How to Make Metallic Paint: A Complete Guide

Paint has always been this charming substance with lots of benefits. Its use is now increasing to such an extent that everything needs to be covered up with paint. However, because it enhances the beauty of the whole material, people are discovering several ways to use it. And one of them is how to make metallic paint.

how to make metallic paint

DIYers are interested in doing this modification not only because metallic paint provides immense beauty to a solid object but also protects it against unnecessary heat of the sun, rainfall, and moisture. Also, metallic paint lasts for a long time and fight against rust, corrosion by preventing them to attract metal-based objects. Metallic paint has this shiny glaring look that catches the eye of a person easily.

Therefore, we thought of giving you a full process of making metallic paint for your own advantage. So, let’s get started.

What Is Metallic Paint?

Metallic paint, mostly seen on vehicles, is used for giving a sharp look. It reveals the bodywork of any object and that’s why it is popular worldwide. People also recognized this paint as polychromatic and metal flake. Apart from automobiles, DIYers use metallic paint with a base coat on objects or materials that need to be contoured to expose the fine bodywork.

This paint can resist small damages and hide excessive gauges or pores underneath the metal. Then again, to protect this paint, a clear topcoat is needed. It is to protect the metallic paint and give it a more transparent or glossy look. An acrylic polyurethane topcoat embodies the enhancement besides providing a shield to metallic paint.

How to Make Metallic Paint (Step by Step)

As we have already mentioned the purpose of metallic paint and its advantageous characteristics, you might want to learn more about it. You can get ready-made metallic paint from any hardware store. But if you are a DIYer, why would you miss the chance of learning the process of making metallic paint, right? That’s why it’s our pleasure to introduce you to the step-by-step process of making metallic paint in this segment.

Step 1: Things You Need

Before jumping into the main job of making metallic paint, you need to know and collect the materials that the job requires. We always insist on preparation first because it hastens your job and lessens trouble during the whole process. However, to fulfill the whole process, the materials you need are below written.

  • Quality paint
  • Mixing brush
  • Metallic mineral powder
  • Water
  • A round spacious bucket
  • A measurement imprinted cup

Step 2: Determine the Color

If you want a metallic sheen, you got to know which color you want to come up with. There are several colors of metallic paints including gold, copper, bronze, and so on.

If you want to color an object that will expose to sun and moisture outside, then choosing aluminum oxide or silver sparkle is the best option for you.

It is because the other colors oxidize with time if remain outside for a long time. And they eventually turn into a dark or greenish color. However, you can restore those colors by adding the anti-oxidizing mineral powder to them. After you decide what color metallic paint you want to make, you can jump into the next step.

Step 3: Add the Necessaries Together

In this step, you need to determine the quantity of metallic paint you want to make. If you want to make a full gallon of this, then you need to add metallic mineral powder measuring a certain amount. Four ounces of the powder will fit in the mixture properly.

Choose a gallon of quality paint and add those two primal elements in a round-shaped bucket. Now you need to mix those two elements together properly. Use a mixing brush or tool for the whole job. After that, add a cup of water to the mixture.

Step 4: Give Them a Great Mixture

Now you need to mix paint, metallic mineral powder, and water properly in that bucket until getting an expected consistency. During the whole mixing process, you need to continue pouring a cup of water after every five minutes.

Otherwise, the mixture will get clogged with the mixture tool and stick to it stubbornly. You need to give your 100 percent attention to this job. A lot depends on your assumptions in this process. However, don’t over-pour water because that will ruin the consistency we are trying to get here.

Step 5: Let the Mixture Settle

After the mixing of water, check the consistency again. Then wrap the bucket with its cover and shake it with real effort. Show some vigor while shaking it for about 2 minutes. After this hard work, let the bucket sit for 20 minutes maximum. Then, unwrap the bucket and check-out the consistency.

The three elements in the bucket should mix so conspicuously that there should not be any components left in the bottom. If the expected metallic color is yet to come, then add more metallic mineral powder and water until it reaches the goal. Then you are done with the whole procedure of making metallic paint.

Can You Add Metallic to Any Paint?

Some people don’t even know and some people fear thinking that metallic paint can be added to any ordinary paint. Rather the mixture of metallic and oil or water-based paint ends up giving a new color and texture together.

It is absolutely okay to experience metallic paint by mixing it with any other paints. But one thing that you should keep in mind is that you need to maintain consistency as well. Once you learn the accurate proportion of mixing these two elements, you are good to go.

In fact, it’s a fun process because you can discover a new color scheme with it. But as different types of paints come with different qualities, you need to be careful and skilled for the job.

How to Make Metallic Acrylic Paint?

Acrylic paints are water-based and their primal vehicle is water. But that does not lower its quality. Whereas oil-based paint ensures more durability and stands harsh weather more vividly, water-based acrylic paints provide no less service. On the other hand, being water-based it can go along with other paints including metallic paint.

However, to make metallic acrylic paint, you can simply follow the conventional or the most followed process. Just take a gallon of acrylic paint and add four ounces of metallic mineral powder with it. Add water assuming an ideal measurement and mix them together till the mixture reaches the expected consistency. Once you get the texture out of the mixture, you are good to apply it to an object.

How to Make Metallic Gold Paint?

Once you learn how to make metallic paint, things get easier while making metallic gold paint. But you need some certain knowledge of color and scheme to do the process. A metallic gold paint offers this shiny metallic look to an object. And to get that shiny look you need to understand color temperature at first. Still, there are chances that you get a satisfying result following our instructions of making metallic gold paint.

  • First, take two colors of paint – brown and yellow. These two colors provide a golden color. You might get confused about the shades of both brown and yellow. But as gold gives a warm tint, you also need to pick up warm brown and warm yellow shades of the two colors.
  • Then, take an equal amount of these two colored paints and mix them together in a container. Use a mixing tool and give them a rough mixing so that all the components of these paints get along with each other.
  • For a vibrant golden color, pour the yellow one a little more than the brown one. Using the brown color will make the mixture dark. Therefore, mix the two colors carefully and in right proportion. You can keep adding the yellow one until you are getting the expected golden color.
  • For the next step, you need to add some metallic mineral powder and anti-oxidizing mineral to the mixture. As the powder comes in a different color, you need to be picky here. Choose the gold metallic powder and add four once of it to one gallon of yellow-brown mixture.
  • Also, add water gradually while mixing the whole elements. You need to keep the texture of the elements and maintain consistency at the same time while mixing it. Then shake the whole mixture wrap the container and let it sit for almost 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Then check the paint unwrapping the container. Check out the consistency, temperature, texture, and color scheme of the newly formed metallic gold paint. If it seems less metallic then add some more gold metallic powder to it and end the process in the same manner.

How to Make Metallic Silver Paint?

You need to follow the same ways we have implied to make metallic gold paint but of course, with some certain changes. Here, to create silver paint, you need to take two colors – black and blue. When you mix these two colors taking a single part of them, they almost result in silver color.

Adding a little bit of white color will provide the perfect silver color. After getting silver-colored paint, you need to apply a small amount of silver metallic powder and anti-oxidizing mineral to the mixture. Also, add some water and give a vigorous mixture as we said before. Then when it reaches the texture and consistency, you are done with the making process of metallic silver paint.

How to Make Metallic Paint Shiny?

Metallic paints are already shiny and provide a glaring sheen finish on an automobile or object. But if you want a vivid shiny look on a metallic painted vehicle then you can do it by adding some commercial polishing product to it. Then use a polishing tool and polish the surface of the vehicle. It will then give shiny flickers from the spaces where you have applied the polishing product. Thus, you can make metallic paint shiny.

How to Make Metallic Bronze Paint?

For making metallic bronze paint, you need to mix two different colors – copper and tin. They provide the perfect shade of bronze once you mix them properly. Adding the bronze metallic powder and anti-oxidizing mineral to the mixture following our preceding instructions will help you to get the shade of metallic bronze paint.

Final Thoughts

As people have an obsession with colors, they search for different colors and schemes. In the cases of paint, metallic paint has great use globally. And as many DIYers are keen to know how to make metallic paint because of its amazing color consistency, the use of the color is only increasing.

Therefore, you should also experience this metallic paint and invent different color temperatures using the instructions that we’ve provided here. And let us know your wonderful experiences later on.