Plain walls were yesterday – trendy accent walls of the extravagant kind are today! Glitter wall paint is more popular than ever before. Be it classic in the living room, for the little ones in the children’s room, or luxurious in the bathroom.
Nowadays, glitter wall paint is in the most diverse variations to buy. Mostly, however, a purchase is unnecessary because you can easily make glitter wall paint itself! The Americans would say DIY (do-it-yourself).
Where you get the glitter, also called glitter or mica, for wall paint, does not matter. There is glitter for wall paint on the one hand online or in specialty stores to buy, and on the other hand, you can make glitter for wall paint itself.
You will learn how exactly you can proceed and how best to bring the glitter on the wall below.
Make glitter for wall paint yourself.
DIY glitter wall paint doesn’t necessarily have to be made with homemade glitter. Online and in specialty stores, numerous fantastic mixtures are perfect for mixing with paint.
These can be easily replicated via individual easy-to-follow steps. The convenient thing about it, you save yourself from using glue that is difficult to handle.
However, making the glitter for wall paint yourself is a challenge many eager DIYers love to take on. Exactly how to do it is not so easy to see at first glance. Don’t worry – it’s not that hard!
So, in the following, we will face how to make glitter. We will describe compactly which steps you have to go through and which materials you need in detail:
Option 1: Epsom salt
For approx. 100g glitter you need:
- 100g Epsom salt (alternatively sugar or salt).
- e.g., this Bombastus Epsom salt, 250 g powder
- 1 – 1 ½ teaspoon of food coloring
- sealable freezer bags
- Vessels for storage
- e.g., this glass jar 30 ml
For each color, follow the step-by-step instructions below:
- Place 100g of Epsom salt in a freezer bag.
- Add 1 – 1 ½ teaspoons of food coloring
- Seal the bag
- Knead the bag until the salt is completely colored in
- Put the salt well distributed (without the bag!) in the oven at 180° C for about 10 minutes.
- Alternative: open the bag and let it dry (this process can take a few hours, so we recommend drying in the oven)
- The glitter is now ready for use and can be filled in an appropriate container.
Option 2: Agar-agar
For about 100g of glitter, you need:
- 20 teaspoons agar-agar
- e.g., this agar-agar powder 250g
- 10 teaspoons water
- 10 teaspoons food coloring
- Wax paper
- Sealable freezer bags
- Vessels for storage
- e.g., this glass jar 30 ml
- A sturdy object to tap with (rolling pin or similar).
For each color, follow the step-by-step instructions below:
- Place the agar agar and water in a bowl.
- Mix the two
- Add the food coloring.
- Mix well again
- Spread the liquid on wax paper and wait about 8 hours
- Put the mixture into the freezer bag.
- Take the rolling pin and beat the mixture into small pieces.
- The glitter is now ready for use and can be filled in an appropriate container.
Put glitter on the wall.
The use of glitter wall paint for interior design offers several approaches. Thus, mica can be applied to the wall in two different ways.
Option 1: Paint the wall with glitter paint.
In this option, the glitter is already mixed with the wall paint. Accordingly, painting is done in the same way as conventional wall painting.
Here are some of our most valuable tips:
- Check the surface: first, run your hand over the wall. If paint or plaster sticks to your hand, you should prime the wall with putty so that the paint adheres better. When doing this, make sure that any holes or cracks in the wall are also filled.
- In the next step, test whether the old paint can be scraped off with a fingernail. If this is the case, the paint must be removed before painting.
- Finally, you can perform the knock test. To do this, knock against the wall with your knuckles. If the plaster is crumbling away, it must first be removed and then new ones applied before you can start painting.
- Choose the right equipment: depending on the application area, a paint roller, a brush, or a paint spray system can be used for painting.
- A paint spray system or paint roller is best for large walls, a polyester roller for wallpapered walls, a soft roller for rough plaster, and a brush should always be available for corners. Alternatively, a so-called texture brush can be used. It is ideal for a wipe, metal, and mica look.
Our recommendation: Tilswall paint spray system 800W, semi-stationary, 2.5M air hose, electric paint gun, medium to large work surfaces, interior & exterior paints & wall paint with, 1300ML container.
- Paint the ceiling first: The top should always be painted first; otherwise, when painting the ceiling, paint splashes could get on the walls.
- Use the proper technique: the roller should always be applied to avoid streaking in the already painted area. Also, make sure to paint evenly from top to bottom to get an even paint application.
You should not have any with the glitter paint through these individual steps.
Option 2: Apply a glitter mixture.
If you want to paint the wall with glitter afterward, you can use a glitter mixture. The original wall color remains the same with this method.
First, you need to make the glitter mixture for this purpose. All you need for the variety is wall glaze and glitter.
Mix the two in a ratio that you like. The more glitter used, the denser the glitter coating will be.
We recommend a dosage of 5 g glitter per 400 ml wall glaze for a slight glitter effect. You can, of course, experiment a bit to find out the mixing ratio that suits you best.
After mixing, wait until the mixture has become transparent. During this time, masking tape can be applied on door frames and around electrical outlets. So that my painting, the glitter does not come into contact with any other surface, and glitter does not accumulate in the edges of the room.
Now you can paint the wall with the glitter in the last step afterward. Before applying, be sure to cover the furniture and floor with a masking film; otherwise, the glitter will spread throughout the room like dust.
Mixing wall paint with glitter
You can buy glitter wall paint ready-made or purchase both components separately and mix them afterward. The great advantage of mixing wall paint with glitter is that you can decide how strong the glitter effect turns out in the end.
Would you like it discreet and only a light glitter shimmer on the wall? Or yet a carnival effect with countless glitter particles on the walls? This decision is entirely up to you.
The right amount of glitter additive for wall paint obviously cannot be determined across the board. Nevertheless, we recommend that you instead buy a little more glitter or make it yourself if the desired effect is still too low after mixing.
You can already achieve a light glitter shimmer with a mixing ratio of 10g per liter. It may well be 10 times the amount and more for an intense glitter look.
It is best to approach the correct glitter dosage slowly. The glitter should be stirred thoroughly into the paint at intervals. You can then test the glitter paint on an inconspicuous area of the wall at intervals.
Before each coat, make sure that the glitter pigments are well mixed with the paint. Proper stirring is the essential requirement for this. In addition, the paint bucket should first be sealed and then shaken well.
Removing glitter from the wall
Each glitter wall can look fabulous in its unique way. Nevertheless, there are some excellent reasons for the desire to remove the glitter from the wall: New tenants, changing tastes, or tired of the glitter.
First, some bad news: you can’t just remove the glitter from the wall on your own. The good news: there are alternatives. If you want to remove the glitter from the wall, you have two options.
Option 1: Obliterate the old wall paint.
For this option, you should resort to tried-and-true methods. You can use scrapers and spatulas to paint on pure plaster without wallpaper. Coarse paint residues should then be removed with a damp sponge.
You need to work with superheated steam or paint strippers for stubborn emulsion paint. You can use sandpaper to remove the color from the wood.
Option 2: Repainting the glitter wall paint
In many cases, glitter walls have only a slight glitter shimmer. However, the glitter itself still cannot be easily removed. If you don’t choose to remove the paint from the wall altogether, you can easily paint over it with a bit of glitter.
On the other hand, if it is a glitter wall that almost resembles 3d wallpaper, this option will not work.
The different colors of glitter wall paint
Whether it’s a child’s room, bedroom, living room, or even the bathroom, the applications for glitter wall paint are wide-ranging. The choice of different colors of glitter for wall paint nowadays is more prosperous than ever because this additive is widespread.
At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that not every background color of glitter goes harmoniously with every wall color. In addition, likewise, not every wall goes perfectly with glitter paint.
Therefore, we always recommend choosing a type of glitter in balanced contrast with the wall color – whether you make the glitter for the wall color yourself or not!
Silver glitter on a white background is hard to spot, whereas the same glitter on a black wall can quickly overwhelm.
Pink
Glitter wall paint in pink is not fundamental but, in most cases, something girls. As an exceptionally soft shade, pink reflects a child’s equally quiet and young structures. Particularly pleasing and striking to the eye, pink is suitable for a princess room.
After the paint is applied, the tiny glitter particles absorb light, giving a beautiful sheen when dry. Depending on the accent, this can look like soft fairy dust that the child can wrap themselves in.
Because the shade of pink is so varied and its effect, it is suitable for any living area. Perfect is the color just for the bedroom or children’s room because here, the color ensures a restful sleep.
If you want to add glitter to the wall color before painting, a combination with particles that sparkle, either silver, white, gold, or pink, is especially recommended.
Silver/Grey
Like various shades of gray, silver glitter wall colors are very modern and universal. Silver gives any room and its respective ambiance a pure and fresh appearance.
Silver has a metallic base shimmer, unlike gray wall paint with glitter, which looks comparatively matte.
Especially in combination with different pieces of furniture, unique nuances and combinations can arise here. Glitter wall paint in silver or gray is suitable for the bathroom, living room, or kitchen.
Modern and upscale colors enhance any room. Therefore, use gray silver glitter wall paint for your wall in the living room. Different lighting conditions create unique reflections, especially when using silver and gray glitter wall paint.
If you want to give silver or gray wall paint a glitter effect, particles in white, black, pink, and gold are recommended. You can also make these yourself following the instructions above.
White
Whitewall paint is considered the base for all walls in the house or apartment. It is trendy among many users due to its neutral nature. It reflects light in its way and provides clarity and lightness.
Accordingly, it can be used universally in different rooms. As a so-called non-color, white is straightforward to combine with other shades.
However, this luxury does not apply when using glitter for white wall paint. White as a wall color quickly creates either high or low contrasts in the combination. Thus, we recommend white glitter wall paint exclusively with gold or silver glitter particles.
This combination maintains the modern lightness of white and, at the same time, gives any room a unique noble shimmer.
Gold
Golden wall paint is, as a rule, relatively uncommon. Thus, although it radiates wealth, luxury, quality, and value, indicating a certain quality of life, it is rarely found in homes.
In contrast, the combination of a metallic natural base gold and glitter is harmonious. Especially in the fine accentuation of small elements or in contrast with a brown, white, red, or a dark green tone can create extravagant and elegant color combinations.
Use glitter for golden wall paint in white, pink, silver, yellow, or red shades. Bring with it warm, like noble color details with golden glitter wall paint in the living room like a bedroom or the children’s room of a little princess.
Pink
No other color has a more substantial effect on the human psyche than pink. It enhances all positive feelings and soothes aggression and violence. Pink wall paint is the perfect baby color because it exudes security and increases the sense of safety and trust.
Pink glitter wall paint enhances this effect with a unique shimmer and pleasant light reflections. The use of silver, white, pink, or gold particles for a charming glitter effect is fitting.
Thus, glitter for pink wall paint immensely enhances the fundamental tone and increases its use possibilities. Pink glitter wall paint is accordingly also well found in bedrooms and dressing rooms.
Purple / Violet
Purple or violet wall color appeals from the effect our subconscious. In purple surroundings, one is more open to change and new, unusual ideas. Young children and preschoolers often find purple and violet one of their favorite colors.
A purple violet wall as an accent in the children’s room seems appropriate. It has a positive effect on further development and promotes creativity. Glitter for purple violet wall color should be supportive because purple or violet comes in many different shades.
Purple violet glitter wall color positively affects inspiration, intuition, and meditation. It is an actual color in all religions. It helps search for meaning so that it can be ideally used for a meditation room.
Glitter for purple violet wall color should therefore be in the shades of gold, black, pink, or silver to enhance the power of the base color.
Black/Anthracite
Used correctly, dark colors like black or anthracite look dramatic and attractive at the same time. These particular wall colors turn nondescript rooms into expressive spaces. Black wall paint can be used universally in any room.
If you want to set accents in combination with the wall color in anthracite, reach for contrasting colors for moldings or accessories. These stand out so clearly from the dark background and create a modern, clean, and soothing atmosphere.
Black glitter wall paint does this look to add a unique simple shimmer. Glitter for wall paint in anthracite even creates a look that is even metallic and, depending on the nature of the living space, fits very well in the kitchen and bathroom.
When mixing your own black glitter wall paint, use the particles in a low-contrast color, as the glitter effect here can quickly become overwhelming. Glitter particles in black, blue, and gold are advisable.
Brown/Beige
In color theory, brown and beige are assigned attributes such as grounding, warmth, soothing, and homeliness. These trigger in us a feeling of security, well-being, and comfort. This is also a reason why both colors in all their color gradations are particularly well suited as coatings in the living area and the kitchen.
However, to create the necessary color tension in the room, you should always combine brown and beige with other colors. While brown calls for a light area tone, beige is a flat base tone and calls for an intense color accent.
Glitter wall paint in beige or brown can give the warm basic mood of the colors a pleasant glow. For this, combine glitter for wall paint in beige and brown with particles in orange and gold to make the colors look nobler.
Turquoise/Petrol
Turquoise or petrol initially has a calming and relaxing effect. The heart and pulse rate slows down, breathing deepens, thoughts clear up, and you can let go.
Wall color in petrol or turquoise, depending on the color direction, is decidedly elegant and profound colors that make you think, but at the same time are friendly, natural, unaffected, and safe.
Turquoise and petrol enriched with glitter are suitable mid-tone colors for elegant furniture, flooring, and lighting elements. You can paint the entire room with turquoise or petrol glitter wall paint or use it more as an accent wall.
Glitter particles for a unique effect are recommended in green, gold, silver, blue, and even purple. Thus, color combinations can be created, which are unique in the use of glitter wall paint.
Blue
Blue as a wall color is attributed to properties such as depth, distance, water, coolness, sky, and tranquility. A cool blue provides just that calm and is perfect as a wall color for the bedroom. On the other hand, the combination with furniture made of natural wood gives a blue room coziness.
Equally suitable for the study, blue is said to have concentration-enhancing properties. The color is discreet in the children’s room and gives the room width.
With glitter blue wall color can be upgraded immensely. Both the expanse and depth effect and the aura of calm can be increased by blue glitter wall paint.
With the help of glitter, particles in white or silver can create beautiful night skies. The purple, gold, black, and green glitter mixture gives blue wall paint equally extraordinary nuances.
Buy glitter wall paint.
Going to the hardware store is still a matter of course for many Germans nowadays. Despite the often more extensive selection of many online stores, people opt for the specialized trade to take the products into their own hands and, if necessary, have a contact person directly.
However, buying in a DIY store also has disadvantages, such as the associated gasoline costs and required time. These disadvantages fall away when purchasing online because the products are shipped directly to the home and are usually even free of shipping costs.
Who chooses which place to buy glitter wall paint is up to everyone. If you decide against doing the glitter yourself, the following information may be relevant. We have taken a close look at the product ranges of the best-known DIY stores and listed for you what they offer.
Obi
Obi’s product assortment offers various glitter paints, glitter sprays, and glitter particles. Popular brands in the assortment are Rust-Oleum, Schöner Wohnen, id, Bondex and belton.
Bauhaus
The slogan of Bauhaus is “When it has to be good.” The articles offered to support this slogan.
Hornbach
Hornbach offers only a manageable choice of glitter products. There is spray paint with glitter effect in silver and gold and glitter glaze.
Toom
Only a few glitter products can be discovered in Toom’s product range. Glitter particles and glitter glaze; are both offered under the house brand.
A more extensive selection of glitter products can be found on Amazon.
Poco
If all you need is a little glitter glaze, you’ll find it at Poco. This is available for a price of circa 19$ per liter. If you are looking for other glitter products, you will most likely be disappointed.
Glitter wall paint experiences
We scoured the internet for testimonials and customer reviews and came across some exciting statements. You will learn what glitter wall paint experiences people have made all over Germany below.
- The glitter – color is SUPER, easy to process to conjure up beautiful accents! It has really SPAß made to paint, and the result is CLASS, enhances my kitchen properly, have wine red wallpaper – triangles lent a touch of luxury in gold!!! THANK YOU, clear purchase recommendation! !!
- A beautiful finish for our dining room wall in natural stone color. The paint has been easy to work with and is very productive; I cannot say anything about the “thickness,” but my husband was delighted. Transparency is excellent; it has not distorted the actual wall color, the result we like very much. Unfortunately, we have not quite come out and ordered another can after.
- So you have to say. It looks great but is not so easy to apply. It is on the spot more glitter; it looks like dirt. Can you control, unfortunately, bad
- I was disappointed… It does not glitter properly but only shimmers. Processing is inferior. Can I not recommend it.
- It works! Stir in, mix well, apply and when everything is dry, rub with the supplied sponge drüber to enhance the glitter effect. I’m seriously excited about this!
- Glitter glitter silver, I am delighted with the result. Got a bag, 100g mixed with 1liter of gray paint. I brushed 1x gray color on the rough plaster, let it dry, and then roughly painted over the gray color with the glitter. I could have saved the 2nd coarse coat if I had known before the first coat that I was going for glitter 😉 So with the black stripe. This is black metallic paint. Here I painted the color right on with the glitter. I like. So I can highly recommend the glitter silver 200g for 7.99 $!!! 👌
- You always need glitter in life and on the wall as a woman. First, we had the prescribed amount of paint (StoPiccollo) and glitter mixed and tested on the door frame. Unfortunately, the prescribed mixture then went into the complete gray (instead of white with glitter)…speak for the suggested amount of paint, it is too much glitter. We then mixed and applied this with almost a bucket of wall paint (StoPiccollo), and so it’s perfect! And thanks to the guys, my office now glitters excellent no matter what angle you stand. Even in the dark, just the street lights are enough to make everything in the office sparkle. Can the following rooms come 😉
- Very, very, very pleased with it. First, I was a bit skeptical since I had then my wig room also with gray glitter, but a hardware store mixed that, and it should be an intense glitter, but it just did not come like the glitter. I have made in 10L paint 4 packets of glitter quasi 2.5 l = 100 g. And the delivery was also on time
- Wow. We had a 40l paint bucket from Alpina in white. Nevertheless, half a package remained. The more you want it glittery, the more you should put in, but we are thrilled. With each passage in the room, you can see that it glitters. Visitors noticed it right away too. I would repurchase it. Full purchase recommendation. We had the silver glitter. My husband said it would have glittered even more with the colored glitter.
FAQ
Finally, we would like to specifically answer a few frequently asked questions about glitter additives for wall paint. These are primarily intended to clarify homemade glitter or purchased glitter.
After all, when working with these particles, you always need to be attentive and sensitive. Only in this way can you ultimately achieve the result you have set out to achieve.
Is glitter toxic?
Yes and no. Glitter as a craft material is distinguished from glitter from the food industry.
Glitter as a craft material is considered toxic. The usual glitter from the craft store or cosmetics department is primarily made of plastic particles, paper, minerals, or metal; it is not edible.
Especially the aluminum components used are potentially carcinogenic in larger quantities. According to studies, the other members are also hazardous to health when they contact the skin.
Glitter from the food industry can be both edible and non-edible. Non-edible glitter is labeled non-toxic, but it is still important to remove it before consumption, as it is intended only for decoration.
This non-toxic glitter will not usually have any immediate health consequences, but only glitter particles marked as “edible” should be eaten.
Often it consists of tiny plastic particles or traces of metal. Inhaling the glitter is also not advisable and, in the worst case, leads to irritation of the lungs.
Why does glitter?
The most commonly used carrier material for glitter particles is PET. It is obtained from fossil fuel petroleum. The glitter effect is created by the reflection of light from the mostly metallic surfaces of the small particles. Titanium dioxide provides luminosity and shine.
The synthetic colorants iron oxide (E172) and aluminum (E173) enhance this effect, as they support the refraction of light through their reflective and silvery or golden shining properties.
Is glitter microplastic?
Scientifically, microplastics are often defined as particulate polymers up to five millimeters in diameter. Accordingly, glitter pigments can also be classified as microplastics.
After showering, the chemically unstable glitter particles are tiny and quickly pass unhindered through the wastewater system and sewage treatment plants. Accordingly, microplastics have already been discovered on the surface, oceans, drinking water, and soils.
Is glitter a color?
No, glitter is not a color in its own right, but tiny particles. These particles are colorless when the reflection is silver. On the other hand, if the glitter particles appear to be colored, dyes have been added so that different shades of color can be produced.
When was glitter invented?
Many sources report the first known instance of the word glitter used in the 14th century. In addition, there is evidence that glitter particles existed for decorative use as early as 1854 as a waste product in the production of glass products.