Another trip to scour the local stores this time to find more possible options for how to get a nice glossy seal on painted tiles that will stand up to the heat of a hot coffee mug.
My local car part supplier yielded three possible spray finishes to try on my tiles. I am trying to find the perfect finish for the painted tiles that will turn them into functional coasters. My criteria – economical (rules out resin), ideally available on the island so it’s easy to get my hands on, glossy finish, easy to use, stands up to the heat of a hot coffee mug without going sticky.
On trial this week:
Kamar Varnish by Krylon
Duplicolor Clearcoat Acrylic Enamel – (can looks different but DA1692 is the clear gloss, I checked with Duplicolor)
Duplicolor Gloss Clear Engine Enamel
Here are some earlier trials and tests of other varnishes and products that you might like to check out:
- My recommended protective finish for your paintings
- Comparing different finishes for ceramic tiles – part 1
- Testing spray finishes for your paintings
In this test, I used 3 previously painted ceramic tiles which had been left to fully cure for 1 month. I followed the instructions on the cans for how to use the paint – basically 2 light coats and then one wetter coat to finish. All tiles were then left for 7 days before carrying out the hot mug test. How did they get on – watch the video to find out!
So there we have it. After a lot of trials and errors and testing, I have found a product that seems to work for using a painted tile as a coaster. It works well with hot and cold drinks, water and hot coffee mugs. Nothing sticks, no water marks. All is well. I will still want to test some more to try to get the right thickness of spray to get the best possible gloss finish while minimizing the look of the spray particles. But if you want to protect your painted tiles, this is the product that I recommend from all those I have tested so far:
Dupli-Color EDA169307 Premium Enamel Spray
Click for Price
After being told in high school that she was so bad at art that she should switch to another subject, Deby didn’t paint again for 35 years. Then a stroke released a new wave of creativity and she began exploring with dot painting, abstract and eventually acrylic pouring, and at last the joy of working with color returned. You don’t need ‘talent’ to be an acrylic pouring artist – just enthusiasm, some basic instruction, and a willingness to try, fail and try again. Paint along with her and learn from her many mistakes, and you’ll soon make great art together.