How-To: Mend Chipped Dishes

How-To: Mend Chipped Dishes
Give chipped dishes a second helping.
By Tiffany Threadgould
Have some nicks in your dishes, but don’t have a knack for fixes? Follow these simple steps to reglaze your dishes into new, one-of-a-kind tableware.

Materials:
Old dishes
Ceramic paint (I used Pébéo Porcelaine 150.)
Paintbrush
Oven

Step 1: Start with clean dishes. Paint your pattern on the dishes. It’s fun to incorporate the chipped part into your pattern. Polka dots lend themselves well to chipped shapes.

Step 2: Follow the instructions of your paint to bake your ceramic paint onto the dish. Pébéo Porcelaine recommends letting your paint dry for 24 hours and then baking in the oven at 150° for 35 minutes. That’s it!

Step 3: Now, just serve up your reglazed dishes with your favorite crafty cuisine.
About the Author:

Tiffany Threadgould is a design junkie who gives scrap materials a second life. Her business, RePlayGround, sells recycled goods and features DIY projects. Tiffany thinks that garbage has feelings too and sometimes can be found talking to her pile of junk at her design studio in Brooklyn, N.Y.

5 Responses to How-To: Mend Chipped Dishes

Shawn Connally on March 27th, 2009 at 10:58 am said:

This is a great idea! I often try to turn the chipped plates around so that the chips are hidden in the back of the cupboard, or under a napkin when I set the plate. This is so much cuter and way more clever!

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Kerrie on March 27th, 2009 at 12:45 pm said:

Thanks, I was researching this earlier in the week! I’ve read mixed conclusions of whether the paint is foodsafe or not. Apparently, it is unless it flakes off, which frequently happens when you use a knife and fork on it. What’s your take on this?

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Stephanie on March 28th, 2009 at 1:52 am said:

This is fantastic! I turned on my computer this morning with the intention of doing a search on repairing chipped dishes!

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Jane on March 28th, 2009 at 3:28 pm said:

You do realize that this paint is NOT suppose to be used on surfaces that come into contact with food.

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Cooper Mays on March 29th, 2009 at 5:48 am said:

My specialty has been dinnerware for over 30 years. My porcelain is what is called “high fired” for exactly this reason, this provides chip resistant wares. Ceramic products are not unbreakable, but can be strong and durable if fired to a “vitrifying” temperature.
The idea of painting is not dangerous unless it is in an area where food can come in contact. It is not at all durable, will most likely wash off right away. There is no “good” way to repair chipped ceramic, but it is possible to camouflage. At times my Cooper Mays customers have a chipped piece and I recommend to first carefully sand with sandpaper, just the place of the chip, smoothing the sharp edges. Then find a NON-TOXIC felt tip pin with the same color of the piece and very lightly apply color. Rub the area to shade it in and remember it will wash off, but you can reapply as needed. It is possible to paint a bit of nail polish on the spot if it is a glossy finish. But remember to check on the toxicity of the polish and placement on the piece, if it is suitable and safe.

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