How to Use Masking Liquid to Paint Around Glass

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Before photo of brown wood cabinet with glass paned doors that was used in this project.
After photo of brown wood cabinet with glass paned doors that was used in this project. Glass was painted around using masking liquid, which is described in this article.

With most furniture projects, I try and take apart the piece as much as I can prior to painting. This includes pieces that have glass, most commonly in hutches, cabinets, and mirrors. However, there are some cases where this just isn’t possible, such as the cabinet pictured above. This cabinet had each pane individually puttied into place (similar to an older window), so it was not possible to remove the glass prior to painting. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try a new-to-me product, masking liquid (or liquid masking tape). In this article I will cover how to use masking liquid, some takeaways I have after using it, and how masking liquid compares to other methods of painting around glass.

What is masking liquid?

So what exactly is masking liquid anyway? Also known as liquid masking tape, this is a product you can apply to both the glass and wood when painting around glass. It sticks to the wood/previously finished surface and peels away from the glass. It’s designed to save time when painting around the glass and is a great alternative to cutting in by hand or using traditional painter’s tape.. For this project I used Masking Liquid H2O, so my observations are based on testing this brand only.

How to use masking liquid

The process of using masking liquid is fairly straightforward and cleanup of this waterbased product was a breeze. So gather your supplies and simply follow the steps below!

List of supplies needed

Masking Liquid
Paintbrush
Primer
Paint
Utility Knife
Razor Blade

Step 1: Clean and prepare the surface

I prepared the cabinet doors as I would any piece of furniture, taking special care to make sure the glass surface was clean and dry. A detailed overview of how I clean and prep a surface for paint can be found here.

Step 2: Apply masking liquid

Photo of a person applying liquid mask over glass panes and wood on a cabinet door using a paintbrush.

Open up the can of masking liquid and stir well. I tried shaking initially and it created lots of bubbles, so I would recommend stirring. The liquid is a milky color and consistency, but don’t worry, it dries clear.

Using your brush, liberally apply the masking liquid over the entire glass surface, overlapping slightly onto the wooden frame. It will be easiest to peel off if you cover all the glass and aren’t afraid to lay it on thick.

Per the manufacturer’s instructions, I allowed it to dry overnight before moving on to the next step. If you use a different product, but sure to follow directions for dry time.

Step 3: Prime and paint

Photo of a person applying paint over glass panes and wood on a cabinet door using a paintbrush. Panes and wood have been coated with a masking liquid and the paint is being painted on messy.

Once the liquid has dried completely, it will be a clear film. At this point, it’s ready for paint. I brushed on my primer (2 coats) and paint (2 coats). Using a slightly smaller artist’s brush allowed me to get into the corners easily. And it was so nice to work quickly and not worry at all about any paint on the glass!

I chose to use a brush to apply my primer and paint, but it could just as easily be applied with a sprayer.

For this project I used Melange Paints stain blocking primer in gray and their ONE furniture paint in the color Heritage Pewter.

Step 4: Remove the dried film

Photo of a person using a utility knife to cut through the liquid mask film.
Photo of a person peeling off the liquid mask from a window pane.

After the final coat of paint dried completely it was time to remove the film. I waited a few days before doing this step, but that was only becuase I had other stuff going on. As long as your paint has dried the recommended amount of time you should be good to go. Also, the directions on the Masking Liquid H2O say to NOT leave it on for more than 30 days.

To remove, I used a utility knife to cut through the file where the wood meets the glass. Then I simply peeledthe film away. It’s a super satisfying process! I did find in some areas I did not have the masking liquid on thick enough, so the film didn’t come off in one piece. I used a small razor blade to scrape off any excess.

Key takeaways/lessons learned

  • For an easy peel, apply a thick coat of the masking liquid and cover the whole pane of glass.
  • The directions say to use a dull blade so you don’t scratch your glass. While you definitely don’t want to scratch your glass, you also need your cutting tool to be sharp enough to make a clean cut. Otherwise, you will have to go back with a razor blade to neaten up all of those edges,
  • While the product says it can be used as a primer, I would recommend using the same primer/prep that you are using for the rest of your furniture piece. You want to make sure the surface and sheens are the same, and that is best achieved with uniform preparation of your surface. Also, if you are worried about bleedthrough, you’ll need to use a stain-blocking primer (masking liquid has no stain-blocking properties). More information about priming can be found here.
Close up photo of cabinet with glass paned doors that has been painted using liquid mask to protect the glass.

Other ways to paint around the glass

While the purpose of this article is to review using a masking liquid, I think it’s important to at least touch on some of your other options for painting around glass in your furniture. As I mentioned at the beginning, I think removing the glass (if possible) is the easiest and cleanest way. It may seem like some extra work, but it’s still faster than this process.

Painter’s tape

If you don’t have many edges to worry about, painter’s tape is a great option. However, this cabinet had so many panes that it would have taken forever to tape off each one both front and back.

Cutting in by hand

This has always been my go-to when removing the glass isn’t possible. And it has to do with my history of painting. I started as a house painter, working summers all through college with a local painting company. I had a steady hand and was patient, so I was quickly designated as the one to cut in and paint all of the windows (both inside and out). While the rest of the crew was painting large portions of the siding or walls, I was standing on my stepstool slowly cutting in window after window.

That said, I understand why this method isn’t for everyone. It takes patience and time. And becuase this piece needed so many coats of paint, I knew I was going to drive myself crazy going over each pane (front and back) 4 times! I think using the liquid mask was the right call for this project, if it was just a few panes I would probably just cut in by hand.

Using masking liquid on mirrors

While I didn’t use the liquid mask on a mirror this time, I can see where it would be a great use of the product. Especially because mirrors often have curves that make cutting in by hand more difficult. That said, I still think it’s better to take out your mirror glass if possible. Once you paint a mirror, if the interior edge doesn’t match the rest of the paint, you can see that in the reflection. In my opinion, that isn’t a professional-looking finish.

Conclusions

In summary, liquid mask is a great product to use when painting around glass panes or mirrors in your furniture. I wouldn’t necessarily pull it out for every glass project, but for a cabinet like this (with lots of panes and no easy way to remove the glass) it was great!

Helpful Reference Articles:

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