How To Make Salt Dough That Lasts Forever - Emma Owl (2024)

FAQs

How to make salt dough last forever? ›

When it comes to storing your salt dough ornaments, it's important to avoid heat and humidity. Choose a cool, dry place and opt for a sturdy container for the best protection. For the best protection, wrap each ornament in wax paper before you store them away.

How to Preserve Salt Dough Ornaments. To help preserve your finished dried ornaments, you can coat with a layer or two of Mod Podge or spray with a sealer. Either work well. I'd recommend coating or sealing both sides, so do one side and let it dry, and then do the second side.

In our experience, salt dough decorations will last for years once you've baked and decorated them, so they make a lovely keepsake. We've had decorations last over 20 years with no deterioration. To help them last longer, paint them with a layer of decoupage glue or clear varnish to seal the colours.

Also, if you have used alcohol inks, watercolors, or acrylic paint on salt dough, I highly recommend a light spray sealant as your first coat. This helps seal the color, and prevents bleeding or smearing. You can then apply a second and/or third coat of sealant as desired.

DOES SALT DOUGH GO MOLDY? Salt, itself, is a preservative, but if you leave your ornaments untreated without applying Mod Podge or the clear glaze, they could absorb moisture and eventually go moldy over time.

It's important to seal your ornaments once they're dried, so that they don't absorb moisture from the air. Use Mod Podge (in matte) to seal the dough and give them a more finished look.

Salt dough needs to dry completely and as quickly as possible to prevent mold from forming. The best way to air-dry salt dough is to leave it on a wooden tray near a warm heater. This method works pretty well in winter, as houses tend to be warm and dry, but I would recommend using an oven during humid seasons.

dough. The great thing about it is that the salt dough sculptures will harden if you leave them out to dry at room temperature. Depending on the size of the pieces, it will take 2 to 7 days to dry completely. Turn the pieces from time to time for faster drying.

The salt dough browns slightly when baked, while the air dry clay stays a bright pure white, and I think the clay also holds the shape of the cookie cutter much sharper and more defined without any shrinkage. But what I love most about this project is how simple and how affordable it is to make.

After cooling out the salt dough creations are ready for painting. If you don't have an oven (like in a nursery), you can also just wait until the salt dough dries out over time. This salt dough recipe works for no bake as well. It will take a couple of days until it's dry enough to apply paint on the crafts.

How to know when salt dough is done? ›

Bake the dough at 250 degrees F or about 2 hours. You want to bake them until they're hardened. They will harden a little more once you remove them from the oven and let them cool but you want them to have a good hard texture before you remove them from the oven.

If you overcook them, they tend to bubble up. As everyone's dough will be mixed differently and microwaves have different levels of power, please keep an eye on your creations when they are cooking. Take them out to check their dryness – CAREFUL - THEY WILL BE HOT!

Just plain table salt will work. This is not the time to pull out your fancy, coarse ground sea salt or Himalayan pink salt – these will not incorporate as well into your dough and could make it look a bit chunky or off color. Best of all plain table salt is very budget-friendly.

Mix the flour, salt and water, add water as necessary until it's not crumbly. Knead the dough about 5 minutes until it's smooth. Add the cooking oil to make the dough soft, pliable and smoother.

Winsor and Newton Galeria 75ml Gloss Acrylic Varnish.

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, knead a little bit until smooth, that's it! You can make salt dough ahead of time and store them in airtight plastic bag or container for about 5 days or even longer.

The mixture cools quickly for little ones to join in but please check the temperature. If the playdough is kept in a plastic bag or an airtight container, it will last for approximately six weeks.