Can you make Paper Mache Weatherproof
"Can they go outside?"...is the question I get asked soon after "What are they made of?"!
My lifesized Posh Paper Mache Sheep outside in the snow.
The answer to the first question is yes, although I'm continuing to test my sculptures for longevity outside in order to find out exactly how long they will survive outside. Over the past couple of years I have been experimenting with a variety of materials to seal the surface my sculptures, my favourites being both clear casting resin and varnish and can say both products offer a good degree of waterproofing. I have been testing a selection of pieces outside in my garden and I have found that whilst resin provides a good seal, yacht varnish is a much more pleasant and easier product to use overall. Using yacht varnish also means that additional layers of varnish can be applied to refresh the weather protection later on - just as you might do a boat or a fence.
Used in conjunction with "Posh Paper Mache" mix - a recipe which I have experimented with and tailored to my own requirements, alongside my sculpture methods I can create a strong and weather resistant piece of art. My “Posh Paper Mache” recipe incorporates ingredients used in the building industry that inherently provide a water resistant quality to the body of the sculpture as a whole. There are lots of examples of how I construct pieces to be found in my Blog, with videos and photographs and you can access and keep my particular Posh Paper Mache recipe for a small fee. I have also provided an everyday paper mache recipe, suitable for use with children, to help you make pieces yourself at home - free in my Blog (this recipe does not provide weather resistance).
Above are a selection of photographs of my lifesized sheep sculpture being tested outdoors. As you can see, the poor thing began life in the lush summer grass and went on to endure rain, frost and snow. There is also a picture of him naked, before he was painted and varnished so that you can see that he really is just paper mache (with a little wood for the ears). After a month, the little guy was fine and after a year he was still holding up against the elements.
I first placed the sheep with a few smaller outside on 13th December 2022. After a while, like anything placed outside,they are look a little grubby, but because they are varnished, they will withstand cleaning with watetr or a damp cloth. Having been outside for about a year, I noticed that some of the paper I had used to decoupage had faded in the sunlight, which was newspaper cuttings which is not acid free. Other decoupage paper that I had used which I had hand painted had not been affected by the sunlight. So in future, if a sculpture is intended for outdoors, I would make sure to use acid free papers, hand - painted papers, or acrylic paint only for decoration.
I used clear casting resin to varnish the sheep, which resulted in a pleasing crystal clear finish, unlike yacht varnish which can have a slight yellow tinge, however after a couple of winters, some areas of resin had begun to craze and crack a little. I have to conclude that resin does not stand up well to the change in temperates. The smaller pieces, on which I had used yacht varnish fared much better.
Originally, a key goal for my work was to find a way to make paper mache sculpture suitably waterproof so it was at least comparable in lifespan and durability to other artwork that you might place outdoors, such as willow sculpture. I can confidently say that I have at least achieved this and my work, when varnished with yacht varnish will do well outdoors for up to three years. There is a level of care needed to keep sculptures outside - they will need cleaning occasionally. Their lifespan outside will likely be extended by a re-coat of yacht varnish every year, although I have not tried doing this yet.
In the end, because I had used resin on the sheep, I was forced to strip off the resin then repaint and varnish him to get him back to looking his best. The structure underneath was unaffected by the weather - exposure to weather only appears to effect the outer layers of paint and varnish if the surface becomes compromised and moisture finds its way underneath.
This article has been updated on 20th Sept 2025 as experiments continue…
Watch the video below to see a little more.