Learn how to make a Cricut mug by applying vinyl and sealing it with Mod Podge for a washable, long-lasting mug!
Cricut mugs are SO popular — my tutorial on how to put vinyl on mugs has nearly a million views! But one question I keep getting over and over is how to seal the mugs after you apply the vinyl. Most people don’t bother to seal their mugs as permanent vinyl usually does well enough on its own, but it’s not really and truly dishwasher safe. So can you do it? You can, and in this tutorial I’m going to show you how to make a vinyl Cricut mug and seal it for a washable mug! I have put together this really easy, absolutely adorable Cricut mug tutorial to simplify the entire process for you! Don’t forget to check out my mug gift box tutorial too, for the perfect way to gift your brand new mug!
These Cricut mugs are so cute and perfect for any level of crafter! Even if you have never worked with vinyl, don’t worry, you can do this project! Mugs are great for teachers, neighbors, really anyone — they are bound to bring a smile to someone’s face. Fill these mugs with candy and a gift card, wrap it in colorful cellophane, and you have a wonderful and thoughtful gift! These mugs are asimple, but personalized gift to give! How easy is that?
When I say that these are easy, I am not exaggerating! I encourage you to try this project, especially if you’ve never worked with vinyl before! One of the things I love about these adorable faces is that they are quick and simple to make! I wanted to create a design on a mug that is universal, one that will appeal to men, women, young, and old. We have all experienced these facial expressions at some point (especially BEFORE coffee) and now you can put them on a mug!
There are only a couple of items you must have to make this project. You need permanent adhesive vinyl in a color to go on your mug. You’ll also want standard grip transfer tape to get the vinyl onto your mug’s surface.
To clean the mugs, rubbing alcohol is all you need — cleaning them helps your vinyl stick better.
And then, to make your Cricut mug dishwasher safe, I recommend Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Sealer! A foam or soft bristle brush will help spread the Mod Podge smoothly on your mug.
I used my Cricut cutting machine to cut out these adorable faces, along with the fine point blade along, a green Standard Grip cutting mat, and some basic weeding tools and a scraper.
Let me show you how to create a washable vinyl design on a Cricut mug! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read myfull disclosure policy.
Quick Links to Information in this Post
Materials to Create a Vinyl Design on a Cricut Mug
View my Amazon shopping list with the exact items we used to make this project!
- Ceramic mugs (avoid anything powder coated or textured)
- Outdoor permanent adhesive vinyl
- Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Sealer
- Foam or Soft bristle brush
- Cricut Standard Grip Transfer Tape (do not use Strong Grip)
- Rubbing alcohol
- Cricut Standard Grip Mat (green)
- Weeding Tool
- Scraper tool
- A way to cut your vinyl for the mug (I used the amazing Cricut cutting machine!)
- Design #287 – My free Cricut mug face decals (available in my free resource library—get the password at the bottom of this post
How to Create a Cricut Mug with Sealed Vinyl
Yield: 3 Active Time: 30 minutes Additional Time: 1 day Total Time: 1 day 30 minutes Difficulty: Easy Estimated Cost: $12 Here are my step-by-step directions for applying vinyl to your Cricut mugs and sealing them so they are dishwasher safe. First, you need some cute designs for your mugs! I made some funny faces for you that you can download from my free resource library. The “I Need Coffee” faces I used in this project are design #287 or check out my cute animal faces in design #125. You can find the patterns by searching the page for the design number and then click it to download the SVG cut files. If you’re going to cut the vinyl decals out on your cutting machine, upload the file to your design software. I'm going to show you how to do this in Cricut Design Space. If you’re not sure how to upload an SVG cut file to Cricut Design Space, watch this helpful video training series I made. If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, here’s how to download and upload SVG files to the Cricut Design Space app. This is what the “I Need Coffee” funny faces SVG vinyl decal looks like in Cricut Design Space after uploading: There are three faces to choose from. If you only want to cut one, hide the others by clicking on the eye icon on the layers you do not want to cut. Now all we need to do is cut our vinyl! Click the green Make It button in the upper right corner. NOTE: You should NOT mirror adhesive vinyl the way you would iron-on vinyl, so keep this Mirror toggle OFF. Click on the green CONTINUE button. Now set your material. Click on Browse Material Settings and search for Permanent Vinyl. Place your permanent adhesive vinyl shiny color side UP (right side up) on your cutting mat. Make sure the fine-point blade is loaded into your Cricut cutting machine, then load the mat in. Press the flashing button to GO! It will only take a minute or so to cut the faces. When you are done cutting, flip the mat over onto your work surface and peel it away from the vinyl carefully. Once you cut out your vinyl, you want to weed it, which means to remove all the extra bits that you don’t want to transfer to your mug. You might be able to do this with your fingernail, but you might want to use a weeding tool (I do). This is what your weeded vinyl will look like: After the vinyl is weeded, you need a piece of transfer tape to transfer your design to your mug. So you just want to cut out a piece of transfer tape that is roughly the same size, or at least the same size as your design. Take the backing off of the transfer tape and put it onto the front of your vinyl decal. Start at the corner and move outwards so that you don’t get creases and bubbles in your transfer tape. NOTE: Don’t put the vinyl sticky side down on your work surface because that will just mess with your vinyl’s ability to adhere to a mug. Clean the surface of your mug with 91% isopropyl alcohol. This will remove any oil or dirt and get the surface as clean as possible. This will make sure the vinyl decal sticks and stays stuck permanently. If your coffee mug surface is straight, you're good to continue on. If your coffee mug surface is curved, take small snips around the edges of the transfer tape on your vinyl decal. These snips allow your transfer tape to bend with the curve of the mug and allow you to apply it on that curve without any creases. Apply the vinyl to the mug, and allow the vinyl to move where it wants to go naturally. Don’t force it into a position. Just smooth it all down, and because you cut snips in the transfer tape, it will smooth and move into place. So even though you may have creases in your transfer tape, you won’t have creases in the vinyl. This is the secret to putting vinyl around a curved surface like this. And if you don't have a curved surface, this is even easier. Take off all the transfer tape. Your goal is to see perfectly smooth vinyl on your mug with no creases. Here's what your Cricut mug looks like with the vinyl on it: Permanent adhesive vinyl will hold up when hand-washed and can be run through the dishwasher... usually. It depends on your dishwasher and how rough it is with your dishes honestly. Even when you CAN dishwash your vinyl mugs, over time and after repeated washings, your vinyl may start to peel. So if you plan on cleaning your mugs regularly in a dishwasher, you can do that by sealing them with Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Sealer. This sealer can hold up in heat and be run through a dishwasher. It is non-toxic, but since it is not FDA approved as food safe you may choose not to seal the area along the rim where your lips will touch the mug. I like to keep about a 1/2” area just under the rim unsealed. To seal your mug, first re-clean it all over since you’ve been handling it and don’t want any lint or oils remaining. Follow the same process as before using 91% isopropyl alcohol. Now, you will coat the entire mug (except the handle) because you'll want the mug to have the same texture all over. You may choose to seal only the vinyl, but just be aware that the texture may be noticeably different in the places you apply the sealer versus the areas where you don’t. Brush a VERY THIN coat all over the mug using short strokes in the SAME direction using a soft and clean foam brush, leaving the area under the rim unsealed. For the smoothest finish, use as few brush strokes as possible, as it begins to set quickly. If you can brush it on with only one or two strokes, that is best.Let the mug dry an hour before adding a second coat. Repeat for a third layer. Note: The Mod Podge sealer will look streakier when it is wet, and will be less noticeable after it cures. TIP: The Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Sealer is best used on light colored mugs because the brush strokes will be less visible than when using it on dark colored mugs. If you don't like the textured look of the Mod Podge sealer, or really wish you could microwave your Cricut mugs, here's a better solution for you! After the last coat of sealer, set your mug in a clean, dry location to cure for 28 days before using. It will dry hard in a couple of days, but do NOT use the mug or expose it to water until the 28 days are up! (Yeah, I know, that's a long time. If you don't want to wait that long, use Infusible Ink and the new Cricut Mug Press) Now your mug is ready! Be sure to place it on the top rack of your dishwasher and it should last a very long time over repeated washings! Special thanks to the Design Fairy Team, specifically Kelly and Debbie for helping me design and assemble these cute mugs! As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cricut Mugs with Vinyl and Mod Podge Sealer
Materials
Tools
Instructions
Step 1: Find a Design For Your Cricut Mug
Step 2: Cut Out Your Vinyl
Step 3: Weed Your Vinyl
Step 4: Apply the Vinyl to the Cricut Mug
Step 5: Apply Sealer to the Cricut Mug
Step 6: Cure Your Cricut Mug
Notes
Recommended Products
Answers to Your Questions About Making Washable Cricut Mugs Sealed with Mod Podge
Q: What kind of vinyl can I use?
I used permanent adhesive vinyl for my Cricut mugs. Avoid removable and glitter vinyls, as they are less likely to stay stuck. See my tests with other vinyls in this video here.
Q: Can I use the Cricut Joy?
Sure! Mugs are a great project for the Cricut Joy!
Q: Can I use a different sealer?
I’ve only ever tried dishwasher Mod Podge, so I cannot offer other suggestions. I have heard people try using Crystalac Brite-Tone sealer, but I have no had an opportunity to test it yet.
Q: Where do I get Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Sealer?
You can buy it on Amazon, as well as craft stores like Michaels and Joanns.
Q: I don’t have dishwasher safe Mod Podge. Can I use a different Mod Podge?
No, as other Mod Podge sealers are water soluble and will come off as soon as you wash your Cricut mug.
Q: Can I microwave my Cricut mug?
Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Sealer can hold up in heat such as the dishwasher. Some people have reported using it in the microwave for short amounts of time, but it is NOT recommended as vinyl can create fumes when heated. If you want a microwave-safe mug, use Infusible Ink with the Cricut Mug Press.
Q: Can I wash mugs with Cricut vinyl?
Yes, and you can do it with and without the sealer. Hand washing is best, dishwasher (top rack only) is riskier but often quite possible. Sealer makes your vinyl mug much more likely to tolerate the dishwasher. But your mileage may vary.
Q: Is Mod Podge food safe?
Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe Sealer is water based and non-toxic, but it is not a FDA approved food-safe product. This is why we recommend avoiding the areas around the rim of the mug where your lips will touch the surface.
Q: My sealer leaves marks and has a weird texture. How can I minimize the streaks and texture?
Very thin coats are the key to the smoothest possible finish, but keep in mind that you’ll never be able to get a completely smooth surface with Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe sealer. I also recommend using the sealer on light-colored mugs because the brush strokes will be more visible on dark colored mugs.
Get my free SVG files to Create a Cricut Mug with Funny Faces
I’d love to see YOUR vinyl design on a Cricut mug! Please share a photo in our Facebook group or tag me on social media with #jennifermaker.
Love,
Want to remember this? Save this Cricut Mug tutorial to your favorite Pinterest Board!
FAQs
How do I get my Cricut vinyl to stay on a mug? ›
Clean the surface of your mug with 91% isopropyl alcohol. This will remove any oil or dirt and get the surface as clean as possible. This will make sure the vinyl decal sticks and stays stuck permanently. If your coffee mug surface is straight, you're good to continue on.
How do you keep permanent vinyl from peeling off mugs? ›Before you start, make sure your stainless steel tumbler or mug has been cleaned and dried. And clean the cup with rubbing alcohol. This helps to remove any remaining grease or residue that will prevent the vinyl from adhering properly. Let the vinyl cure on the cup for 48-72 hours to make sure it sticks well.
Do you have to seal Cricut vinyl on mugs? ›For example, with a mug, you're going to want to hand wash it if you don't plan to seal the vinyl. If you're going to be submerging it in water or want to run it through the dishwasher a couple times a week, then you do need to seal it.
How do you seal a vinyl coffee cup? ›You can use the polycrylic. However this is just a much better. Product for this very type of
How do you keep vinyl from peeling off glass? ›For vinyl graphics to look good and protected, you can spray it with clear coat paint. The vinyl is less likely to peel off when clearcoat paint is applied to it. This also helps clean the glass surface easier.
Can I put Modge podge over vinyl? ›Sealing Vinyl on Wood
For sealing vinyl you can use spray sealers like polyurethane polyacrylic spray. Another great choice for sealing vinyl on wood is a dishwasher-safe Mod Podge or epoxy resin. Mod Podge is a versatile option for sealing vinyl.
Clean Your Surface
The simplest way to keep your adhesive vinyl from peeling is to ensure the area you want to apply your decal to is clear of crumbs, dirt, or bumps. Oils from your hands create a residue that makes your decal peel as well. Also, any dirt or foreign objects on the surface can lead to peeling.
There are three ways that you can seal craft projects, including those with vinyl. Those are a spray sealer like polyurethane polyacrylic spray, dishwasher safe Mod Podge, or an epoxy.
How do I make my permanent vinyl stick better? ›Make sure the surface is completely dry and untouched before you try to put your vinyl on. Still having trouble? If you have cleaned your surface well with rubbing alcohol but your vinyl is still not sticking, try leaving the transfer tape on the vinyl for a bit after applying it onto the surface.
What sealant is food safe for mugs? ›Outdoor Mod Podge
It is a safe water-based sealer for ceramic pieces and other outdoor projects. It is a durable and highly water-resistant mug sealant. You can apply it on a ceramic surface on coffee mugs without worrying about chemicals and toxicity.
How do I seal my Cricut vinyl? ›
How To Seal Vinyl on a Tumbler - YouTube
How do you seal a ceramic mug? ›Start by setting down a layer of newspaper to protect your workspace. Use painter's tape to cover any area you don't want to seal. Place the mug upside down on the newspaper, then spray or paint on a sealant. Apply it in thin, even layers until the mug is coated.
How do you make vinyl mugs dishwasher safe? ›Cricut Mug Tutorial: Dishwasher Safe! * Beginner Friendly From Start to ...
How do you seal vinyl with Mod Podge? ›How To Seal Vinyl Decals - YouTube
How do you seal vinyl to make food safe? ›So what's the secret to keeping the serving tray food safe? You use a CLEAR serving tray, put the vinyl on the underside of the tray, and then paint and seal the bottom so the vinyl never comes into contact with any food!
Can you clear coat over vinyl? ›Vinyl decals were never intended to have a clear coat put on top, as far as we can discover within product specifications. However, many people have tried this way with great success. Most people consider that the decals will last longer because of having a coat of clear paint or lacquer applied over them.
Why does my vinyl peel off? ›Time- Pressing or ironing for too short a time can cause HTV not to stick to your shirt. Pressing or ironing for too long can have the same effect. HTV works by using a heat activated adhesive so too little time and it won't heat enough to stick. Too long and it can actually burn the adhesive off.
Can Cricut vinyl go in dishwasher? ›Cricut Premium Permanent Vinyl Roll (12 in x 15 ft), Weather-Resistant, Dishwasher-Safe & Fade-Proof, Compatible with Cricut Cutting Machines, Create Signs, Labels, & Personalize DIY Project, White.
Can you seal permanent vinyl with Mod Podge? ›We have used Mod Podge (not 'Modge Podge' as I know lots of us call it) successfully for a lot of our projects, including sealing over vinyl, making custom photo canvases, and glittering pretty things. Mod Podge is also non-toxic and generally safe to use with older kids.
How do you make vinyl decals dishwasher safe? ›To make a permanent vinyl dishwasher safe, you can place a sealant like Dishwasher Safe Mod Podge over the decal and cure it. Generally speaking, vinyl mugs are not dishwasher safe, and it's recommended to be washed by hand.
Does Modge Podge dry clear? ›
Let me give you the short answer to the question “does Mod Podge dry clear?”: YES! Mod Podge looks milky in the bottle, but when applied properly, it dries completely clear.
Why is my permanent vinyl peeling? ›Clean Your Surface
The simplest way to keep your adhesive vinyl from peeling is to ensure the area you want to apply your decal to is clear of crumbs, dirt, or bumps. Oils from your hands create a residue that makes your decal peel as well. Also, any dirt or foreign objects on the surface can lead to peeling.
HOW TO APPLY VINYL TO MUGS! - YouTube
How do I make Cricut mugs dishwasher safe? ›Cricut Mug Tutorial: Dishwasher Safe! * Beginner Friendly From Start to ...
What kind of vinyl should I use for mugs? ›651 is great for mugs because of it's permanent adhesive strength - however keep in mind it's not considered dishwasher or microwave safe so you'll want to hand wash. After applying 651 vinyl to a mug be sure to let it cure (sit) for about 48 hours before washing. This just lets the adhesive come to full strength.
What can you seal vinyl with? ›There are three ways that you can seal craft projects, including those with vinyl. Those are a spray sealer like polyurethane polyacrylic spray, dishwasher safe Mod Podge, or an epoxy.
How do I fix peeling Cricut vinyl? ›How to fix heat transfer vinyl when it peels up - YouTube
How do I make my permanent vinyl stick better? ›Make sure the surface is completely dry and untouched before you try to put your vinyl on. Still having trouble? If you have cleaned your surface well with rubbing alcohol but your vinyl is still not sticking, try leaving the transfer tape on the vinyl for a bit after applying it onto the surface.
Will vinyl stay on coffee mugs? ›Well, there are two types of adhesive vinyls: removable and permanent. When it comes to mugs, permanent is always the best way to go because it can withstand washing (dishwashing or washing by hand). Not to mention, permanent adhesive vinyl has a higher tact than removable.
Can permanent vinyl go in dishwasher? ›Permanent vinyl is not dishwasher safe because the decal may peel off when exposed to the heat inside the dishwasher.
Does Permanent vinyl work on mugs? ›
For vinyl on mugs, however, you want one that will last a really long time. The type I used for my experiments is the Premium Permanent Vinyl from Cricut. There are other brands but you want to look for something that is rated for outdoor or permanent use.
What sealant is food safe for mugs? ›Outdoor Mod Podge
It is a safe water-based sealer for ceramic pieces and other outdoor projects. It is a durable and highly water-resistant mug sealant. You can apply it on a ceramic surface on coffee mugs without worrying about chemicals and toxicity.
Your Vinyl Will Eventually Peel Off!
What is this? Cricut Iron-On Vinyl will outlast 50+ washes, whilst Siser HTV (our favorite) will outlast 100+ washes.
How To Seal Print Then Cut Vinyl Decals - Sealing Cricut Printable Vinyl
What Cricut vinyl is best for mugs? ›Oracal 651 is a good choice for custom mug decals. This is a premium vinyl that suits most indoor and outdoor applications when you need something permanent. We have this vinyl on mugs which has lasted for many years, and that's with being washed in the dishwasher!
Is Cricut permanent vinyl waterproof? ›Cricut Premium Vinyl - Permanent is ideal for projects that need to weather the storm, from mailboxes to mugs, to outdoor signage and more. It's a water-resistant and UV-resistant film with an adhesive that can last for up to 3 years.
How long does permanent vinyl take to cure? ›While you should let your vinyl cure for 72 hours, you can also heat set your vinyl. I heat my vinyl designs with my embossing gun when done. This helps the adhesive stick better, and helps work out any air bubbles that might form.