How to Color Wooden Beads Three Easy Ways

Learn how to color wooden beads for crafts, jewelry-making, and other DIY projects using these easy techniques or methods.

There are several different ways to color wooden beads. The technique you choose to color wooden beads will depend on the supplies you have available, the type of DIY project or craft you are coloring beads for, and the look or effect you are trying to create. You might also enjoy learning how to color wooden building blocks.

Scroll down for the step-by-step instructions to learn three different methods to color or dye wooden beads. Hand-dyed, painted, and colored wooden beads are an excellent craft supply for jewelry-making and DIY projects, including homemade garlands, beaded necklaces, and wooden bead bracelets.

Colored Wooden Bead Craft Supplies

This collection of colored wooden bead craft supplies contains several different types of art supplies that you can use to color wooden beads; liquid watercolor paint, food coloring, acrylic paint, tempera paint, and extra-fine tip paint pens or brush tip paint pens. There are even more supplies you can use than those we have listed.

The type of supplies you need will depend on how you would like your colored wooden beads to look once they are finished, or you can use the supplies that you already have to make it easy–up to you!

First, choose the method you would like to use to color, dye, or paint wooden beads from the three techniques described in detail below. Next, gather the supplies from the wooden bead coloring options listed here:

• Liquid watercolor paints or food coloring OR acrylic paints OR tempera paint OR extra fine tip paint pens and/or metallic brush paint pens
• Small shatterproof bowl, OR  4oz mason jar, or 8oz canning jar, or 16oz wide mouth mason jar OR a small jar with a lid from the recycle bin OR a zip-lock bag or baggie (freezer bags work best and can be reused after they are washed.)
• Extra-long toothpicks and/or thin wooden dowel or skewer
• Paintbrushes (optional for some colored bead projects)
• Spray varnish (optional)
• Unfinished wooden beads:
  • Multiple sizes of wooden beads (16mm, 20mm, 25mm)
  • 6mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 8mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 10mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 12mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 14 mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 16mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 18mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 20mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 25mm unfinished wooden beads
  • 30mm unfinished wooden beads

Scroll down to find the directions for three different wooden bead coloring techniques. We have also included instructions in the form of video tutorials to make it even easier to learn how to color wooden beads. You might also enjoy making beaded sea glass DIY wind chimes.

Three Easy Methods to Color Wooden Beads

There is more than one way to dye, paint, and color wooden beads, so we have provided three main tutorials with a couple of variations for each wood bead coloring technique. Once finished, learn how to use colored wooden beads to make a beaded necklace or bracelet, or these super cute bead bunny crafts.

How to Dye Wooden Beads

Using liquid watercolors or food coloring to dye wooden beads is the easiest way to color wooden beads. All you need to do is put a few drops of color in a canning jar and add a wooden bead or a bunch of beads to color them. Of course, you will need more than a few drops of color if you plan to color several wooden beads at a time. 😉

If you would like to see how liquid watercolors look on wood, hop over to have a look at rainbow-colored wooden blocks to see all the colors! We even have a color comparison guide using two different brands that you can use to see how each one will look when used at full strength.

How to Dye Wooden Beads with Liquid Watercolors

1. Place a few drops of liquid watercolor paint or food coloring in a canning jar or bottle with a lid from the recycle bin. (Or, use a bag) Add more than one color to create new colors! (Note: You will need more than a few drops of liquid watercolors and a wide mouth 16oz canning jar, or bigger, or a large baggie if you plan on coloring a lot of wooden beads at a time.
2. Add a few drops of water to dilute the color. Skip this step if you want the deepest or most vibrant color possible.
3. Place a wooden bead or wooden beads into the canning jar, recycled bottle, or bag.
4. Put the lid on the canning jar or recycled bottle, (or seal the bag), and give it a gentle shake and a spin (or massage the beads in the plastic bag), to dye the wooden bead or beads.
5. Once they are colored, pour the beads into a small bowl or tip the canning jar onto its side. Next, slide a toothpick into the wooden bead hole to pick each bead up. Place the dyed wooden bead or beads on a piece of parchment or waxed paper to dry. Alternatively, you can dump them in a strainer over the sink and then place them on an old rag or a paper towel to dry.
6. Repeat as needed with more beads and/or using more colors and color combinations. Don’t forget to wash your canning jar in between each color–unless you plan to mix them, of course!
7. Once dyed wooden beads are dry, you can spray them with a varnish to seal and protect the color. (optional) Please note that dyed wooden beads can bleed color if they get wet even when they are sealed and protected. Don’t shower with them on necklaces if you hope to maintain their color.

How to Dye Wooden Beads Step-by-Step Video Tutorial

Watch the video tutorial below to learn how to dye wooden beads using this easy coloring process! Then use colored wooden beads to make stretchy beaded bracelets and bead bunny crafts.

Or Paint Wooden Beads In a Bag or Baggie

1. First, drop unfinished wooden beads in a bag or baggie.
2. Next, pour acrylic or liquid watercolor paint into the bag with the wooden beads.
3. Then zip or seal the bag so the paint does not escape.
4. Massage the beads in the bag to mix the paint through the bag and color the wooden beads.
5. Then, pour the painted wooden beads out on plastic, or wax paper to dry.
6. Make sure you roll them around every so often to make sure that they do not stick, but be careful not to rub the paint off of them.
7. You may also need to poke the bead holes with a toothpick to ensure the paint does not dry inside of them and render the bead hole useless. Because it’s tough to string beads that have the hole painted shut.

How to Color Wooden Beads with Paint Pens

Another fun and easy way to color wooden beads is with paint pens.

The extra fine tip and brush tip paint pens make it easy to apply color to beads in a gazillion different ways, the only limits are the limits of your imagination.

You can choose to color an entire bead one color with a paint pen or choose a few colors. You can even create intricate designs and patterns with paint pens on wooden beads!

Look at how cool these painted wooden spools turned out! We used metallic brush pens to decorate the wooden beads in this photograph…

Once colored wooden beads are dry you can spray them with a varnish to seal and protect the color. (optional)

We are working on some more cool videos and photos of examples of colored wooden beads painted with paint pens to share with you very soon!

Stay tuned, and bookmark this page so you can come back to see what we have added!

Related: Rainbow Bead Lucky Necklace

Colored Wooden Beads for Jewelry Making and Craft Projects

Coloring wooden beads to use for crafts, jewelry making, and DIY projects is fun and easy. You can also purchase colored wooden beads. However, if you need to match a certain color dying wooden beads yourself is the way to go!

Use colored wooden beads to make wooden bead bracelets, beaded necklaces, bead bunnies, and other fun crafts and DIY projects!

Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!

If You Liked This Colored Wooden Bead Craft Tutorial, You May Also Like

• How to Start and Finish a Beaded Necklace or Bracelet
• Best Homemade Gift Ideas
• How to Paint and Decorate Wooden Eggs
• DIY Mother-Daughter Necklace Set
• How to Color Wooden Blocks