decoupaged and painted bottles collection

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Wine bottles, or any glass bottle for that matter, are a great item to use for collecting and decorating. One popular way to dress up an ordinary bottle is to paint it! So today, we’re going to talk about how to paint wine bottles.

pink flowers in white and blue floral ceramic vase
Photo By Elisabeth Arnold

If you don’t drink wine – no worries – you can often find the empty bottles for sale at thrift stores as well as ask friends or relatives to save them for you.

Ray and I don’t drink at all, but fortunately for me, all sorts of shaped glass bottles are easy to come by thanks to my many friends who are willing to save them for me. And I love to paint!

Also, even though this says “how to paint wine bottles” – you can always use these techniques for any type of bottle. It does not have to be a bottle of wine! You could use this same technique for any type of glass container – maybe repurpose a salsa jar or even your favorite glass vases.

Here’s How to Paint Bottles: What You Need to Know

how to paint wine bottles

So let’s start with the #1 most important thing: Choosing the right type of paint.

Most glass bottles will need to be painted with either enamel paint {which is made specifically for painting on glass} – or you can use the multi-surface paints.

Popular brands, which you can find at almost any craft store or retail store with a large crafts selection:

You will note it says right on the paint label that it will say it works on glass. Here’s a couple of paint bottles from my collection.

winebottlepaint

Easy enough, right?

What I love about these paints are they are EXTREMELY affordable, go a long way, and best of all – won’t scratch off. They also come in so many pretty colors!

As far as which brand to use, I don’t know that it really matters too much. I think the Folk Art brand has a little more pigmentation in it, which is why they are sometimes a little higher in price (but not by very much!)

Apple Barrel Brand and Folk Art Brand are both manufactured by Plaid, while CraftSmart is a private label of Michael’s – their paint is manufactured by Deco Art which is also a good quality product.

How to Care For Painted Bottles

Now, painted wine bottles should not be washed in the dishwasher or the microwave. Some people say they “cure” their painted glass in a kiln or oven – but that is not necessary when you use the right types of paint.

If you plan on using it for food, however, you may want to research into this more. I only use them for decoration with no intentions of ever serving water or salad dressing or other beverages in them after I paint them – I use painted bottles mostly as decor accents and repurpose them into fun vases for around the house!

How to Prepare Wine Bottles for Painting

The main important thing to do before you paint on a wine bottle of course is to make sure the bottle is clean and you have removed the label. Paint will not stick very well to dust or dirt!

how to clean old glass bottles

I find that using lemon essential oil is VERY helpful for getting rid of stickers and sticky residues – I swear, it works better than most household cleaners, and it is all natural without the toxic chemicals, so that’s definitely a win-win!

You’ll also want to make sure the wine bottles are clean and clear of any dust. In many cases, you can often soak the bottles in warm, hot soapy water and then allow them to dry.

Most bottles can be cleaned with a very good bottle brush and some hot soapy water. Scrubbing them with a good bottle brush will help you easily remove any dust and/or debris that might be stuck inside.

If you have any issues with stubborn stickers, seriously, give the lemon essential oil a try!

I like to let them dry in the sun naturally whenever possible, and make sure I turn them upside down so any water can fully evaporate and drain.


Painting Your Design on a Wine Bottle

Personally, I enjoy painting in a style that I call “abstract haphazard” – I just paint whatever the heck I feel like painting – different shapes, lines, swirls, that kind of thing. It’s fun, it’s relaxing.

But I know some people may want more sophisticated designs, such as stripes or using a stencil.

For that, you will need painter’s tape. It’s basically just blue masking tape they sell at the paint department of the store if you’re not familiar with it.

The nice thing about it however is it will come right off once you’re ready to take it off, as long as you do not let it sit for more than a day. No sticky residue you would maybe get with regular masking tape or other tapes out there. Also, using painter’s tape is wise because it is less likely for the paint to bleed through.

  • For stripes: Simply wrap strips of tape around the bottle in a stripe pattern. Paint over the stripes…once dry remove the tape and ta-da! Beautiful stripes!
  • Polka Dots: Use a paint brush to randomly paint dots or circles.
  • Solid Color: This is cool all in it’s own.

If you will be using a stencil, you may wish to use the painter’s tape to hold the stencil in place and work in small sections at a time. Using a foam brush or even makeup brushes will help you get an even application.


Some of my favorite uses for wine bottles:

  • Candle holders for pretty taper candles.
  • Flower vases
  • Holding tree branches or sticks/twigs.
  • Holding stones, pebbles, and sea shells

And I’m sure I will think of many more painted wine bottle project ideas to come!!!!!!!!

Also, if you like this DIY on how to paint wine bottles, you may also like my post on how to decoupage a wine bottle – equally as fun to do!


Painting Bottles is Fun and Easy!

Now that you know the “secret” for painting wine bottles you’re all ready to start using them in all sorts of creative projects around the house. They make great gifts also!

{In case you missed it, the secret is to just make sure you get the right paint! That’s all you need! Read the label to ensure it is a multi-surface paint that will work on glass and you’re good to go!}


It’s a lot of fun painting bottles! I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial on how to paint wine bottles and of course if you have any questions or comments – I’d be happy to answer your questions in the comments section area found below!

5 Comments

    1. Hi Marcie, hopefully you figured out a solution – just wanted to reply in case someone else should ever have this problem! Clumping can happen for three possible reasons:
      – the paint is not meant for glass
      – the paint is older and not mixed {even if you bought the paint recently, it may have been sitting on a shelf a long time! I’ve also occasionally had to return defective paint that may have been exposed to extreme heat/cold shock}
      – if the first layer is not 100% completely dry {even if it feels dry to the touch, usually needs a few days to truly dry}

      I’d probably just embrace the clumpiness myself and incorporate as some sort of texture/artistic effect. 🙂

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