Looking to give pretty parlor a facelift-paint question

[darkgate]

Hello everyone!

I recently purchased a bait-ish pretty parlor off ebay and I am hoping to give it a fabulous update in time for Christmas! What would be the pest type of paint to use? I've seen they make paint specifically for plastics, but would the standard acrylic paint also work? I also have some enamel model paint laying around if anyone has any experience with that.  I'm fixing it up for my sister as a surprise, so any advice on painting one of these to look its best I'd really appreciate!

Thank you so much! <3

[Pokeyonekenobie]

I haven't tried to paint a playset before but I have used Testors acrylic paint with a good deal of success on vinyl figures.  I don't know if that would be a good option or not.  Model Masters is another brand made by Testors (and to my eye they look the same once applied to your item) and they have a bit of a different selection of colors in their acrylics.  They also come in slightly larger bottles, which might be useful for you as you'll be doing a larger area than most models would require.  Just as a note, I have noticed that the Hot Pink color doesn't seem to go on evenly no matter how many coats I use so I don't really recommend that one for larger areas.  It could work well for accents/details, though. One of the things I like about these particular brands of acrylic paint is when they dry, they don't seem to need a sealant.  Though if the item you're going to paint is going to be played with regularly, you can decide if you want to use a sealer or not once you've finished painting it.

[Leave a Whisper]

acrylic works quite well. its what we used to customize my daughter's dollhouse.

[darkgate]

Thank you so much for your advice you two! I have a good stock of acrylic paint already, so I think I'll try and use those since they seem to have a good track record. I'll probably also pick up a bottle of the testors brand for the larger areas since they seem to do good without a sealant.

Thank you again, I can't wait to get started!   

[Starshinescustoms]

Just a thought, you may need to use a primer on it first, otherwise they paint probably won't stick. I haven't seen my grooming parlour for years (been packed away while we move house... Something we packed for years ago and still haven't done.. though it's finally approaching) so I can't remember what the plastic's like but I suspect you may need the primer. You could try it as it is first, see how it holds

[Uninu]

I would suggest to use a primer or maybe a spray sealant firs, to give the surface a bit of a tooth so the paint will stick better.

[darkgate]

That's a great idea! I remember I tried to paint something similar before and the paint just wouldn't do what I wanted it to. I bet a primer would get it so stay. I'll give it a try! ^o^

[ChocolateStarfire]

I'd try an acrylic primer or maybe gesso first. Then go ahead and paint. Otherwise, the paint will not stay on the surface. Hope it turns out!

[FarDreamer]

I've used acrylic craft paint several times, sealed with mid podge spray, and haven't had any issues so far.  I don't think they'd stand up to rough play.  I have a photo or two:

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[darkgate]

Oh thank you for the picture example! It turned out really good, and I think the parlor would be used for display only so that may not be a bad way to go at all!