Plenty of crafters, hobbyists, and even small business owners wonder how to add color to epoxy resin. Stores offer all sorts of powders, inks, and specialty pigments. Sometimes, you’re in the middle of a project and all you’ve got in the cupboard is acrylic paint. A lot of people give it a try. Does it work? Sort of—if you understand what you’re getting into.
Acrylic paint is water-based. Epoxy resin is not. Mixing the two means introducing water and a bunch of other additives into a system that prefers to stay oil-based. The result can vary wildly. Sometimes you end up with a solid color and the resin cures perfectly. Other times, you get streaks, odd textures, or a pour that never fully cures.
Let’s talk chemistry. Epoxy cures through a reaction between resin and hardener, not through evaporation. Too much moisture or incompatible additives can interrupt that reaction. A little bit of paint, maybe a few drops in a large batch, often causes no trouble and gives you a nice pastel color. Use too much and you might end up with a gooey mess on your hands. In my own studio, I’ve watched batches cure soft and sticky because I got heavy-handed with the paint bottle.
I’ve learned through experience that pastes and powders designed for resin make a world of difference in quality. Mica powder stays suspended and brings a bit of shimmer. Alcohol inks give crystal-clear results. These products resist water and don’t mess with the curing chemistry.
Acrylic paint might cut it for a quick, low-budget project or practice runs where top-notch results don’t matter. You pay for that convenience in reliability. If you’re crafting a gift, filling a custom order, or setting up shop in a craft fair, the risks start to outweigh the tiny cost savings.
Color made with acrylic paint in epoxy often looks good at first, but over time, sunlight, heat, and moisture may degrade the finished piece faster than proper resin pigments. Pieces for outdoor use or for sale should hold up through years of handling. In the food industry, manufacturers avoid additives that could impact safety or compliance. There’s a lesson there for makers. Even if something looks “good enough” today, cutting corners means giving up consistency and potentially putting buyers at risk.
Resin-specific pigments, inks, and powders exist for a reason. They cost a little more but bring predictable results. You get true, bright color that stays put over time, pieces cure hard, and you don’t have to worry about tacky surfaces or unexpected failures. It might sound like marketing, but every experienced resin worker I know swears by these materials for any serious project. Buying them not only lifts up your final product, it also saves headaches and wasted material.
For anyone learning the ropes, try small test batches and measure paint with care. If you do experiment, keep notes. Your future self will thank you the next time you need reliable results.
DIY teaches plenty about creative risk, but jumping to proper materials makes the whole process smoother. In creative work, that kind of peace of mind is worth every penny.
