How to Make Nail Stamping Plates at Home

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a nail stamping plate at home

Nail stamping is a fun and creative way of doing nail designs, and it is something that has started to become more popular again. Whether people want to be more creative with their nail designs or are simply looking for a new hobby to try out, nail stamping is making a comeback.

As we are now spending much more time at home, DIY ideas and hacks are what everyone is looking for, and when it comes to nails doing them at home has become just as good as getting them done professionally. But, when it comes to nail stamping, one question that does get asked a lot is how do you make nail stamping plates at home? 

To make a nail stamp at home, you’ll need two acetate sheets, a craft knife, and some tape. All you need to do is cut out your designs on an acetate sheet, tape that to the other acetate sheet, and you are ready to go with your DIY nail stamping plate.

This post will give you a detailed step-by-step guide on making your own nail stamping plates at home. 

How to Make Nail Stamping Plates at Home

Nail art stamping is a nail art technique that involves transferring designs to your nails using a stamper; you apply nail polish onto a metal plate that has engraved designs on them, and then apply the nail polish to the nail using a stamping tool. 

This has become a popular nail technique, and more people are trying this out at home recently. Having the nail design plates are great, but sometimes you may want to design your own and have your own patterns. To make your own nail design plates, all you need to do is follow these key steps.

All you need to create your own nail stamping plate at home is; two acetate sheets, a craft knife, tape, and a permanent fine-liner. 

1. First, you need to begin with one acetate sheet, and you need to tape it to a protected surface, as you will be cutting into it.
2. Once the acetate sheet is securely taped down, with the fine liner, begin to draw out the patterns you want.
3. When you are happy with the patterns you have drawn, and the drawings have completely dried, you can begin to cut out your designs with the craft knife.
4. Once you have cut out your desired design, remove it from the taped surface. With the other acetate sheet, tape the two together so that the cut out one is on top of the other acetate sheet. 
5. At this stage, you are ready to start using your nail stamping plate; you would use it in the same way as any other stamping plate.
6. Cover the design with your chosen nail polish. Using a scraper, scrape off the excess nail polish and transfer the design onto the nail stamper. Finally, press down the design onto your nail.

How to clean your DIY nail stamping plates

As you apply the nail polish to the nail stamp, it can get messy and hard to re-use them, so you must know how to clean them properly. However, as this is a DIY nail stamping plate, you can necessarily clean them like bought nail stamping plates.

With acetate sheets, you cannot use acetone as the chemicals will cause the acetate sheet to dissolve. It’s advised that instead of acetone, you use pure rubbing alcohol. This will remove the nail polish and clean your nail stamping plate, but it’ll avoid damaging them.

If you decide that you don’t want to re-use them, then you can throw them away and re-make one the next time you come to do your nails. However, if you do want to make them as re-usable as possible, then it is essential to clean them properly to keep them in the best condition to re-use.

You can still use acetone to clean other tools used for stamping; for example, you can clean the stamper and scraper with either pure rubbing alcohol or acetone, just not the stamping plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use any nail polish for stamping?

Yes, you can use any nail polish; however, if you want better, long-lasting results, then it is advised that you use nail stamping polish.

A specific nail polish designed for stamping will make the designs look clearer and make them last longer, but if you don’t want to spend extra money on different nail polish, or you aren’t too fussed about them lasting longer. Regular nail polish works fine with stamping.

What is the difference between nail polish and stamping polish?

The main difference between nail polish and stamping nail polish is the formula of the nail polish. Stamping nail polish is thicker and has a creamier texture, so when you stamp, your designs come out thicker and clearer.

Whereas regular nail polish is thin, as the idea is you build up the layers when you apply it to your nail, so this means your designs may not be as clear and may look quite thin on your nail.

With that in mind, it also means that stamping nail polish will last longer; the thicker polish means that it takes longer to break down and get damaged. Yet, with regular nail polish, because you are applying a thin layer and can’t build it up, it is a lot easier to get damaged and will only last a short amount of time.

Is nail stamping easy?

Once you get the hang of the stamping techniques, stamping is one of the most straightforward nail arts you can do. If you are completely new to stamping, it can seem tricky to apply it to the nail, but it is very straightforward. A few tips to make your stamping experience easier include: 

• Make sure you mask around your nail before applying the nail polish. You will get nail polish around your nail, so to prevent it from drying onto your skin and struggling to get it off, masking around your nail will help you peel it off and not have any problems.
• You need to work fast to get the best results. If you take long putting the design onto your nail, the polish will dry on the stamper, and it’ll be hard to get off. To avoid this, make sure you are completely ready to stamp it, and you’ve done all the required steps to prepare for you to stamp.
• Make sure you scrape enough nail polish off. If there is too much nail polish on the nail stamping plate when you go to stamp, the nail polish may run and won’t show the design. Scrape the nail polish off so that you can see the design clearly, but there is enough polish so that it covers the chosen design.

Summary

I hope this has been helpful, and you have found some great tips to help with your nail stamping. This is a great activity to try out; if you want to try something new and creative or want to learn a new hobby, give nail stamping ago.

As I said earlier, this is a type of nail art that is quickly becoming more popular, and it is such an easy thing to learn, so there is no reason you can’t try this out.