Painting or tinting jars can be pretty sloppy work, but with our great tips you will learn not only how to paint mason jars easily but with very little mess! To be fair these start out looking painted but end up being beautifully translucent. You can determine how dark or light a tint you want them by how much food coloring you add. (P.S. These are for decor purpose, not for drinking.) We’ve got some wonderful crafts you can make with these including our Bohemian Style Jar and Light Decor and our Woodland Mason Jar light. You could also etch the jars before coloring. And you’re in luck because we can show you how to etch glass in 5 minutes!
Supplies
- Mod Podge
- Food Coloring Gel
- Pint Mason Jars Single Set of 12
- Plastic cups, 9 oz.
- Plastic spoons
Instructions
Gather the basic items. Grab two plastic cups per jar for easier work. 
For a pint jar use about 1/4th cup of Mod Podge, gloss or matte. 
Drop in food coloring. More for darker less for lighter. It changes color as you can see when baked.
Stir well, adding more until it’s as dark as you like. Stir it with a plastic spoon and you can just toss it when it’
If you’ve had the Mod Podge a while it can thicken and you don’t want the mixture extremely thick. Add a tiny bit of water at a time to thin it out some if needed. It’s now ready to pour.
Pour the mixture into the jar. 
Slowly spin the jar to coat the sides, working your way up evenly to the top. 
Pour the leftover back into the cup, turning the jar to coat. The thread part of the jar generally does not need to be completely covered as it will have a lid on it. 
We suggest using a separate cup to put your bottles in for draining. If you do use the same cup with the extra in it, wipe off the edge so that glue does not get on the outside of the bottle. We learned that the hard way. Ü
Turn the jar upside down and place it into the clean cup. (Notice the glue on the edge of the cup which we had to scrub off our bottle!) Let this sit for a couple of hours or even overnight. 
If you do more than one you can line them all up! The color changes quite a bit after baking. These are actually purple and hot pink!
Place any left over glue into small containers for later use!
AIR DRY: The time needed to air dry your jars will vary greatly depending on the temperature. It might take a few days. You can leave them in the cups but I’d suggest poking holes around the upper sides of the cups so air gets into them as they dry.
BAKING: Baking is optional but it’s much faster. Place your well drained jars onto a baking dish or pan covered with foil. 
Heat the oven to 200 degrees and bake the jar until the color becomes translucent or see through. This will usually take anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes. 
This jar just came out of the oven.
And that’s how to paint mason jars!
117 responses
I wonder if this would be good for a DIY car wax melt. I have some tiny jelly jars that I want to try this with.
Nice
It did not work for me?
Would these be safe to put tea lights in once they are painted do you think? Or would some wee battery operated ones be better?
It is safe. You can even put the lid on after you add the tea light. That will keep the inside of the jar clean an/or dry if you use it outdoors. The tea light won’t put off any heat. Don’t wash or get the inside wet as the glue will wash off. You can wipe down the outside, however.
Would the mod podge for outdoor uses that can get wet be used instead so can fill with water for a vace
As well, battery operated fairy lights would be real pretty too.
I, m gonna try this little trick. And I,ll try.and maybe retry until I get it right if I have to.
V
I followed the directions.
Mine look terrible.
I am using a few blue ball jars for various item, and I want the soap dispenser to be as close to the blue. Any idea on what to use to achieve the Ball blue glass color?
Want to make these to put flowers in at a wedding. Would the color stay, or just run off when filled with water?
Hi Lisa, I’m not completely sure about that. If it’s not baked it would dissolve the coating much easier I think. But even baked it seems like the water would probably soften the coating after a while. I’d suggest making one single jar then testing it.
OR
if you make them either way you could then just coat them inside with a waterproof coating such as this Mod Podge Waterproof Sealer: https://amzn.to/33uxVH1
Good luck!
Lisa if u put water in them it won’t work. The color will come off. Then it just looks like wet modge podge stuck to the sides.
If you want to use them as a vase, I would coat the OUTSIDE with the modpodge mix, then seal with Krylon when dry. Leave the inside of the jar uncoated, to hold water/flowers in. I just realized this post was 4 years old – hope the wedding went well!
Hello Nancy, good Sunday afternoon! I don’t know if anyone has asked but can you do the oven-method on just any type jars, I have only painted on the outside of the ones I have which are salsa and small mayo jars. I love to save jars all sizes ♀️
Hi Mary! Thanks for the input. I’m a jar saver too!
Is there a way to make them food/ water safe?
Hi Miranda! I know you can buy dishwasher safe Mod Podge https://amzn.to/2U0nXbq However its not labeled as “food safe”… mainly because the FDA would have to approve it which is incredibly costly to the manufacturer. Here is a short article that addresses food safe decoupage: https://theartfulcrafter.com/blog/decoupage-thirty-three.html
is it possible to use a few drops of acrylic paint to color the modge podge or will it make it less translucent!?
Sorry for the delay Jessica. We moved and I was out of commission for a while. I’m unsure about that. You would just have to do a test on something small most likely. Good luck!
How do you get that purple colour?
Hi Stephanie! I mixed red and blue food coloring gels to get purple. I just used a an extra amount of food coloring… I can’t remember the exact ratios as it’s been so long. I know it’s hard to guesstimate on these because they change color on you when baked. Good luck!
Hi! I love this idea and seems very easy to do. By any chance do you know if this would work on wine bottles? Minus the baking of course. Thank you
I’ve never tried it on those Vanessa but it “should” work on any glass bottle as long as it’s clear. I’m not sure about glass quality and density and how that would affect baking but to just let it air dry would be fine. The only issue you would run into is the tiny opening which might make it dry slower and more difficult to pour the tinted mixture into. I’d maybe make it a tiny bit thinner with added water if y needed though it might be fine. Just make sure when it dries to find a good way to prop it so it’s perfectly straight and the opening is clear to allow air flow.
Good luck!
I have done this on a wine bottle. Takes several days to dry I baked at 170. I ended up with a couple of runs and am not sure how to avoid that from happening. Still experimenting
Awesome idea. I’m obsessed with the Oui yogurt jars and think I might do the jars in red and embellish the rim with ribbon and a heart charm for Valentine’s Day gifts for teachers. Can I put candy hearts in them and be safe for eating?
Hi Kathy! That sounds beautiful! I’m not sure about the candy hearts… The inside coating is Mod Podge and food dye. They do make a mod podge for things you eat on.
How do you keep it from having little bubble like look inside. Mine didn’t come out clear and smooth looking
Hi Tammy,
I know what you’re talking about but I’m unsure what causes it I tried to research it but could not find any reference to that issue. I has to due with trapped air… obviously… so I would suggest stirring the mixture very slowly with a spoon as shown. I assume you’re using the exact items suggested. So many things could contribute… the temperature of the things your using, etc. Maybe someone else will chime in on this!
If I sprayed the inside of the jar with a clear coat after they have been tinted, could I put water in them for flowers?
I would think that would be fine as long as the spray is waterproof. Ü
Would you be able to mix with elmers glue instead of mod podge?
I’ve never tried Diana but I would think you could. There are many Mod Podge recipes online and they use Elmer’s Glue. One I found (but have not tried) says the following. She claims her recipe is the right type as there are many bad ones out there. Again, I’ve not tried it but here is the basics she gives. Good Luck!
INSTRUCTIONS: 1 cup of glue and 1/3 cup of water. These proportions are perfect – don’t mess with them. Other internet recipes for homemade Mod Podge abound but they are TOO WEAK. Beware! Shake really well and use as you would Mod Podge. To make it gloss add 2 table spoons of water based varnish or to make the sparkly add super fine glitter.
Do you think the jars would work to put a small string of christmas lights inside for a lamp?
Definitely Marilynn! I’ve done just that before. Ü
Got 2 questions…
Can you remove the tint if you don’t like the shade…or do another coat on it if you want it darker than the outcome you got?
And can you use any kind of jar. I’m thinking large (1+ gallons) pickle jar. Not planning on the baking method…I’ve got hot Florida sunshine to put to good use. Lol
Hi Veronica! Any type of jar would work, especially if your not going to bake it. As far as removing the tint… that I’m not sure of. You could always try soaking it in hot water. I would “think” you could do another coat on top but I’ve never tried that myself. This is the tricky part because you can’t get an exact color the first time as there are variables in how it will turn out. Good luck!
I baked mine & they came out with runs. I tried hot soapy water with no luck, paint thinner with no luck, & finally got results with finger nail polish remover. Cleaned all the color right off!
So the polish remover removed all color down to clear ?…or…just down to smooth light -color coating? Just curious. Thank u. I want to try these because i did clear bulb tree ornaments but taking off metal topping,and pouring in stripes the color. Then i layed then them in cardboard holders turning every 20 min or so making an original paint-job from inside, staying scratch proof and shiney outside. If i did red&white or red &green, OR added a skinny stripe of gold or siver in between,that made it extra special. Over yrs. did many other color combos to match tree (for example a combo of blue,white& dark blue for TN Titans)
P.S my name is Mary Kathleen. Always been called Mary Kate or (other family…Katy or Katydid
I washed mine out with soap and water BUT I didn’t bake mine. i just had them sit.
I was surprised at the amount of food coloring I had to use to get my jar a fairly light blue color. I think I had to use over 30 drops of blue food coloring.
Yeah, it does take a good bit of coloring on these. Not like normal things you might use food coloring for!
What temperature do I set the oven and how long to bake? CAN glitter paint be baked?
That info is in the post. I just copied and pasted it here: “Heat the oven to 200 degrees and bake the jar until the color becomes translucent or see through. This will usually take anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes.” I’d be afraid to bake glitter… though the heat is fairly low. Before I did a final project you might want to test an old jar and keep and eye on it. Ü
I recently did this project ….I let the jars completely drain and then I just set them right side up in the sun……………..really I forgot about them being out there….LOL so then when I went to check on them they were perfect…………….beautiful color and I was truly amazed and extremely happy with the results…kept me from having to bake in the oven…………have so many ideas for Christmas gifts using these mason jars…or any jar for that matter…thanks for the diy…
lol! Glad they turned out so nice Bebe!
Hi -thanks for this beautiful idea and great directions!! Do you by chance have a picture of a tinted jar that has been etched? I am interested in doing it, but wondering how it looks once tinted. Thank you so much!
Hi Sally! I’m afraid not. I’ve not done one of those. Should work fine though as the tinting is on the inside and the etching on the outside. Ü
Well….I didn’t even think of that – inside vs outside!!!! Makes sense! Thanks for the reply! I will give it a try and send a pic if I can figure the sending pic thing!
take care
I AM AFRAID OF BAKING A MASON JAR IN THE OVEN. I EMAILED THE COMPANHY WITH THE QUESSTION -ARE THE JARS OKAY IN THE OVEN. tHEY STATED THAT THE GLASS IS NOT TEMPERED GLASS, BUT IT WOULD BE A RISK, BUT THEY KNOW PEOPLE ARE PUTTING THE MASON JARS IN THE OVEN AND THEY COME OUT OKAY.
iF THE JARS ARE NOT BAKED, IS IT THAT THE JAR WONT MAINTAIN ITS COLOR FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, OR BAKING THE JAR IS JUST TO SHORTEN THE PAINT DRYING TIME.
I NEED YOUR RESPONSE, I HAVE 22 JARS READY TO BE PAIINTED. THANKS IN ADVANCE
So sorry for the delay Faye. I’m unsure of the “lasting” time but the main reason for baking is so you don’t have to wait 24 hours for them to dry. Good luck!
In your list of supplies you list food coloring gel, but the pictures show liquid food coloring. Does it matter? Also wondered if this may be what happened to Catherine, where it turned brown
Hi Joyce! If you click on the links under supplies you’ll see that those small bottles I used are the gel type… as in thicker. It’s not a paste though. You can use the regular type of food coloring but I like the gel. I’m not sure what caused Catherine’s to turn brown. Maybe another brand? I used Wilton.
Do you think craft paint would work instead of food coloring?
Hi Donna! It won’t work to bake it for sure. And it won’t give you the translucent color. It would just be like you painted anything. And many people do just paint their jars. Ü
I cannot wait to try this, have been wondering how this was done. I might add that to clean glass or remove stain from botched projects to salvage for re use is to submerge glass in a 5 gal bucket with muriatic acid from a swimming pool supply and this will clean very effectively, use rubber gloves around the muriatic acid used to be around $16 a gallon.
Hi Nancy – just wanted to clarify whether the quoted oven temps are in Fahrenheit or Celsius? I’d love to try this, but don’t want to ‘cook’ at the wrong temp 🙂 Thanks.
Hi Jen… sorry for the delayed answer. I’ve been offline for a few weeks due to health and family issues. yes it is Fahrenheit. Guess I should clarify that!
Hi Nancy – not a problem with the delay… I hope all is okay with you and your family? Thanks for clarifying the temp format… I’d presumed F, but just wanted to be sure. Will let you know how I go 🙂 Thanks.
You bet Jen. Yep, we’re fine!
I wonder if you could do the jars in red,white( just plain white glue stipes)and stripes of blue for picnics or adding flags.
Hi Diana! Sure you could but you’d just have to paint them by hand. This method wouldn’t really work well. Ü
I have a question. I did the above jar tint but a few places inside the jar did not take the tint? I used new ball jars. Should I clean the inside of the jars with something? It just was not a very even tint.
Hi Selina! Mine did that too. It has to do with how even the coating is on the inside I think. So that would be my only suggestion is to make sure to evenly coat the jars before turning them upside down to drip out. Good luck!
Hi, I just love the colors of the mason jars, thinking of trying it, I’ve painted on mason jars during the holidays using regular paint from home depot and they’ve come out beautiful. I’ve even paint the jars with modpoge glue, then using Epson on them
. That wasn’t too bad.
Hi Norma! We did the Epson salt on them too for a craft! It’s here: https://craftyourhappiness.com/2016/12/13/snowy-mason-jar-craft/ I LOVE mason jars. So much you can do with them. Ü
Hi Nancy,
How would you recommend getting a nice purple color like in your picture? I have wasted so many packages of food coloring trying to get the right color. I’ve only managed light blue and pink so far.
Thank you!
Hi Heather! All I know is I mixed red and blue gels to get purple. I just used a an extra amount of food coloring… I can’t remember exactly as it’s been so long. I know it’s hard to guesstimate on these because they change color on you when baked. Good luck!
Cool project, I was wondering how they would look if you used the glitter Mod Podge..
Totally awesome, that’s how! Good idea Wayne!
I’m thinking of trying this for my daughter’s 1st birthday party in February. I’m doing a vintage/garden tea/valentine’s type party for which I’ve decided mason jars as vases is a must. My question: you used what looked like lavender and light pink paints which came out beautiful but very very very deep and dark jewel tones. Too much for the pastel color palate of the party. The blue looks spot on perfect though!! How do you suggest I choose the paints to maintain a subtler color?
That’s a hard one because they change color when baked. I would suggest using minimal food coloring. I put in quite a bit. I’d suggest one or two drops. Good luck! If you have the option it would be nice to test one first. Sounds like a wonderful party you’re planning for your little gal. Ü
Great idea, thank you for being so detailed. Since I am already a henna artist (side job), I plan on adding another layer by “henna-ing” gold decor on the outside and using them as faux bohemian lantern look 🙂 Great for Art festivals, etc. to decorate my booth too!
I’d love to see one you did that too. Sounds awesome. Thanks Pri for stopping by!
Could you put water in the jars for flowers for a wedding?
You know, I’m not sure. I would doubt it or though short times might be fine. It is a glue base so I would think it would soften after so long. But I’ve never tested that Deb.
Thanks. I wonder if I could spray the inside with some sort of lacquer once the paint is dry.
I don’t see why not. Ü
Would the inside chip or scrape if I used this for a coin bank?
Hi Lauren! The glass on those mason jars is pretty thick. I don’t think there would be a problem myself.
[…] Painting or tinting jars can be pretty sloppy work, but with our great tips you will learn not only how to paint mason jars easily but with very little mess! VIEW ALL PHOTOS & COMPLETE DIRECTIONS HERE […]
Because they are baked does that make them safe for drinking ?
Hi Elka! No these are not for drinking. They are for decor items only. The coating could come off eventually I’m afraid even with being baked on.
[…] I was going to buy some glass paint as I wanted it to be transparent then I remembered my post on How to Paint Mason Jars. That effect was just what I was after. So I figured it would work on this just as well as mason […]
[…] How to Paint Mason Jars Easily with Less Mess says: May 3, 2017 at 2:56 pm […]
This sounds like a great project. I tried painting jars once before but I was using regular paint straight out of the can. They turned out okay, but very slow to dry and chipped easily. Thank you for sharing this project, I’ll have to give it a try.
THANK YOU !
You’re very welcome Ronald!
I know that food coloring fades badly in light…have you had that issue? I would like to know before I try this.
Hi Cindy! To be honest I’ve not had mine in the light. They stay inside and are not in direct sun light and have stayed as colorful as ever. I could how sun could possibly fade them as it fades many things though. Might want to do a small test fun on want if that’s a concern.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Ü
Mod Podge now has 17 new versions. Maybe one of these will do what you want it to.
see explanation of the 17 new versions here:
https://plaidonline.com/blog/march-2016/your-guide-to-all-17-varieties-of-mod-podge
I just tried to make a blue jar, it looked magnificent before I put it in the oven, but afterwards it was a disgusting brown and made the whole house smell of burnt glue!! What did I do wrong? I took it out at about 50mins!
Oh my Catherine. I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ve never had that happen nor had anyone else report it. My only guess would be a too hot oven and left in too long. I’d do one without the oven. You don’t have to bake them it just goes faster. Different ovens are different too but still… that seems excessive for any oven. I’m so sorry you wasted a jar. I hope you can soak it and get it back to clean again. Do try the air dry. I hate for you to have bad thoughts when you think of this project. Only way to prevent that is do it again and have success!!!
[…] How to Paint Mason Jars Easily with Less Mess […]
Such a neat idea! The tutorial is real easy to follow too. Pinning!
Thanks so much Joanne. Ü
Nice idea and I have always wanted to do this! Please come on over to our blog hop we have Wed-Sunday and share this! https://www.floydfamilyhomestead.com/ We would love to have you!!
Thanks Tana!
Thank you so much for the tutorial! I am hoping that I will soon be in charge of throwing a bridal shower (he hasn’t asked yet, but fingers crossed will soon) and I want to do a Kate Spade theme for the bride to be. The hot pink mason jar will make the perfect jar to put mini pedicure supplies in for the “Thank You” gifts for the guests.
Cheers,
Lisa at Dreams and Caffeine
{http://www.dreamsandcaffeine.com}
You’re so welcome Lisa. Always happy to inspire! Good luck!
I didn’t know you bake the jars after painting them. I am going to try this. Thank you for sharing at Dishing it and Digging it link party.
Yep it goes a lot faster. You don’t have to take them but then you have to wait for days for them to dry and turn translucent.
I paint that outside. Look nice. I use that for my makeup brushes.
This sounds so easy. I tried doing something like this before and it was a total mess so I gave up. This sounds like it would be a lot better! I’m pinning it for later! Thanks!
Kate | TheOrganizedDream.com
Thanks Kate. Yeah this method makes it a bit easier!
Could you paint this on the outside so you could drink out of them? If you taped the lip/rim to prevent the paint from getting on it.
I’m not sure that the mixture would paint on well… though it might. I’d suggest doing a test using, as you mentioned, a baby food jar! You could also use the Mod Podge that’s dishwasher safe though I’ve never used it and am not sure how different it is from regular.
You wouldn’t be able to wash them; modge podge is water soluble
True Renee, unless you use the Dishwasher Safe Mod Modge. But these are made for decor so you’d probably just be wiping them out with a damp cloth. Ü
Can u use these for food product since u put them n the oven.
N they r baked on.
Thanks
Jo
Hi Jo! I’d suggest they not be used for eating on since the Mod Podge is on the inside. It might wear off some into whatever is in the container. If it was on the outside that would be different. Ü
Thank you for sharing another lovely idea.
Would be great with solar powered fairy lights or battery operated candles.
I’m going to make some small ones and hang them in my garden 🙂
Will combine with etching for Christmas welcome to my home lights.
Oh that would definitely be beautiful! Thanks Lucy!
That would be a great use for baby food jars.
Nice idea for jars you want to use to make candles in. A project i’m considering but havent gotten to yet
Thanks Charlotte! Good luck when you do around to it!