A lot of folks want to make their own river tables or resin jewelry these days. Once you start digging online or scrolling through crafting videos, talk about a rabbit hole. More than a few beginners wonder, “Is it okay to use acrylic paint to tint epoxy resin?” It's a fair question, since acrylic colors are in everyone's supply drawer and resin dyes aren’t cheap or always easy to find.
Working with craft materials gets expensive. Crafters, artists, and small business owners are always looking for hacks that save both time and money. It doesn’t help that resin pigments are sometimes a mystery by name alone. Using what’s already on hand, like the familiar bottle of student-grade or professional acrylic paint, sounds smart. But skipping the research creates risks—a sticky mess or a project that looks faded and foggy.
Epoxy resin and acrylic paint work differently at a chemical level. Epoxy has two parts: the resin and the hardener. You stir them together, and then the magic happens—it starts to set and cures rock hard. Acrylic paints are water-based. Water and epoxy resin often struggle to mix well. If you add a lot of acrylic paint to your resin, you can run into a few issues:
From personal experience, even when I tried using premium acrylics and mixing them gently, the finish didn't come out the way I wanted. Resin lived up to its reputation for being picky.
Manufacturers recommend using colorants made specifically for epoxy resin. These include powdered pigments, liquid dyes, and resin inks. They're tailored to blend without affecting the hardening process or transparency. Using proper colorants helps avoid the disappointment of a cloudy, cracked, or sticky project.
Many artists vouch for mica powders and alcohol inks, which let you play with shimmery, deep, or bright tones. Even a small kit of resin-safe pigments lasts ages. In terms of cost per project, it saves money and heartbreak in the long run. Sticking with these products gives a much better shot at achieving crisp, predictable color effects.
If someone’s set on using acrylic paint, stick to the smallest drop possible. Mix it into the resin thoroughly, and test on a small piece before pouring in bulk. Thicker acrylic will cause more trouble than the more fluid types. Keep the ratio low to avoid altering the resin’s cure. Never add water to thin acrylic paint before mixing—it brings even more water into the equation, making things worse.
Crafters want freedom to tinker. Still, experimentation comes with a learning curve (and the occasional project bound for the trash). Reliable products exist for a reason. With resin, following the advice of experienced makers and manufacturers means more finished pieces that stand the test of time.
Art looks easy on video, but the skill behind a beautiful resin piece comes from understanding the limits of your materials. Using the right pigments, planning carefully, and practicing on small pieces will always beat quick shortcuts. People who put the effort into learning this craft get to enjoy making unique things and feel proud showing them off.
