The top 10 best paint for hydro dipping come from brands such as Rust-Oleum, Dupli Color, and Plaid Patricia. They all help to create different customized designs for personal and professional use.
Hydro dipping is a process that involves the paint resting on the surface of the water. It’s, thereafter, transferred onto an object via dipping. It turns plain or old products into attractive pieces. The process is straightforward and it’s meant to produce stunning psychedelic effects. It should be noted that no two different dips will ever have the same appearance. But what is the best paint for hydro dipping in the market? Before we review our top 10 picks, let’s look at who is supposed to use these paint products.
Who Needs These Products?
Hydro dipping is an immersion printing technique that anyone can use. So, it’s ideal for beginners who are engaging in their own DIY projects. It doesn’t require any special equipment and you can do your own design features without any special equipment. It’s also ideal for use with different materials. On the other hand, professionals can also use paints for hydro dipping to create unique designs for commercial use.
A Review of the 10 Best Paint for Hydro Dipping
There are lots of various types of paints that are ideal for use for hydro dipping. Generally, Rust-Oleum products are usually the most popular among users. Besides that, there are also other brands that offer great products. They include Krylon and Dupli-color among others. The top 10 picks for the best paint for hydro dipping include:
1. Krylon K05160107: Best Hydro Dipping Paint For Customization
Krylon k05160107 is the best paint for dry dipping that encourages customization. You can use it to personalize literally anything. The paint and primer color master use a wide range of color options to easily transform your indoor and outdoor projects. The paint easily transforms something old to look as good as new.
Painting for long or effectively can be quite difficult. However, you don’t have to worry about finger fatigue. Its bottle is made with the EZ touch conical topical. This design feature offers maximum control. Regardless of how big or demanding your project is, you can comfortably use this spray for an extended period.
Generally, the Krylon product provides a fantastic color range and effectively covers every design project. It’s available in options such as primer that’s ideal for porous surfaces, clear that offers extra protection, and the metallic design for a newer appearance.
Key Features
- Ideal for use with metal, wood, and plastic surfaces among others
- Suitable for both indoor and outdoor projects
- Quickly dries to touch within 10 minutes
- Uses the durable covermax technology that provides brilliant color options and premium coverage
2. Rust-Oleum 1915830: Best Specialty Metallic Paint
This is the best spray paint for hydro dipping products of metallic nature. The Rust-Oleum metallic leafing paint is a specialty that’s designed for use on your interior dé cor items. This is a premium product that usually provides a rich and super glossy type of metallic finish on surfaces.
The spray paint does an excellent job of providing an interesting contrast on accent pieces. For flexibility, the products come in for main metallic finishes: brass, gold, copper, and silver. They are bright and reflective coatings that consist of real metal flakes. As a result, they normally help to create an appearance of a new metal.
You can apply the metallic Rust-Oleum specialty spray paint not only on metal. It’s also ideal for use on wood, masonry, plaster, and unglazed ceramic. Its versatility also makes it great in creating customized looks. Rust-Oleum is not only beautiful and shiny but the hard lacquer formula is durable.
Key Features
- The specialty metallic paint provides a rich and shiny finish
- The spray paint is ideal for decorating and accent different pieces
- It’s a metallic specialty that can also be applied to wood, plaster, unglazed ceramic, and masonry.
- The paint consists of a sparkling array of premium rich metallic finishes that provide a bright reflective finish
- The hard lacquer formula has a fast-dry effect and can dry to touch within 15 minutes. Its recoat can dry within an hour hence it’s ideal for quick project completion.
- The spray paint can cover up to 12 square feet.
3. Dupli-Color EDE161307: Best Hydro Dipping Paint for Engine Enamel and Ceramic
This engine enamel also contains ceramic resins. As a result, it provides maximum heat dissipation while still ensuring the gloss is well retained. It should be noted that the resins usually offer a high level of protection, especially when the material is exposed to automotive fluids and excessive heat.
Dupli-Color Engine Enamel is therefore ideal for use with applications that are found under the hood. it’s suitable for automotive that normally engage in racing activities, street rod, in addition to enthusiasts who are keen on road restoration tasks.
This is a highly durable formula that can resist temperatures of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. It also produces a long-lasting finish that doesn’t crack, peel, blister, or flake. So, you can conveniently use it on engine blocks or engine accessories.
Key Features
- Made with ceramic resins for maximum heat dissipation
- ideal for use with applications under the hood
- highly durable and long-lasting
4. Rust-Oleum 317938: Best Paint and Primer for Hydro Dipping
A two-in-one product such as this will definitely make your hydro dipping projects easy to handle. Rust-Oleum is a 2X durable ultra-cover spray paint that provides lasting protection.
It normally provides superior coverage and this makes it ideal for covering a wide range of surfaces and objects. Generally, it’s easy to handle and this makes all project tasks quick and easy to handle. For convenience and to cater to the different user preferences, you can find this paint in an array of trending sheens and colors.
Generally, this product offers a smooth and full coverage while still providing vivid color finishes. With its satin finish, the surface imperfections will be massively get diminished since the paint is known to provide an excellent level of hiding. You can virtually use it on any surface, including plastic, wood, plaster, metal, unglazed ceramic, and wicker among others.
Key Features
- Ideal for use on multiple surfaces including wood, metal, plastic, plaster, wicker, and unglazed ceramic among others
- Dries to touch within 20 minutes and can cover up to 12 square feet. It’s ideal for quick projects
- Provides a durable satin finish that provides an excellent hide and reduces the surface imperfections
- Offers a superior level of durability with full, smooth coverage.
5. Brownells Aluma-Hyde II: Best Durable Hydro Dipping Paint
Painting areas that frequently experience increase resistance can be quite challenging. It may feel like a waste of effort and resources because a non-durable paint will end up getting easily worn out. However, if you are looking for the best paint for hydro dripping that guarantees you durability then this is one of the best solutions.
This epoxy-based paint is highly durable. It can effectively withstand pressure at different points. This includes increased resistance that’s normally caused by solvents, bore cleaners, and other types of cleaning chemicals.
The product is made with Aluma-Hyde II, a special feature that’s solvent-proof. It should be noted that this paint can also withstand the aggressive copper solvents used in bores. Its epoxy base is a hard-curing product that helps to add an extra layer of the high-density formulation. This makes this paint ideal for long-lasting use as it can perfectly stick to surfaces such as steel, plastic, aluminum, and alloy surfaces.
Key Features
- Aluma-Hyde II gives the paint increased resistance
- The paint can effectively withstand solvents, bore cleaners, trichloroethylene, and other cleaning chemicals
- The paint contains an epoxy hard-curing base with an additional high density of pigment]
- It generally provides a durable finish and properly sticks to different surfaces
- Ideal for use on steel, plastics, aluminum, and alloy surfaces
- Available in a wide range of colors to match different types of applications
6. Plaid Patricia Nimocks Acrylic Sealer: Best Hydro Dipping for Decorative Crafts
It’s rated as the best spray paint for hydro dipping that’s ideal for decorative purposes. Plaid Patricia Nimocks is an easy-to-use spray that is ideal for protecting paint, varnish, glue, stain, and lacquer. It’s also ideal for use with wood materials, prints, and other types of surfaces.
What makes it popular is its effectiveness in providing different decorative results. It’s a master craft in ensuring that you end up with a clear, strong, and non-yellowing seal of durable acrylic. Note that this product can be used over oil-based and water-based paints.
Key Features
- Top-rated spray paint that’s ideal for decorative purposes
- Easy-to-use
- Dries clear and non-yellowing
- Stays durable
- Can be used over oil-based and water-based paints
7. Rust-Oleum American Accents: Best Spray Paint for Interior/Exterior Use
Rust-Oleum has the best spray paint for hydro dipping that’s ideal for interior or exterior use. You can virtually use this product on any type of surface. This includes plastic, wood, metal, plaster, wicker, and unglazed ceramic among others.
The high-quality product provides long-lasting protection with its 2X ultra cover. Its high level of durability makes it ideal for use for projects that are usually subject to some friction. With its superior coverage.
Its application is quite easy since it involves spraying the paint in a steady back and forth motion. . Designed with an advanced double cover technology, the spray paint provides one of the best formulae for the ultimate hiding of blemishes. As a result, it makes it easier and faster to complete projects.
Key Features
- 2X ultra-cover spray paint that delivers twice the coverage produced by other competitive brands
- Provides the ultimate hiding for rust and other blemishes
- Comes with a comfort grip trigger that eliminates finger fatigue and improves the chances of continuous spraying.
- Ideal for use with bare metal, wood, and plastic among others
- Provides a shiny and beautiful clean finish
- Dries to touch within 20 minutes and can cover up to 12 square feet
8. FolkArt Color Shift Acrylic Paint Set: Best Hydro Dipping Set for Beginners
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced artist, this color set has been crafted to fit all your needs. This is a lustrous color set that will quickly give your hydro dipping projects a clear touch of shimmering effects.
It should be noted that each color in this shift chameleon set usually changes when subjected to light at different angles. As a result, they help to create distinct and eye-catching appearances. Generally, FolkArt color shift paint has been designed to dry quickly and leave a stunning gloss finish. This makes it ideal for your indoor and outdoor projects.
The color palette in this set is usually rich and has a creamy consistency. As a result, it helps to create an outstanding level of shading and blending. The superior paint set also comes in several types of specialty finishes. They include glitter, neon, chalk, enamel, and multi-surface among others.
Key Features
- The beginner-friendly set consists of 8 bottles of color shift products including yellow flash, green flash, pink flask, aqua flash, blue flash, blue-violet flash, purple flash, and black flash.
- Each color shifts according to lighting creating an eye-catching experience
- Water-based, non-toxic, and ideal for outdoor or indoor use
- Easy to use with the brush-on formula
- An expansive range of color palette with a rich and creamy consistency. It offers an exceptional level of shading and blending.
- Gives all types of projects, a fresh, luxurious, and elegant look
9. Marabou Marble Paint Starter Set: The Best Multicolor Set
This Marabou paint set will easily let you discover the joy of hydro dipping. It contains a set of all the essential elements you need when trying out different hydro dipping projects.
You can use the multicolor set to produce different fascinating effects. It allows for flexibility and all the components of the set are great in producing beautiful effects. All you have is to drip the paint and then you are done.
Each component of the set is quick-drying. You can use the paint to create an immersion marble effect on different types of materials. This includes gals, wood, blown eggs, metals, acrylic, and paper Mache among others.
Key Features
- Multicolor Marabous marble paint starter set
- The painting set lets you easily discover several fascinating techniques for hydro dipping
- Quick-drying and quite easy to use
- Ideal for creating immersion marble effects on different material surfaces
10. Humbrol 14 ml No.1: Best Solvent-Based Paint
It’s the best paint for hydro dipping that’s solvent-based. The enamel paint is effective in producing a glossy finish that’s completely stunning.
Humbrol Tinlet enamel paint offers a fast experience when dealing with different projects. Because it’s solvent-based, the paint normally dries very fast. It has been specifically designed for use on plastic models. However, it’s highly versatile and you can, therefore, use it on other substrates.
To cater to different needs, the paint comes in the form of matt, gloss, satin, metalcore, metallic, and clear finishes. Its application makes every project easier. All you need is to brush the paint straight from the tin. Alternatively, you can use an airbrush with a thinner. To create a durable and thick coat, two thin coats are usually applied.
Key Features
- A solvent-based enamel paint
- Ideal for substrates and models such as satin, gloss, matt, metallic, clear, and metalcore
- The paint is ideal for use on a wide range of surfaces including wood, plastics, glass, cardboard, metals, and ceramics, among others.
- The 14 ml tinlet covers an average space of 0.3 meter-square
The Best Hydro Dipping Paint: Buying Guide
The process of choosing the best hydro-dipping paint can be quite complex. There are numerous brands with numerous products in the market. So, how can you ensure that you choose the right product?
Consider the color and sheen
Choosing a color that suits your needs is where most folks start. Most modern brands have multiple color palettes and this helps to ensure that you get a product that meets your preferences.
Understand that sheen usually varies from brand to brand. So, it’s important to decide on the right color perception that you anticipate getting from hydro dipping. Check all the pros and cons of the paint color and sheen you want before you can go ahead and purchase it.
Note: you can choose several shades of almost similar colors. Analyze the color palettes in different light setups to determine the right shade that would be the most ideal for you.
The Paint Finish
The paint finish is important in determining the scheme of things. How do you want the paint to accentuate your project? Generally, the right type of finish will help to create a significant difference in the end. For instance:
- A flat finish is ideal for hiding surface imperfections and it’s ideal for objects or places that experience low traffic.
- A semi-gloss and glossy finish is ideal for a lustrous finish. However, you need to understand that the higher the level of gloss, the easier it becomes to detect any surface imperfection.
- The satin finish is considered to be a low-luster finish and its ideal for high-traffic places.
The Dry Time
The shorter the dry time to touch, the more ideal the hydro dipping paint. It should be noted that VOCs can still be emitted from the painted surface into the air a couple of months after even after the paint is cured.
So, it’s important to choose a product that cures and dries quickly. This helps minimize your exposure to VOC. The best paint for hydro dipping should have a dry-to-touch time of around one hour and it should be able to cure within 30 days.
Note: most oil-based paints usually dry to touch with 8 hours and can also cure within 7 days. Water-based paints may seem ideal as well since we are dealing with hydro dipping.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Best Paint for Hydro Dipping?
Answer: There are numerous paint products designed for use with hydro dipping processes. The best type of paint ultimately depends on your needs and preferences. However, most reviews indicate that the best paint to use in such a procedure usually comes in the form of an acrylic spray can with acrylic paint.
Well, this is because acrylic paint dries fast, easily floats on top of the water to form a thin film and it can easily stick on objects when they are submerged. Besides that, the application process is usually even so you are guaranteed of getting a smooth finish.
Do You Need to Use Warm or Cold Water When Hydro Dipping?
Answer: The best type of water to use is usually warm. If you want the best results, then ensure that the water you use is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature has to be well-balanced if you are to get optimal results.
Using cold water will lead to low-quality results. When the water is too cold, then the paint will end up looking blurred and dull. On the other hand, warm water will cause the plastic to melt.
The Bottom Line
Hydro dipping is a fun and engaging process that usually brings different possibilities to life. You can use it to decorate a wide range of things including phone cases, shoes, consoles, and other appliances or devices.
It helps to make items new, fresh, and attractive. Hydro dipping is an ideal solution in hiding imperfections and enhancing appearance. There are numerous types of paint products that can be effectively used to handle this process. However, the above-reviewed products have proved to be the best in the market. They are effective, easy to use, and offer premium results.
