Painting Glass

[Noelle419]

I have a glass 110 that I would like to paint black. Has anyone here painted a glass tank and can you offer any advice to this rookie?

I only want to paint 1 side (the background). I want to paint it black.

Thanks for any help.

[Krux]

i painted the back of a tank once. i went to an art store and got some black acrylic paint, as it doesnt give off any fumes. the only issue i ran into was i didnt check the opacity of the paint that i got, and i ended up needing to do about 10 coats because the paint was designed to be semi-transparent.


probably goes without saying, but make sure you paint the outside, not the inside

[OodleyBoodely]

I've never done it myself, but have read where others recommend using sprayon chalkboard finish. It comes in differant colors and is very opaque. Not sure where to get it, but probably either a hardware store or crafts store. HTH

[tabwyo]

I use regular matt finish black spray paint on all of my tanks. Just mask it off and flip it over so the top is down and spray away. Shine a flashlight behind to find places you need to touch up.

[Geoff]

just about any paint will work. latex works well because it peels off if you want to change the colour.

just make sure it has enough time to cure.

G~

[tabwyo]

Latex is the way to go if you like to change alot. Be sure to use a light behind your tank and look through the display side to find areas you need to touch up.

[tims]

why not try the auto tinting stuff that sticks onthe glass?.. if you do not like it then it peels right off..

[tabwyo]

Auto tinting would alow you to see all of the nasty plumbing behind the tank though. If you wanted to use a peel off background then most LFS's sell solid colored background that would probably be cheaper than window titnting and much more opaque.

[OodleyBoodely]

I use the solid blue vinyl background that you tape on. I think they su@&. Condensation builds up between the glass and the background and causes the backing to stick in uneven blotches. The result is a permanent dark blue/light blue blotchy surface. Paint it if you can - the result will be much nicer.

[jdbassin]

I used the chalkboard paint. I works very well and It's available at wallmart. It doesn't come in gloss finish though as it's meant to create a surface that can be written on like a chalk board

[hankstanks]

Here is a pic of the first of 2 15 gallon tanks that I am plumbing together (Closed Loop) and using for Propagating Xenia and various colored Digitatta.
The Paint I used was oil based and took about 30 hours per coat to dry. I used throw away sponge bushes and put on 3 thick coats. looks great, only issue was getting it in between the frame and the glass on top. Bottom will have sand so you wont see it any way so I didnt bother trying. If it ends up anything like my main tank, the back will be solid purple and red with coraline so the paint will eventually be useless. I attached a pic below. Good luck.

I would only use oil base paint. Goes on thick and peels off easy if you ever want to change it.

[BAJA272]

If you use one of the sponge type of rollers from home depot they cover the glass perfectly in two or three coats with latex paint. I've been doing it for a number of years and it is nearly impossible with a brush. The key is to clean the glass with windex first, let it dry, then the sponge roller will finishes it off.

Good luck

Jeff