How can you best paint a shield?
Want to paint a shield yourself? We sell plenty of pre-painted shields, but we also offer unpainted shields that you can customize to your own liking. The materials of these unpainted shields vary and may require different types of paint.
Painting a wooden shield
Our unpainted wooden shields are all covered with a layer of linen, some have a white basic coat, others don't.
The best paint you can use for these shields is acrylic paint.
If your design consists only of colour blocks, you can first sketch the placement of the blocks with a pencil. Then you can fill each part with its own colours. You can apply one (thin) coat to let the underlying colour show through for a shabby effect. Or you can paint multiple thin coats for full coverage.
If you want a more detailed design, such as a coat of arms, it might be more practical to first paint the entire front in the basic colour. Then you can sketch the design with a pencil and fill in the design with the appropriate paint colour using a smaller brush.
Most of these shields are also white on the inside, so you could also paint the inside if you prefer.
To make the paintwork more weather-resistant, you can finish it with a coat of varnish or impregnating spray for acrylic paint.
Painting a steel shield
Our unpainted steel shields come with a rust-resistant primer coat. Over this primer you can paint your own design.
For painting on a steel shield, it's recommended to use metal paint . Metal paints are available in water-based and oil-based variants, both of which will work, but each have their own pros and cons. Water-based metal paints are easier to work with, but oil-based metal paints have a longer-lasting result.
Painting the design on the shield works the same as with wooden shields, just with different paint. Metal paints can be a bit thicker, but can also be thinned. Water-based metal paint can be thinned with water, oil-based metal paint with turpentine.
Metal paint takes approximately 36 to 48 hours to cure. Make sure the shield is not in a room with extreme temperatures or in direct sunlight.
Metal paint does not need to be varnished afterwards.
