In my house I have 3 French doors and both sides needed painting. I did the first one the best way I knew how- by taping off the glass with painter’s tape, painting, and then taking off the tape. Taping alone took 1 hour! And then the results were a little messy once the tape was removed- there were bleeds. And if the taping wasn’t perfect, well that didn’t look great either.
I decided to test a few methods to see if there was a better way. Because there HAD to be! And guess what?! I found an amazing option!d
method 1- scraping
For the first method I tested, I didn’t tape, I just painted and didn’t worry if the paint got on the glass. After the last coat was barely dried (these doors take 3-4 coats since I’m going over wood with white paint), I took a razor blade and scored the edges of the glass and then scraped off the paint on the glass.
And it came off easily! It took me about 40 minutes to completely scrape the door- that’s 20 minutes faster than taping! It was MUCH less painful too. I should note, that you HAVE to scrape within 24 hours for this method to be faster. If the paint dries on hard, it will be VERY painful to scrape off.
I thought I had found the winner- I got lots of messages on Instagram while I was doing this that many agreed with my findings. But then I had one more method to try.
method 2- liquid masking h20
The last method is for using a product that I got on Amazon called Liquid Masking h20. The idea of this stuff is that you paint it on the glass, let dry, and then paint as normal. Once the paint is dried, you use a razor blade to score the edges and then just pull off a sheet of dried liquid masking (that looks like plastic). So I tried it out. And spoiler alert- but this method is my favorite!
Let me go into a few specifics in case any of you want to duplicate-
application
Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:
If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that!To apply, I started by cleaning the doors well. Next, I used a foam brush and did a SUPER thick first coat. If the Liquid Masking h20 got on the wood, I didn’t worry about it (though I made sure it wasn’t puddling anywhere). I let that dry for about 1 hour and then I did a second coat just around the edges. Side note, a down side to this method is you need to allow for drying time.
You want to MAKE SURE to paint on a thick few coats of this. If it is too thin, you’ll have to scrape it off, which totally defeats the purpose.
After the Liquid Masking h20 had dried for 3 hours (it dries clear), I started painting my French doors. I did 3-4 coats of paint.
As soon as the last coat had been applied, I took a razor blade and scored each edge of the glass. Make sure that you have a complete square scored or else you won’t get a clean finish. Then just peel off the liquid masking and you have a clean, crisp edge. It’ll be the cleanest paint line you’ll ever experience. And peeling it off is VERY satisfying and fun!
It took me 1 minute per window to score and peel off the liquid masking. SO much faster than taping!
faq
Can I use this with oil based paint? No, it won’t work
How long can I leave this on before peeling off the Liquid Masking h20? The can says up to 30 days! Though I did mine right away and that worked great too.
Can I use this on an outside door or window? Yes, but you need to do it during warmer weather (or the cold will make the liquid masking brittle)
Will it work on textured glass? No- do not use on stained, frosted, coated, etched, tinted, or textured glass, as well as plastic glass or Plexiglas.
How many doors will this work on? Based on what I used, I think one quart would be enough for 15-20 doors.
Could you just use the liquid masking around the corners? Not on the whole glass? I think you could- one review on Amazon said she did that and it worked, but was trickier to peel off the liquid masking. The second time she used it, she did the whole window pane and preferred that method.
Does it leave the glass cleaner or dirtier? Cleaner! Though I did clean the door really well before applying it (per the instructions). It did not leave any residue at all.
Does it have a use by date? Or expire at a certain time after opening the can? My can doesn’t have a use by date. I couldn’t find information on an expiration date online either. So I’m not sure! I’m guessing if you store it inside in a temperature controlled space, closed tightly, and stir well before using, it might be able to last a few years.
after
Here it is all done- the last side of the last French door that I needed to paint and I finally figure out how to do it! I wish I had this when painting my kitchen cabinets with glass! It’ll also work nicely with windows where the mullions need painting. The liquid masking makes clean crisp lines with a professional finish. Let me know in the comments if you end up trying this out! It’s life changing, I promise!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
If you love it, pin it!