Learn how to make custom Yeti or Ozark cups by following this how to paint a yeti or ozark stainless steel mug tutorial.
Easter is coming up so I was brainstorming ideas to put in my kids Easter baskets that wouldn’t cost a fortune and that are useful. I love making personalized items and realized I never had made them their own stainless steel mug.
My youngest always drinks out of mine because he loves the cold water and my others leave cups all over the house so I thought making them their own would be a win-win! So, here’s a quick tutorial on how to make a custom Yeti or Ozark mug.
Here are the items I used for custom yeti mugs:
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- Ozark stainless steel cup – found here
- Rustoleum protective enamel – I used Rustoleum Gloss Protective Enamel (click link): Blue, Red, White
- Rustoleum 2x Gloss Spa Blue – found here
- Rustoleum Hammered Gray – found here
- Cricut Explore Air and vinyl – you should check out my Ultimate Guide to Cricut Ideas here! Find tons of ideas from gifts, decor, easy projects, etc!
For my detailed tutorial of spray painting a stainless steel mug with a lot of pictures, click here! Follow all the same instructions but stop before adding the second paint color and glitter.
For these DIY mugs, I applied painters blue tape around the top and also the bottom of the mug. Stick press n seal around the top so the paint doesn’t get in the mug.
After you apply the vinyl stencil, spray 2 or 3 layers of Rustoleum protective enamel spray paint over the whole cup and allow to dry. The type of paint is very important! Some paints will just run off the stainless steel mug, so make sure you use the Rustoleum protective enamel spray paint.
For the blue mug, I applied some spritz of Rustoleum hammered gray over the blue to get a little textured effect.
For the periwinkle mug, I first applied a layer of Rustoleum protective enamel white. Once it was dry, I then sprayed on a few coats of the Rustoleum 2x spa blue over the top since the regular 2x won’t stick so I used the white as a primer.
Once they were dry, I sprayed a layer of Minwax polycrylic over them. Once that’s dry, it’s time to take off the blue tape and stencil.
That’s all there is to it to make a custom yeti or Ozark cup! By using a base layer of protective enamel spray, you can use almost any color over it. There is a limited amount of Rustoleum protective enamel to choose from so using a base coat really opens up endless possibilities!
Another possibility is applying permanent vinyl to the mug. Check out my tutorial on how to apply vinyl to a tumbler by clicking here!
Or if you’d like to learn how to seal a glitter tumbler with epoxy to make these mugs click here!
Or I have a full video tutorial step by step tutorial on how to make glitter tumblers.
Thanks for stopping by!! Have a great day!
John H.
Monday 13th of July 2020
Hi, how do they hold up to washing in the dishwasher?
Leap of Faith Crafting
Tuesday 14th of July 2020
Hi, I always recommend hand washing these mugs as do the companies. The high heat of the dishwashing can mess with the mechanism of keeping things cold. So I've never put any of mine in the dishwasher, so they last a long time.
Cindy morgan
Thursday 30th of April 2020
Hello, so you dont have to sand the tumblers ?
Leap of Faith Crafting
Tuesday 12th of May 2020
I don't. With the spray paints I use, I've never had a problem without sanding first.
Sarah
Saturday 9th of June 2018
I am trying to make a tumbler, with no glitter. Should I put my stencil on, sand, spray paint, remove stencil then epoxy?
Nichole
Sunday 13th of September 2020
I have the same question. Should I epoxy over the spray paint even though I am not putting glitter on the tumbler?
Kathy
Thursday 31st of May 2018
are the mugs safe to drink from with the rustoleum paint on them? Cancer causing...just wondering. Thank you.