Does Tempera Paint Damage Car Paint? 

Are you thinking of designing your car with paint to add a little spice to your vehicle? If so, you may wonder which paint is appropriate for your project. 

You can use tempera paint on your car to write a birthday wish or draw a bird, flowers, or butterflies to surprise your kid. Does tempera paint damage car paint? 

The answer is No. Tempera paint will not damage your car paint. However, it depends on the types of tempera paint you use. You can use washable tempera paint on the car body or glass window. This type of paint is highly washable and non-toxic; hence you can wash it off without damaging the car paint. 

You need to remember, though tempera paint will not damage your car paint, you must be careful when washing the paint off. Follow the proper procedure when washing tempera paint to avoid damaging the car paint and creating a mess on the smooth surface of your vehicle. 

Using Tempera Paint On Car: Things You Should Know

You can use tempera paint, also known as poster paint, on the car without damaging the car paint. However, you need to choose the right type of paint before putting the paint on the car. If you want your car to be a canvas for the kids, you need to choose the paint that is easy to wash off. Washable tempera paint will be the best choice for you. 

Washable tempera paint is craft paint and doesn’t contain any corrosive material that can cause any damage to the car paint. Moreover, it is washable; hence, once you use the paint, you can also wash it off the surface easily without much hassle. Tempera paint gives a very matt finish but you can make the paint shiny if you want to add some shine to the car’s surface.

There are some procedures that you need to follow before applying the paint to the car. Tempera paint will adhere better to the car’s surface if you give the paint a proper consistency. The paint should not be too thick or thin. If the paint is too thick, the paint will not spread properly. On the other hand, if the paint is too thin, the paint will be runny and will not adhere to the surface. 

What consistency should you keep in mind? You can give the paint the consistency of honey. You can apply the paint on the car well if your paint gets that consistency. You can make tempera paint permanent if you want your paint to last a little bit longer on the surface. You can also turn tempera paint into acrylic if you want to use acrylic paint instead of tempera paint but don’t have them in your possession.

The main problem regarding using tempera paint on the car is not that tempera paint will damage the car paint. The problem is at some point; you need to wash off the paint from the surface. When removing tempera paint from the car, the techniques you apply will determine whether it will damage the car paint. 

So let’s see how you can remove tempera paint from the car. 

How To Remove Tempera Paint From The Car?

As I mentioned earlier, you can easily wash the paint off if you use washable tempera paint. When the paint is wet, you can remove it just by wiping it off with a damp cloth. But after the paint starts to dry (which will dry in this case as tempera paint is very fast drying), you need to follow a different approach. 

To remove dry tempera paint from the surface:

1. You can use a gentle soap and water solution or a car-specific paint cleaner.

2. You can also remove the paint by combining water and vinegar and applying them to the paint. After the paint absorbs the liquid, you can scrape the paint off the surface. 

3. You can also use rubbing alcohol diluted with water. This will soak into the tempera paint if you leave it on the paint for a few hours. After the liquid soak into the paint, you can scrape the paint off gently. Don’t be harsh on the surface, be very gentle and wash the paint off. If you use rubbing alcohol, apply car wax to the area after removing the paint. This will help you protect the area better.

4. These three methods should work fine to remove these types of paint. If the paint still doesn’t wash off, you can use a commercial paint remover product.

Remember, when removing the paint, you must be careful not to scrap the paint on the car too rough. You should gently remove the paint with patience. Otherwise, you will end up damaging the car paint.

Can You Use Tempera Paint On Car Windows? 

Yes, you can. But you shouldn’t use regular tempera paint for your car’s glass. There is some specific tempera paint that you can use on your car windows. I recommend you use the Arteza Tempera paint set. This paint comes in various colors, and you can wash the paint off easily. So, you don’t need to worry about the paint damaging your car’s glass. 

However, you can also choose other types of tempera paint. When you go to any store, you will notice some specific tempera paint stating that you can temporarily use the paint on the glass. These are the tempera paints that you should choose. Because these paints are specifically designed for use on glass, you can wash them off after a certain period.  

After you use the paint on your car’s glass, you need to wash it off at one point. You cannot just keep the paint on the glass and forget about it. You should use the paint on the surface just to write a birthday wish or some words on the glass to celebrate something. But leaving the paint on the glass can potentially be dangerous as it can obscure your vision. 

You can use soap and water to scrape the paint from the surface. You can also use rubbing alcohol to make the job easier. 

However, tempera paint is very washable. Even if you forget to wash the paint, it will peel off if it is exposed to rainwater. But you shouldn’t wait for the rain to do your job. 

The Bottom Line

Painting a car with tempera paint can be a very fun activity. Tempera paint will not damage your car paint. Tempera paint is a water-based paint, and it is also non-toxic. So, it will be a great choice if you want to paint the car temporarily. You can also use acrylic paint on the car, but acrylic paint is a bit more sturdy and more durable than tempera paint. And you will have a difficult time when you decide to remove the paint from the car.