How to Make Your Own Texture Paint for Bases (3 Cheap Recipes)

Meta Description: Stop paying for tiny pots of texture paint! Learn how to make your own DIY texture pastes for bases with just 3 ingredients. Get realistic mud, sand, and stone effects for pennies.

https://i.imgur.com/placeholder.png Why spend $8 on a pot of mud when you can make a lifetime supply for $2? We reveal the simple recipes the pros use.

You’ve seen those amazing textured bases on display models—cracked earth, arid sand, gritty mud. They tell a story and ground your miniature in its world. You look at the price of a 24ml pot of branded texture paint and think, "That's a lot for some fancy mud."

You're right. It is.

The secret is that texture paint is one of the easiest things to make yourself. With a few cheap ingredients from a hardware store, you can mix up pots of custom texture paste that behave exactly like the professional stuff, for a fraction of the cost.

Let’s get mixing!

Why Make Your Own Texture Paint?

• Save Serious Money: A large bag of filler is cheaper than one small pot of texture paint and will last for years.

• Custom Consistency: Make it thick for rocky terrain or thin for smooth mud. You are in control.

• Unlimited Supply: Never run out mid-project again. Just mix up another batch!

The Base Recipe: The 3-Ingredient Formula

All our recipes start with the same simple formula:

1. Binder: PVA (White) Glue

2. Filler: Your chosen texture material (sand, plaster, etc.)

3. Pigment: Acrylic Paint (optional, for color)

Pro Tip: Mix everything in an old empty paint pot or a small Tupperware container with a lid for storage.

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Recipe 1: "Stirland Mud" Effect (Thick Mud)

This replicates the classic, thick, glossy mud effect.

• Ingredients:

  • 2 parts PVA White Glue

  • 1 part Fine Sand (from a hardware store or the sandbox)

  • 1 part Dark Brown or Black Acrylic Paint (e.g., Burnt Umber)

  • A few drops of water (to achieve a thick, pasty consistency)

• How to Make It: Combine all ingredients in a container and stir thoroughly until it looks like a thick, chocolatey paste.

• How to Use It: Slather it on your base with an old brush. It will dry hard and dark, with a slight gloss from the PVA that looks like wet mud.

Recipe 2: "Astrogranite" Effect (Gritty Stone)

Perfect for urban rubble, rocky ground, or lunar surfaces.

• Ingredients:

  • 2 parts PVA White Glue

  • 2 parts Fine Sand

  • 1 part Plaster of Paris or Spackle

  • 1 part Gray or Black Acrylic Paint

• How to Make It: Mix the dry ingredients (sand and plaster) first. Then add the glue and paint and stir until fully combined. The plaster makes it dry very hard and helps create sharper, more rocky textures.

• How to Use It: Apply and then, before it dries, you can press small bits of gravel or plastic rubble into it for extra detail.

Recipe 3: "Martian Ironcrust" Effect (Crackle Earth)

This recipe requires one special ingredient to get the cracking effect.

• Ingredients:

  • 2 parts PVA White Glue

  • 1 part Fine Sand

  • 1 part Red/Brown Acrylic Paint

  • 1 part White Acrylic Craft Paint (The Secret! The thicker body of the craft paint creates the tension needed for cracking.)

• How to Make It: Mix all ingredients together. The consistency should be like thick peanut butter.

• How to Use It: Apply a thick layer to your base. The thicker the layer, the larger the cracks will be. Let it dry naturally—you’ll watch the cracks appear as it dries!

Pro Tips for Success

• Test First: Always do a test application on an old base or piece of cardboard to ensure you like the texture and color when dry.

• Layer It: Apply your texture paint, then immediately sprinkle on a little extra dry sand or static grass before it dries for even more realistic depth.

• Drybrushing is Key: Once fully dry, drybrush your textured bases with a lighter color (e.g., a light gray over the astrogranite, or a light brown over the mud). This is what makes the texture pop and look professional.

The Thrifty Painter's Final Verdict

                                     

I made a jar of mud texture that is three times the size of a branded pot for less than 1/10th of the cost. It works exactly the same.

This is one of the easiest and most rewarding DIY projects in the hobby. In 10 minutes, you can liberate yourself from ever needing to buy texture paint again. You gain complete creative control and save a small fortune.

What’s your favorite basing texture? Will you try making your own? Show us your creations in the comments!