Glow in the dark paint for stars

January 22, 2022 6:17 AM

I’d like to paint glow in the dark stars on my kid’s ceiling. For various reasons we don’t want to use stickers/stick on stars. There are many options and reviews of these many options are far from unanimous. Have you personally - or has someone you know personally - used a glow in the dark paint that you’d recommend?

We are in the US and would prefer to make an online purchase. The ceiling is painted with latex paint.

posted by sciencegeek to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

I’ve used the glow in the dark screen printing ink by Speedball as paint with good results.
posted by fancyoats at 6:41 AM on January 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

Another option I’ve had some experience with is by Golden Acrylics - phosphorescent green.
posted by fancyoats at 6:43 AM on January 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

I’ve used Spacebeams to paint a massive glow in the dark jelly fish 2 years ago in a closet (impulse pandemic project) and it is still delightful and glowing. You can find spacebeams on Amazon, it comes in a bunch of shades of glow in the dark paint, and a little goes a very long way.
posted by larthegreat at 7:10 AM on January 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

I will second the screen printing ink from Speedball. I own an art supply store, and it is the only glow-in-the-dark paint that I have noticed glowing on the shelf when we turn off the lights at the end of the day.
posted by jimw at 8:33 AM on January 22, 2022 [4 favorites]

Side remark: before you actually commit to the painting project, take a couple small pieces of cardboard, paint them with your candidate paint(s), stick them to the ceiling, and see how they perform in practice.
posted by aramaic at 10:10 AM on January 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

Montana NIGHTGLOW is pricey spray paint to research... I've not used it but have been happy with occasional use of Montana Gold colors. Last time I was shopping I found Michaels online to have the best price. For this item you'll need to type in a promo code make it competitive. I wish I could still buy it locally but my favorite art supply's only remaining store is 40 miles away.

If you try it be sure remove the lock ring from under the nozzle and shake the can until your arm is tired and then a little more.
posted by tinker at 10:40 AM on January 22, 2022

The Rustoleum one is oookay, kind of dim but that might be sufficient for a bedroom. If you want to brighten it up you can mix LIT pigment powder into some or all of it.
posted by bink at 10:53 AM on January 22, 2022

I did this in 2013 with a paint called «Ultra Green V10 Water-Based Glow in the Dark Paint» from this place. (It was called Glow Inc back then). I dabbed the point of a thin paint brush an made lots of small spots on the ceiling of my daughter’s bedroom. Practically invisible during the daytime, but they still light up nicely in the dark almost 9 years later.
posted by Agent X9 at 2:13 AM on January 23, 2022

Response by poster: Thank you all for the recommendations and advice.

I’m really excited to do this project - it will be for my kid’s sixth birthday.

Now I just need to decide if I want to try to do real stars or just lots of dots!
posted by sciencegeek at 9:19 AM on January 23, 2022 [2 favorites]