Do you love adding glitter to all your craft projects but you hate having to deal with bits of glitter always falling off and getting on all your other things? For instance, if you want to add glittery accents on wooden items, like combs and the like, you will need to know how to seal it to keep every bit in place.
If you do not know how to seal glitter on wood, this article will teach you a couple of simple ways to do it. Don’t worry as there will be no need for specialized tools and complicated processes, and the results will be permanent. If you are ready, here are a couple of ways to seal glitter on wood effectively.
Step-By-Step Guide
You already know how to make glitter stick to wood, but how about making them stay there? Here are some techniques for sealing glitter on wood to keep them from falling off permanently.
Using Mod Podge
This is perhaps the easiest and most cost-effective way of sealing glitter on wood and any other surface.
What to prepare:
- Mod Podge – If you use glitter a lot, you should get a 16-ounce jar of Mod Podge. You will be using it quite often for sealing. Also, if you will be sealing an item that will be handled frequently, get
- the Mod Podge that dries to a hard finish.
- A foam brush – This will also depend on the size of the item you will be sealing. A wider brush will mean you will need fewer strokes to cover the surface. It will also show significantly fewer brush strokes on the surface.
- The glittered surface
Detailed steps:
Step 1: Prepare the item to be sealed. Make sure that there is no loose glitter on the item. Go outside and shake the glittered surface as hard as you can to remove any loose glitter. If there are loose bits of glitter, they can affect the texture of the sealed surface.
Step 2: Brush the Mod Podge on the surface. Carefully brush the Mod Podge all over the glittered surface. Make sure that you are making uniform horizontal or vertical strokes to keep the visible brush strokes to a minimum.
Step 3: Add additional coats as needed. If you will be adding another coat of Mod Podge, you need to wait until the previous coat has dried completely. Adding more layers will give the surface a glossy and almost glass-like effect.
Step 4: Allow the Mod Podge to dry. Ideally, you should let the Mod Podge dry and cure completely before you handle the item. You should let the Mod Podge dry for at least 24 hours just to be on the safe side.
Using Epoxy Sealant
If you want something that is more robust and can last virtually forever, then you will need to use epoxy sealant – specifically, the pour-on type. However, the drawback of using this technique is that it is a bit more complicated than using Mod Podge.
It is also advisable to do it outside or in a well-ventilated room. However, the extra effort will pay off later with the end product.
What to prepare:
- The epoxy sealant – These products always come in two parts – the resin and the hardener. You will need to mix equal amounts of both parts to ensure proper curing.
- Measuring cups – You should get cheap ones or use paper cups. Just make sure that you are pouring the same amount of the two components into each cup.
- Popsicle sticks – You will be using these for mixing the epoxy resin.
- Metal rack – This will let the excess resin drip off.
- Rubber gloves and safety glasses
- Blow torch (optional) – This is for popping any air bubbles that may form in the resin.
Detailed steps:
Step 1: Place the glittered surface on a wire rack. You should prop the rack on two bricks or anything to raise it above the ground. Place the glittered piece on top of the rack.
Step 2: Prepare the resin. First, wear safety glasses and rubber gloves. You will be handling chemicals, so it would be best to keep safe. Get 3 paper cups. In two cups, pour equal amounts of resin and hardener.
Step 3: Pour both components into the third cup. Mix well using the popsicle stick. The resin should be ready when it has a uniform color and consistency.
Step 4: Pour the resin over the item. You need to work quickly as the resin would immediately start hardening in a couple of minutes. You can tell if this is happening when the cup is starting to heat up.
Step 5: Carefully pour the resin on the surface that you want to seal, making sure that you cover the entire surface. Try to pour the resin as close to the surface as possible to keep air bubbles from forming.
Step 6: Pop any air bubbles that may form. Sometimes, even if you are being very careful, air bubbles will still form in the resin. To get rid of them easily, use a blow torch to heat and pop the bubbles. If you do not have a blow torch, you can use a pin to carefully pop each bubble.
Step 7: Let the resin dry. Let the resin dry on the wire rack for at least 12 hours, make sure that you place a cover over the item to keep bugs and debris from falling on top of the resin.
After 12 hours, the resin should be dry enough to handle. However, you should place it somewhere cool and dry to let the resin cure for at least a week so the resin attains its maximum hardness and durability. This is an important step if you want to polish the resin topcoat later.
Choose the Right Glitter
Glitter is not a one-size-fits-all application product, literally. Glitter comes in several different sizes and all of them have their own uses. The sizes are as follows:
- Extra-large – These glitter pieces are quite large, around ¼-inch, and each piece is very visible even from a couple of feet away.
- Large – These glitters have pieces that are almost half the size of the extra-large glitter. This is great if you want to give a lot of texture to the surface.
- Medium – This type of glitter is the perfect size for costumes. They are small enough to give a sparkling effect but you can still easily brush them off if ever any get stuck on your clothes or hair.
- Fine – This is the most common glitter that you can find in crafts stores. This is the kind that comes to mind when people think about glitter.
- Extra-fine and ultra-fine – These are the smallest sizes of glitter that you can get. The extra-fine sizes are significantly smaller than the fine size. Meanwhile, the ultra-fine is basically “glitter dust”. These types of glitter are usually used for hair and makeup applications.
Pick the right size of glitter for your project. Also, you can combine different sizes to attain unique and wonderful effects. Do not forget to seal them afterward.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to seal glitter on wood properly, you can do it as many times as you like without having to worry about getting glitter all over your house. You can now enjoy having cute and sparkly things without all the hassle of cleaning up after them. So, practice what you just learned here and always remember to enjoy.