September 21, 2012

Using polycrylic coating on origami

I've been wondering what kind of protective coating to use on origami, paper jewelry, or other paper projects—something that would make the finished model sturdier, more water-resistant, and maybe a little bit shiny.

I've tried applying a couple coats of Krylon Satin Finish spray, but it didn't seem to have much effect. (Good if you just want to preserve the finish and texture of your paper and protect it a bit from dust, though.) I've also tried clear nail polish, but it didn't create the coating I was looking for.

This was my latest experiment: Minwax Polycrylic, purchased at Home Depot. I got the semi-gloss after standing in the aisle paralyzed, trying to decide whether I wanted a glossy or satin finish. So I aimed for the middle.

I tested the stuff on these origami sakura blossoms I folded from 2" squares of plain computer paper. Get a tutorial for the flowers here! After glueing the petals together, I also glued the loose flaps down to make them extra secure.

Then I painted them with lots of coats of polycrylic, letting the layers dry for an hour or two between coats. I think I applied six. The first coat will cause the folds to relax a little, so be attentive and make sure you reshape the flower a bit if needed before the coating dries. It was helpful to stick them on skewers to dry.

The polycrylic built up a nice, shiny coating and dried crystal clear with no brush strokes at all. The flowers are slightly flexible, but really tough, as if they were laminated with clear plastic or packing tape. Mission accomplished!


I hot-glued magnets to the back and stuck them on my file cabinet.

For other coating and glaze ideas, see the helpful tips from readers in the comments on this post!

46 comments:

  1. kimberlySeptember 21, 2012 at 1:40 PM

    This is a game changer. Thank you so much for sharing!!

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  2. Grandma GSeptember 21, 2012 at 2:12 PM

    Nice! That opens up a lot of possibilities, I bet!

    Mum

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  3. SarahSeptember 21, 2012 at 2:16 PM

    how do you deal with the brush between layers?

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  4. Jessica JonesSeptember 21, 2012 at 2:28 PM

    Wash it out with soap and water, which takes about 15 seconds. The polycrylic is water-based, not oil-based, so clean-up is easy.

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  5. lizSeptember 21, 2012 at 2:29 PM

    sweet! i'll have to add that to the list of things i want to buy at home depot.

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  6. MariaSeptember 21, 2012 at 2:30 PM

    I'm wondering how colored paper or paper with prints will react to this coating... Will it change the color?

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  7. Jessica JonesSeptember 21, 2012 at 2:40 PM

    I put some on a test piece of patterned wrapping paper, and it didn't change the color, though the sheet did wrinkle very slightly from the moisture.

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2012 at 3:59 PM

    My friend makes origami jewellery - tiny flowers, turtles, stars, birds, whatever, threaded with beads into necklaces and earrings. She does just use clear nail varnish to coat the models. Seems to work okay on such a small scale.

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  9. Jessica JonesSeptember 21, 2012 at 4:07 PM

    Good to know! The clear polish I tried was really cheap, and I only put on one coat, so there might be better ways of doing it.

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  10. Laura (TLN)September 21, 2012 at 6:30 PM

    Nifty idea! I love it!

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  11. UnknownSeptember 21, 2012 at 6:37 PM

    Nice! I have an origami Christmas ornament that a friend made for me and I'm always worried about it because it is so fragile! I will definitely try this!

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  12. liza janeSeptember 21, 2012 at 8:17 PM

    Very, very cool!

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  13. Leyla TorresSeptember 21, 2012 at 10:09 PM

    Looks like a great material. I'll have to try some on the garlands I featured on my recent post http://www.origamispirit.com/?p=9126

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  14. PaperShaperSFSeptember 22, 2012 at 1:33 AM

    I have tried lots of different glazes and my favorites are; Accent Water Based Crystal Clear Glaze and Liquitex Medium & Varnish, in matte satin or gloss. Accent gives a high gloss, levels well and you can get away with just one coat. Liquitex can be diluted easily with water or you can add tints and/or iridescent medium. Both dry flexible.

    I have not had good experience with; Anita's, Beacon, Right On, Right Step, or Save a Puzzle. Of course your mileage may vary.

    Depending upon the paper and the glaze, it can make it wrinkle, unfold, look (and stay) transparent, or make the ink bleed. My suggestion would be to try a sample before using it on really nice paper or a model that has taken you a long time to fold!

    Another approach is to paint the paper with the Liquitex varnish first as a primer, let it dry first, paint the other side, let that dry, and then fold it. Once it is folded, you can paint it again with something that has more body and it is less likely to unfold. You can put more glaze on it after it has been primed/folded and it may/may not glue the layers together. I have used a close-pin to hold the model together as it dries.

    My mom gave me a "Teflon" plastic sheet from a fabric store that works well as a non-stick surface. Wish that I could find more! Another trick is to use masking or painters tape and tape the paper to a glass tabletop before you paint it to keep it from wrinkling or rolling, then peel it up after it's dry. This works better with water based paints. Again, test it before you ruin your table or your paper.

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  15. Jessica JonesSeptember 22, 2012 at 10:10 AM

    Leyla, I haven't seen that version of wreath before. Neat!

    PaperShaper, thank you, thank you for your tips and suggestions—fantastic!

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  16. HaleySeptember 22, 2012 at 4:19 PM

    I wonder if spray shellac would work well, probably easier to apply than painting. Good idea!

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  17. UnknownSeptember 22, 2012 at 5:12 PM

    What a super fun idea! Now I want to string loads of shiny cranes all over our apartment. I'm sure the husband wouldn't mind, right?? Oh, what he has to put up with...

    Thanks for the idea!

    Catie

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  18. tifleurSeptember 23, 2012 at 10:51 AM

    I search the way to solidify the origami paper, and i never find the good results. I try to find this product in France! Thanks for the help and see you

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  19. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2012 at 5:02 PM

    pretty cool !

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  20. margaretSeptember 23, 2012 at 8:59 PM

    oh that's awesome! I was just making construction paper hairclips and had the same dilemma -- what would make them more sturdy -- and now, thanks to you, i know :D

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  21. UnknownSeptember 24, 2012 at 6:29 AM

    Oh man! You're the best! great idea, I'm picking some of this stuff up. Wonderful blog as well. So organized and pretty! It's like you're a designer or something!

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  22. The Rogers LifeSeptember 24, 2012 at 2:31 PM

    Love those flowers!!

    On my paper jewelry I brush on a product called Triple Thick. It dries clear as well. I never have to use more than one coat.

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  23. Jessica JonesSeptember 24, 2012 at 2:35 PM

    Is it this stuff? Sounds great! Thanks for the tip!

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  24. The Rogers LifeSeptember 24, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    Yep...that's the stuff. :)

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  25. EzenSeptember 25, 2012 at 3:43 PM

    My uncle used to make me these darling origami animals when I was a kid. This will make them last forever... sort of! Must let him know :)

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  26. RachelSeptember 28, 2012 at 12:45 PM

    Lovely! Thanks!

    Rachel @ www.ecarport.com.au/

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  27. Elizabeth ParsonsSeptember 28, 2012 at 2:48 PM

    have you heard of "Triple Thick"? It's a product that I buy at Michaels and Hobby Lobby that does the same thing- it comes in small, med and large bottles, cleand with water and is awesome- does just what you are looking for- shiny and hard. I make paper charms and use Triple Thick for the final coat- usually 2 coats.

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  28. Jessica JonesSeptember 28, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    That settles it: I need to try it. Another commenter mentioned it, too. Fewer coats sounds great! Thanks!

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  29. team_penguinSeptember 30, 2012 at 8:58 PM

    Thank you!!! I've been using a glaze for my origami for years that's ok, but not great. I'm totally going to try this one because I don't like the brush strokes I get with the other kind. So helpful!

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  30. team_penguinSeptember 30, 2012 at 8:59 PM

    Thank you!!! I've been using a glaze for my origami for years that's ok, but not great. I'm totally going to try this one because I don't like the brush strokes I get with the other kind. So helpful!

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  31. tabOctober 1, 2012 at 9:33 AM

    They make the minwax in a spray paint can style also it is hard to find, but might be easier than painting and allow for thinner more even coats which will help to keep the shape

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  32. StepThruCrazyOctober 5, 2012 at 9:03 AM

    Minwax Polycrylic is what I use for my origami jewelry. It works great, and really makes the paper sturdy (on a small scale, at least!)

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  33. StepThruCrazyOctober 5, 2012 at 9:05 AM

    Oh, and if I'm worried about colors on the paper bleeding, I brush on a coat of Mod Podge first.

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  34. Ashley CalderOctober 10, 2012 at 9:31 AM

    Thank you so much for this great tip! Totally filing this away under "must do".

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  35. ClemOctober 30, 2012 at 5:27 PM

    Thank you very much !
    Does anyone know where I can find Polycrylic coating in France ?

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  36. AnonymousNovember 8, 2012 at 2:32 PM

    Did you use origami paper for this project or just printer paper?

    Thanks-Katie

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  37. Jessica JonesNovember 8, 2012 at 2:44 PM

    Just regular printer paper.

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  38. UnknownNovember 17, 2012 at 4:45 PM

    I love that!

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  39. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2014 at 4:08 PM

    A cheap way to do this is 50% white glue and 50% water. Put in a contain and mix. It's a really cheap way of stiffening/coating. Also, there is a good product called Paverpol (find online or at sculpture supply) that's amazing on any natural fiber. Turns it rock hard and doesn't change surface too much.

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  40. Jessica JonesJanuary 17, 2014 at 4:28 PM

    Great tips! Thanks!

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  41. shariMay 15, 2016 at 12:12 PM

    Thank you for sharing this information.

    I am in the process of folding 1,000 paper cranes for an outdoor sculpture and am looking for something to either dip the strands of paper cranes in (there will be 25 strands of 40) or spray them. I will try spraying polycrylic and also try Paverpol. If anyone has other suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them.

    I'll be sure to share my findings as well.

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  42. BrianJanuary 30, 2017 at 7:04 PM

    Can you paint after using the Minwax Polycrylic?

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  43. UnknownMarch 22, 2017 at 1:41 PM

    I was looking for find a way to coat card stock cut outs to use for stencils...I'm going to give this a try! Thanks!

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  44. UnknownMay 9, 2017 at 9:53 AM

    Has anyone tried this on cardboard, like to make it sturdy enough for a table?

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  45. GBioJanuary 5, 2018 at 1:48 PM

    Will the Minwax give a finish similar to Mod Podge? I've tried Mod Podge on my origami and found that even after several coats and drying for a week, the finish felt a little weak and sticky. I'm looking for something a little harder and less likely to peel or smudge at the touch of a warm fingerprint. Otherwise I might have to try varnish.

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  46. Jessica JonesJanuary 10, 2018 at 4:15 PM

    It's been several years since I've used this stuff on paper, but I remember it being satisfactorily hard, smooth, and not sticky.

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