How to Dip Dye a Dinner Plate

Dip-dying your own ceramic plates adds color to your table.

Dip-dyed dinner plates are a fashionable way to add color to your table. The dip-dying process creates free form shapes on the dinner ware. Several designer companies offer dip-dyed lines, but the process is easy, even for beginners. The best place to make your own dip-dyed plates is a local ceramics shop. They offer a wide range of unglazed plates or greenware. The shop will also fire your work, protecting the plate from moisture.

Things You'll Need

• Natural sponge
• Water
• 4 greenware plates
• 2-gallon plastic tub
• Blue glaze
• 1-inch-wide foam paintbrush
• Yellow glaze
• Green glaze
• Small paint brush
• Clear glaze
• 3-inch foam brush

Instructions

1. Moisten the natural sponge and wipe the greenware plates to remove any dust or dirt.

2. Pour the blue glaze into the tub. Pour enough glaze to create a 1-inch depth in the tub.

3. Paint your name or initials on the back of the plate.

4. Dip the plate into the glaze. Tilt the tub to create a deeper section of glaze.

5. Roll the edge of the plate in the glaze. Hold the plate over the tub and let the excess glaze drip from the plate. Lay the plate to the side and let the glaze dry. Repeat with the other three plates, or leave them for the other color glaze.

6. Pour the unused glaze back into the bottle. Use the foam paintbrush to wipe the glaze from the side and bottom of the tub back into the bottle.

7. Repeat with the yellow and green glaze. You can repeat the same general pattern with the yellow and green glaze on other plates. Or you can add color to the painted plates making each one completely unique. Choose whatever suits your artistic taste and the needs of your decor.

8. Set the plates aside for at least 48 hours and allow them to dry completely.

9. Coat the plates with clear glaze using the 3-inch foam brush. Allow the clear glaze to dry for 48 hours and paint with a second coat of clear glaze.

Tips & Warnings

• The plates shouldn’t be identical. The beauty of dip-dyed plates is that each plate is unique.

• You can hold the plate so that any excess glaze runs across the plate’s surface to create more interest.

• Some ceramic shops will dip your pieces in clear glaze for you. Ask for a double coat of glaze to give your plates more durability.

• Check the glaze carefully. Never use a lead-based glaze on dinner plates.

References

• Costa Conta Health: Questions and Answers about Lead in Ceramic Tableware