"Craft Paints Suggestions" Topic

Craft paint, I simply have too much. I am undecided on which to weed out. Aside from the obvious question of which bottles are still good. I have a large amount of Folk Art, Anita's, Apple Barrell and Americana.

For those like me who paint with craft store paints which brands are your favorite. Or better yet which do you hold as the higher quality? Thanks for the help.

I use all. None over the other. It's just the specific color that I want and I don't care which company it's from.

Yeah, I find it hard to judge craft paint brands as a whole; each brand has it's good colors and it's bad. And like Doug MSC, when I buy I look for the closest color to what I want irregardless of brand.

I find Delta Ceramcoat to give the best finish.

Nick +1

Another vote for Ceramcoat.

Throw out the ones you don't like. I have no favorite brand.

I use all brands of craft paints depending on color. Some yellows, for instance, don't cut it because they're too thin so don't cover well. I try different brands until I find the one that works for me.

I agree about delta Ceramcoat. The other stuff doesn't work as well as theirs.

Creamcoat and Americana are my go to craft paints, all others are used for terrain.

Apple Barrel can be too washy for me, but depends on the color.

$1.00 USD or less a bottle is a good deal, and throwing them out seems rather a severe step.

Perhaps you should sort them by colors, or utility, and put them into plastic storage containers, properly labeled, so you can find them when needed.

I've found Ceramcoat to be the most consistent. I've had good bottles of other brands, but I simply don't risk it anymore.

I agree the quality varies per color rather than per brand, but I mislike all craft paints about equally, as I find nearly all have a poor coverage:flow relationship. Still, I do use them for large-area, low-detail projects that can take multiple coats, or on surfaces that can tolerate some transparency. Currently I use them mostly for coloring bases and sometimes for washes, but I also have an unconscionably large collection of craft paints in "wooden deck" colors.

- Ix

Yeah, Ceramcoat number one, with Americana and Folk Art the next best in my experience. But all have useful colors and can generally serve just fine. I prime with white, and haven't had a noticeable transparency problem, might be different if you prime in black.

I agree with Ceramcoat being a good choice, it was mine too. However, when Michael's stopped selling it, no other local distributer carried it. Online prices are pretty steep, so I haven't purchased any for years.

You can find ceramcoat at Joann Fabrics now.

I like Ceramcoat best, and just recently found that the AC Moore near me carries it. Americana is my second choice and can get that at Michaels. Of other brands mentioned, I found Apple Barrel too thin and Folk Art much too thick for my liking.

Oh, didn't know that, tigrifsgt. Thanks, I'll check that out 👍🏼

Likewise tigrifsgt, I also like Ceramcoat best. Thanks for the tip.

Another one for Ceramcoat.

I have a lot of problems with many of the others for coverage problems. But black and white are keepers as well as various browns and grays for buildings and terrain – not for fine painting.

I've had good luck with DecoArt Americana and DecoArt Craft Arts (the big Home Depot pack) and Delta Ceramcoat. BUT, like the others here, I go by color mostly. I have a couple of Folk Art and Apple Barrel that I use, they are inconsistent in consistency and coverage.

I just pick the colors I like (mostly Apple Barrel)