Where to Buy Smooth Rocks for Painting! 😮

Check out an awesome resource for purchasing smooth rocks for your rock painting! ➡Learn how to seal your rocks with Art Resin in this video: • How to Use Art Resin t...
Sometimes finding smooth rocks for painting can be challenging and it's not allowed or legal to take them from many "natural" habitats. One of my favorite places to get smooth rocks for rock painting is from big box home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowes. During the spring and summer months, when they stock landscaping supplies, you can go and look in-store to look, but I've found that there's an even bigger selection online. I first discovered this in the early days of the pandemic and was able to have them shipped directly to my home. Shipping charges can vary from $0 if you spend a certain amount to actual charges, but it's always free if you have it shipped to the store. In this video I show you 3 types of rocks I recently ordered from Home Deport (2 new and one veteran!) and how they handle paint. Happy Painting!
Here are links to the specific rocks I purchased at Home Depot:
Polished Black Grade A Pebbles: thd.co/3NRWcga
Grey Mexican Beach Pebbles: thd.co/3OMAQlv
Large Egg Rock Caribbean Beach Pebbles: thd.co/3Ih8Cgy
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🎨Here are the supplies I used in this video:
Liquitex White Gesso: amzn.to/2PmSfaA
Chux Pads (to protect the surface you're painting on): amzn.to/3n5ZeC4
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Chapters for Where to Buy Smooth Rocks for Painting! 😮
00:00 Find Smooth Rocks for Painting on Home Depot Website
00:56 Home Depot Ship to Store and Curbside Pick Up!
01:07 Rain Forest Black Polished River Pebbles
01:35 Mexican Beach Pebbles
01:58 Large White Caribbean Beach Pebbles
02:22 Storing and Cleaning My Rocks
03:18 Paint Test: Polished River Pebble
04:31 Paint Test: Caribbean Beach Pebble
05:06 Paint Test: Mexican Beach Pebble
05:39 How Resin Looks on These Rocks

[@JessicaRocks]

➡Learn how to seal your rocks with Art Resin in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJCwYWyFisyNm5o

[@susangibbons4537]

Thank you so much! I have been doing 4 or 5 coats of paint to get coverage. This is making me so happy. I tried it right away and 2 coats and done.

[@JessicaRocks]

I'm so glad it helped, and that it was as mind blowing as the first time I used it! 😉

[@lindseymarie321]

I’ve found gray Mexican beach pebbles to be great. They sell them at Lowe’s and Home Depot.

[@JessicaRocks]

They are one of my favorites!!

[@zsuzsannamatalucci4318]

Thank you for your fantastic hints about Home Depot! Your instructions are really helpful! I will definitely going to check out your website!

[@JessicaRocks]

Local landscaping companies can also be a good place to find them!

[@redtickhound]

Interesting! Thank you so much. They look so good with their natural form showing. So glad you are better!

[@JessicaRocks]

Thank you so much!

[@terrisyoutube1726]

Very nice haul!!!! Love how educational your videos are!!!!

[@JessicaRocks]

I'm glad you enjoyed...This was a big deal for me to stumble across at the beginning of COVID, and there's no reason to keep it a secret! 🙂

[@neecywatson8250]

Thanks for this video. Never thought about Home Depot. On my way!!!!!❤️

[@JessicaRocks]

You are so welcome! You might have better luck ordering online this time of year and having it shipped to your closest store for free. They don't tend to carry much in the rock categories in the winter months!

[@Chloee117]

Great video! They have those wax covered rocks at the Dollar Tree, but tiny ones. I covered the rock in Gesso (got the idea from you) and the paint worked out great. When I sealed with resin though, the back of the rock wouldn't hold the resin once dried. It "rejected" the resin and wouldn't grab. I made sure to coat every side of the wax covered tiny pebbles after that. Just a heads up. That's definitely wax. Thanks so much for showing us how you purchase them, which ones, and how they look in hand. 😊

[@JessicaRocks]

I know what Dollar Tree rocks you're talking about and I think they might be a little more "waxy" if that makes sense lol. I was pleasantly surprised how the paint and gesso adhered, but I hadn't thought about the sealer possibly not staying gripped (like what if the rock gets hot outside--wax melts!) Maybe these will have to be fully base coated rocks! lol

[@margdono]

I just purchased a bag of the beach rocks from Home Depot last week on sale. They are great. I was buying them on Amazon but you don’t get as many. Great video.

[@JessicaRocks]

They really are great! Sometimes you get some odd shaped ones but it's worth it!

[@minimonkeyhead]

I've used the same black stones (purchased at a Home Depot store) and also noticed the waxy coating on them. I didn't like the way they felt, so I scrubbed them using the coarse side of a dish sponge. You will see a grimy film on the sponge afterwards, so I definitely scrub every rock before use. It's a pain in the butt, but I prefer not having that waxy coating on them. I have not painted on these rock unwashed/unscrubbed so I can't say that there is any noticeable difference in painting on them either way. They were inexpensive so I didn't mind the extra work of scrubbing them. Thanks for your video and tips on where to find the best rocks and rock prices online.

[@JessicaRocks]

I've been doing the same but roughing them up with a scouring pad. I'm not sure I'll buy them again. I'm pretty sure they're coated Mexican Beach pebbles and I love those...and I can base coat them black if I want it lol

[@Ylloh118]

I bought the black waxy rocks as well, good idea with the Gesso. I’ve been avoiding them bc of the waxy texture!

[@JessicaRocks]

They did way better than I expected! I thought I was going to have to invest in sand paper! Lol

[@RameyRocks]

I got some of those same black rocks at Lowe's that have the coating on them. I've not been using them because the paint scratched off easy and it's too much of a hassle to put them in boiling water like I've seen people do. So I will try to use them again and this time just seal them soon after

[@JessicaRocks]

I have been meaning to do a short update on those, because I dont think I'll buy them again. They seem to hold up, but if you put them in in a bag or box where they hit against other sealed rocks, the resin can chip off...this happened to me when I took a bag full on a family vacation. I'm eith you , it's too much work when you can get untreated smooth stones!

[@barbaracorak9251]

I used gesso on the shiny rocks. After the winter most of the paint bubbled off and now I have to figure how to redo them all.

[@pamcadd8658]

I live near the Columbia River, where smooth rocks of all sizes are as common as dirt. Buying rocks? My first reaction was LOL, though I understand the necessity for some.

[@JessicaRocks]

The other side to it is that some people hold the view point that taking rocks from their natural environment disturbs the ecosystem. It might not seem like it, but if we take enough, or if enough of us do it, then it could be effecting things. I have to wonder where the landscapers get theirs from though, and are we really avoiding that issue. 🤔

[@nattyw495]

Yes these are where i get my rocks they are ftom Mexico and they are pretty nice... i think id like to try the white ones. ....mikelle art mom🎨👩‍🎨✍

[@JessicaRocks]

The white ones are really great too!

[@msenft1695]

Thanks for the suggestion of gesso as a base layer, it looks like it helps increase colour vibrancy without requiring too many paint layers 👍👍 I’m wondering if gesso also help paint to adhere better to very smooth polished rocks? I’ve tried painting polished rocks but the paint seems to scratch off very easily. I appreciate any suggestions you have, thank you! 🙏😊

[@JessicaRocks]

Yes! The gesso is dual purpose in that it helps increase vibrancy, but it also gives a great grip on slick rocks. I'm going to do some more experimenting with the polished rocks featured in this video to see if the resin stays on whatever that coating is...even though the paint adhered, I'm still slightly skeptical! Lol

[@msenft1695]

@@JessicaRocks Excellent, thank you for the response! 😊🙏👍 I have many polished rocks already and was hoping to paint them. Also, I just rediscovered some glass “rocks” I bought a few years ago, and I was wondering if gesso would work on them- have you tried it on glass? And more experimenting would be awesome! …. I actually bought a bag of those black rocks with the wax(?) coating on them, about a week before I saw your KZbin video, and I was wondering how they would react to paint or resin. 😁😂

[@JessicaRocks]

I haven't tried the gesso on glass/glass rocks, but I would bet money it would do the trick. It dries with a sort of matte "roughness." It's slight, but it's enough that it really helps paint grip to it. As for those polished rocks, I resined a couple and it adhered, but someone else brought up a good thought that I think requires some testing....even if resined, if it's outside in the heat, could that wax "melt" and the resin loses the grip? Seems possible.

[@msenft1695]

​@@JessicaRocks I will definitely try gesso on the glass, thank you 😁🙏 And thank you for sharing your results with resin on the black rocks… if it is a wax coating then it could very well melt in the heat. I wonder if there was a layer of gesso then paint then resin, if melting of the wax would still be possible, versus with resin directly on the rock…. I may have to gesso & paint some of them then get out the hair dryer to check it out. Or try a heat gun directly on the rocks and see if there is melting… or see if acetone removes the wax… I sense more ‘mad scientist’ moments in my future… 😂😂💜

[@electricbluebird9238]

If you had to pick one of those three for a craft class to use, what would u pick?

[@JessicaRocks]

I would pick the Mexican Beach Pebbles. You can usually find them in store this time of year that way you can pick a bag with the most smooth ones. Or if you are able to invest about $10 more, I would order shadow stones from here and Shelley sends ALL smooth ones so you're guaranteed all are usable! Smooth Rocks for Painting from Stones by Shelley: creatoriq.cc/3utYSx3 (Affiliate link)

[@barbaracorak9251]

I used gesso on all my rocks first. What I discovered was on polished rocks, the paint, gesso and varnish pealed off on many spots. How do I get the shine of of polished rocks. The gesso doesn’t do it’s job on anything shiny.

[@JessicaRocks]

I did a follow up video to this one (kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6m0ao17mrJ9n9E) just plain not recommending to buy the polished stones. I gave up on sanding before I was able to remove it all. Some others have commented that boiling water will take it off, or a cycle through the dishwasher, but I just wasn't interested in potentially clogging my dishwasher. I'm just not going to buy the polished stones anymore! There are plenty of other options!

[@faythmcconnell541]

Can you buy heart shaped rocks , star shaped and flower shaped ?

[@JessicaRocks]

Some people cut Santorini shapes like you're describing (on Facebook you can look up Rock Inman Inspirations and Heather Rocks Art). You also can make your own rocks with gypsum cement and silicone molds. I have a video about that process here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2PSe2pohdN1oM0

[@lonabcreations2575]

Do you let each layer of gesso dry before applying another layer?

[@JessicaRocks]

Yes definitely! If you don't, the 2nd layer will lift the first layer. When it's dry, it has kind of a slightly rough to the touch feel. Not as rough as fine sandpaper, but you can definitely feel why the paint grips it so well!

[@mmusicplus13]

@@JessicaRocks how long do you wait in between each coat?

[@JessicaRocks]

@mmmusicmore9838 I think the sorections might say to wait 24 hours or something but I only wait u till it's dry to the touch.

[@sandratrahan606]

I have several polished stones, smooth and shiny. I cannot get acrylic water based paint to stick. It peels. How to paint on these rocks, please?

[@JessicaRocks]

I actually have a short update for this video coming up where I would not recommend getting those polished stones. I was able to get paint on them by priming with gesso, and they seemed to hold resin, unless you bumped it and then it chips off really easily. You could potentially still use them by priming with gesso or white chalk paint, but I would only keep these inside and not hide out in the community where the elements can get to them!

[@michelleb9301]

I've used the black "waxy" and they seem to accept the paint and sealer. They feel really weird, don't they?

[@JessicaRocks]

They do feel weird! But they did seem to handle it well. When I was washing them I noticed the water beading up on them and that made me a little worried, but they managed! Lol