We always have an excess of empty wine bottles after throwing a dinner party and it just seems like just a waste to even recycle them. I decided to try my hand at painting wine bottles just for fun.

There are actually many ways to paint wine bottles. The options are endless so I will just cover a few of the more popular ones.

What paint to use on wine bottles

There are so many different paints you can use to paint wine bottles. From spray paints to chalk paint to acrylic, pretty much anything that isn’t watercolors or too thin works. Heck, you can even use sharpie markers if you want which I’ve done. It actually works quite well for stenciling stuff on the bottles.

I don’t have a lot of outdoor space and no dedicated indoor crafting space so I pretty much have to stick to the non-toxic easy to use paints that I can clean up easily.

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Here are a few of my favorites:

Craftsmart assorted set – I love this super affordable mix color basic acrylic paint set. There is enough in each bottle to cover a few wine bottles but there’s variety in the set as well.

Folkart – I love this line’s metallic acrylic paints. So easy to use and just the right size.

Acrylic markers – These are super neat and easy to use. I like using them for more details designs or stenciling.

Chalk Paint – I also love Folkart’s line of chalk paints. This is perfect for creating that rustic farmhouse look.

How to paint wine bottles with acrylic paint

The easiest paint and probably the cheapest to work with is acrylic. I had a lot of acrylic paint sitting around so I decided to give this a try first.

Acrylic works reasonably well on glass but it takes several coats. I had to use 3 to get it to look opaque. It also leaves a textured surface after drying so depending on what look you are trying to achieve, this may or may not be your best option.

I find acrylic paint works best to draw more detailed designs on the wine bottle rather than using it to paint the whole bottle.

I’m ok painting but can’t just randomly paint anything so I decided to make a template out of vinyl.

The key thing here is to peel the stencil while the paint is still relatively wet. Otherwise, acrylic is polymer based and will just all peel off with the stencil. I just did back to back layers and then peeled within the hour.

This obviously isn’t an issue if you are just free handing the design.

All the floral, dragonfly cutout and stencil pattern featured in this article are avaialble for free in both SVG and printable PDF formats in my resource library.

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You can also paint the outside of the wine glass as well with acrylic. I prefer to use thinner acrylic paint (as opposed to the thicker paste) because it spreads a little bit more smoothly over the glass.

If you are using thinner acrylic, you can just use a wide brush to spread it on the outside of the bottle.

If you are using thicker acrylic paint, you may want to use a makeup sponge or sponge brush to apply a more even coat.

I love adding floral pieces to my bottle decorations. Here is a more detailed tutorial on the paper orchids featured here.

How to paint inside wine bottles

This one is probably the second easiest method to paint wine bottles. It is also my favorite method because it creates a really clean finish on the outside of the bottle.

You just pour it into the bottle, slosh it around until the entirety of the inside of the bottle is coated, then just wait for it to dry.

Keep in mind this works best for white wine bottles because they are clear. Red wine bottles are dark and it will be difficult to see the paint color.

Craftsmart makes these sets of super affordable acrylic paint assortments that work great for this type of project.

What kind of paint to use on glass bottles on the inside

I like using acrylic paint not because it is any different in aesthetic but mostly for its viscosity and dispenser.

Chalk paint or any type of wall paint works as well but you have to figure out how to get it into the bottle.

Acrylic paint usually comes with a narrow nozzle and makes it easy to pour into the wine bottle. I used about 100ml of acrylic paint to coat the inside of 1 bottle.

I added some dragonfly vinyl decals to this bottle. These templates are also free and available in my resource library.

How to paint wine bottles to look like stained glass

For a frosted stained glass, try using this Folk Art Frosted Glass Paint.

I don’t really have an area indoors to do spray painting so I opted to use an acrylic pasted frosting paint and made my own using Elmer’s glue. Here is a more detailed tutorial on this project.

Best Paint for Wine Bottles Beyond Acrylic

For painting on the outside of a wine bottle, I would also recommend just using spray paint. There are many color and metallic finish options.

I’m not a huge fan of this method because it’s messy and I don’t have an outdoor space to do this.

Chalk paint also works great for a vintage rustic matte finish. I love this neutrals assortment from FolkArt Paints.

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