is covered in Can you fire clay in a regular oven?
- Kids and school projects: Acrylic paint is easy to handle. For children, it is best to choose paints tested to the EN 71 toy safety standard. You will find ideas for pottery with kids in Pottery for kids' birthday parties.
- Upcycling old ceramic pieces: Want to spruce up an old terracotta pot or a discarded vase? Acrylic paint is ideal for that.
- Acrylic paint with a medium for glass and tiles: A special medium is mixed into the acrylic paint and improves adhesion on glass, tiles and glazed porcelain. Depending on the product, the paint cures in the air or is baked in the oven. The manufacturer specifies temperature and time. The result is much more durable than plain acrylic, but not comparable to a real ceramic firing.
The clear limits of acrylic paint on ceramics
Now it gets important, especially if you want to make tableware or objects for everyday use.
1. Acrylic paint is not food-safe
This is the most critical point. Commercially available acrylic paint is not tested or approved for contact with food. Besides binder and pigments, it contains preservatives and other additives, and nobody has examined whether they migrate into food. Depending on the color, artist acrylics can also contain pigments based on cadmium or cobalt. Painted surfaces must therefore never come into contact with food or drinks. This applies to the entire inner surface and the rim you drink or eat from.
⚠ Important note
Do not use acrylic paint on the inside surfaces of cups, bowls, plates or cookware. Hot water softens the paint film, dish soap and dishwasher detergent attack it, cutlery scratches it, and germs can survive in the microporous layer. If you want to make functional tableware, fired glazes that the manufacturer explicitly labels as food-safe are the right choice, such as the Amaco PC-25 Textured Turquoise stoneware glaze. It is important that you fire it exactly to the specified temperature.
2. Acrylic paint cannot be fired
Acrylic paint does not belong in a ceramic kiln. At firing temperatures of around 1,000 to 1,280 °C, the binder simply burns off, and at best the pigments remain as loose dust. This also produces smoke and odors, and the kiln can get dirty. Acrylic is simply not made for the firing process and therefore never reaches the hardness and durability of a fired glaze.
3. Durability and dishwasher
Without sealing, acrylic paint on ceramics does not withstand daily use for long. Even with sealing, true dishwasher safety cannot be achieved. You should therefore clean painted pieces only carefully by hand, ideally with a damp cloth.
4. Moisture and heat
Terracotta and bisqueware are porous. If a pot holds soil that is watered regularly, moisture travels from the inside through the clay body to the outside and over time pushes the paint off. Outdoors, winter frost adds to the problem. So seal painted flower pots on the inside with a waterproof varnish or use a liner pot, and don't leave them outside in winter.
Acrylic also handles heat poorly: the paint film turns soft and sticky even at moderate temperatures. Tea light holders, trivets for hot pots or teapot warmers are therefore not good candidates.
5. Not a replacement for real ceramic paints
Underglazes and glazes are fired in the kiln and fuse firmly with the clay body. Important to know: underglazes alone are not yet food-safe. Only a food-safe clear glaze on top, correctly fired, makes the surface smooth, dense, scratch-resistant and dishwasher-safe. Depending on the clay body and glaze, you fire either at low fire around 1,000 to 1,060 °C or in the stoneware range around 1,220 to 1,250 °C. Acrylic paint simply cannot achieve this result. How glazes work and how to apply them correctly is explained in Understanding glazes: types, application and common mistakes. In our glaze collection you will find Amaco glazes for low fire and for the stoneware range.
Amaco Potter's Choice glazes are the better choice for ceramics than acrylic paint. The “Food Safe” mark at the bottom right shows that this glaze is food-safe when fired correctly according to the manufacturer's instructions. This does not automatically apply to combinations with other glazes. You will find everything about the series in our Potter’s Choice Guide.
Acrylic paint vs. real ceramic paints: a direct comparison
So you can see at a glance where acrylic paint is strong and where it can't keep up:
| Property | Acrylic paint | Underglaze + glaze + firing | Porcelain paint (oven) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiln required | No | Yes (approx. 1,000 to 1,280 °C) | Oven only (approx. 150 to 180 °C, depending on the manufacturer) |
| Food-safe | No | Yes, with a food-safe glaze and correct firing | No, leave areas for eating and drinking unpainted |
| Dishwasher-safe | No | Yes | Partly, according to the manufacturer |
| Suitable for bisqueware | Good | Very good, made for it | Not intended |
| Suitable for glazed surfaces | Only with primer or medium | Not intended (overglaze paints with their own decoration firing exist for that) | Good, made for it |
| Price and availability | Inexpensive, available everywhere | Pottery supplies and specialty retailers | Craft supplies |
| Suitable for decorative objects | Very good | Yes | Yes |
| Suitable for everyday tableware | No | Yes | Outside only, leave contact areas unpainted |
Step by step: painting ceramics with acrylic paint
If you want to use acrylic paint for a decorative project without food contact, here is the best way to do it. The instructions mainly apply to bisqueware and terracotta. For glazed pieces, you will find the differences in each step.
Clean and dry the surface
Brush bisqueware and terracotta off dry or wipe them briefly with a damp cloth, then let them dry completely, because moisture in the pores weakens adhesion. Clean glazed pieces with dish soap and then wipe them down with isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol. Only then is the surface truly grease-free. After that, lightly sand glazed surfaces with fine sandpaper or a sanding pad and remove the sanding dust.
Prime
On bisqueware and terracotta, a thin coat of gesso gives an even, light base and brighter colors. Gesso is unsuitable on glazed surfaces because it adheres poorly there itself. Here you need a primer for smooth surfaces such as glass and tile.
Paint in thin layers
Apply the acrylic paint in thin, even layers and let each layer dry before applying the next. This way the paint covers evenly and doesn't crack.
Let dry for at least 24 hours
Before you seal, the acrylic paint must be completely dry through. Allow at least 24 hours, and for thick layers preferably 72 hours, even if the surface seems dry earlier.
Seal
Protect your work with a transparent varnish or clear coat. More on that in the next section.
✦ Pro tips from Formwerk Berlin
- Matte hides, gloss highlights: Matte paints and matte varnish make small bumps in the clay body disappear. Metallic and high gloss look elegant, but show every dent.
- Painter's tape for clean edges: Apply the tape only to the fully dried base coat, paint over it and peel it off while the new paint is still slightly damp.
- Sponge instead of brush for even surfaces and interesting textures.
- Fixing mistakes: While the paint is wet, it can be wiped off with a damp cloth. Dried paint can usually be removed from glazed surfaces with isopropyl alcohol. It can hardly be removed from the pores of bisqueware, so painting over it is the only fix.
Sealing: how to make the paint last longer
A sealer protects the paint from abrasion, dust and moisture and gives a uniform finish in matte, satin or gloss. You have several options:
✦ Sealers at a glance
- Acrylic varnish (matte, satin, gloss): Ideal for art objects and decor. Many varnishes contain a light stabilizer that slows fading from sunlight. Water-based versions are low in odor and easy to apply.
- Water-based clear coat: Harder than varnish and therefore good for pieces that are handled often. Apply with a brush or as a spray in several thin layers. With spray coatings, choose low-solvent products and spray several ultra-thin layers so the coating doesn't dissolve the acrylic paint.
- Interior sealing for flower pots: Paint the inside with a waterproof varnish so that no moisture pushes against the paint from within. Alternatively, simply use a liner pot.
An honest note on this: acrylic paints and most varnishes remain microporous and let water vapor through. No sealer turns them into a closed, glass-like surface like a fired glaze. For decorative objects that's not a problem. For everyday tableware it means that acrylic paint is not a lasting solution.
⚠ Even after sealing, remember
Varnish and clear coat are not made for food contact either. Surfaces painted with acrylic paint and sealed should not come into contact with food or drinks. Always leave inner surfaces and rims where you drink or eat unpainted.
Our conclusion at Formwerk Berlin
Acrylic paint on ceramics: it works, and for certain projects it is a practical, creative solution. At Formwerk Berlin, we see it mainly as a good tool for quick decor ideas, upcycling and anything that won't come into contact with food, heat or permanent moisture.
But if you want to make real ceramics, meaning handthrown mugs, your own pottery bowls or everyday tableware that can go in the dishwasher, you can't get around the kiln. Only underglazes under a food-safe clear glaze, or food-safe colored glazes, correctly fired, are truly scratch-resistant, dishwasher-safe and food-safe. That is the difference between a decorative art object and real tableware.
In our shop you will find glazes for low fire and stoneware, curated by us for beginners and advanced potters. And if you don't have your own kiln yet: many pottery studios in Berlin offer a firing service, and you will find an overview on our map of the Berlin ceramics scene. There you can have your glazed pieces fired for a fee.
One last recommendation: if you want to try acrylic paint on ceramics, start with an inexpensive terracotta pot from the hardware store. No pressure, no expensive materials, just paint, a brush and a feel for how ceramic reacts as a surface. Just remember to seal it on the inside if a plant is going to move in later.
Have fun with your ceramic work, and if you have questions, feel free to get in touch! With heart, patience and a good community behind you, you will soon be holding wonderful results in your hands. Happy Potterying! 🥰
Your Formwerk Team
