MDF Wooden Shapes - Shop

To decorate your MDF shapes you need to give them 1 or 2 coats of a water-based paint, any gesso, acrylic, chalk-paint or even household emulsion. You can sand them between coats if you wish for a really smooth surface. 

When they are completely dry you can use your stamps to decorate them in the same way that you do in card making.  Stamp with Memento, Versafine, Distress or Stazon inks. You can emboss your image to make it more durable - see below. 

1. Dust over your painted MDF piece with either talc or an anti-static bag, this helps the embossing powder not to stick in unwanted areas. 

2. Ink up your stamp with a Versafine or other slow drying inkpad, and stamp your image onto the MDF piece. Emboss with clear embossing powder, or use a clear embossing ink pad and a coloured embossing powder. 

3. When you have stamped all your images you can then colour them in using Promarkers or paint. 

4. You could also stamp your images onto paper or card and cut them out, then adhere to the mdf with Mod Podge or other suitable glue. 

5. For a really tough permanent finish you can varnish with a clear water based varnish, or Mod Podge or a product such as Spray and Shine. 

If you wish you can now add any extra embellishments, for example buttons, ribbons and flowers etc, using a strong adhesive or silicone glue.