The most common glazing defects – and how to avoid them

Common Glazing Mistakes – and How to Avoid Them

Glazing is a beautiful stage of working with ceramics – but also a moment that can bring surprises. Especially at the beginning, it's easy to overlook something, misjudge, or… overdo the amount of glaze.

The good news is that most "mishaps" can be avoided if we know what to pay attention to. This post will help you approach glazing calmly, consciously, and with greater confidence.

 

1. Too Thick a Glaze Layer

This is one of the most common mistakes. It seems like "the more glaze, the better the effect" – but in practice, it's the opposite.

Too thick a layer can:

– run in the kiln,

– create unsightly drips,

– crack or cause chipping,

– "smother" the color – resulting in a muddy surface instead of depth.

 

How to avoid this?

Apply 2–3 thin coats and allow each to dry slightly. Observe samples and test – glazes behave differently after firing!

2. No Clean Foot (Base)

This is very important: glaze on the bottom of the piece = disaster in the kiln.

Glaze melts at high temperatures and acts like glue – if the foot is glazed, the piece will stick to the shelf, may crack, or even damage the shelf.

What to do?

– Leave approx. 5 mm of a clean foot.

– You can use masking tape or wipe off the glaze with a damp sponge after it dries.

– If you have a piece with a very runny glaze – leave an even larger margin of safety (even 1–2 cm).

 

3. Using Runny Glazes Without Caution

Effect glazes (reactive, runny) can yield beautiful results – but they can be unpredictable.

What can happen?

– glaze runs down the side of the piece and settles on the kiln shelf,

– causes the piece to crack,

– permanently damages the shelf – leaving burnt glaze residue.

How to avoid this?

– If using a runny glaze, do not glaze all the way to the bottom – leave at least 1–1.5 cm of unglazed surface.

– Observe glaze samples in the studio – it's usually visible how much they "run."

– At Nuna Ceramics Studio, we always advise which glazes require more caution.

 

4. Lack of Cleanliness Before Glazing

Dirt, dust, fingerprints, hand cream – all of these can affect how the glaze "grips" the surface.

Effects?

– glaze flakes off after firing,

– stains, holes, unsightly light spots appear.

 

What to do?

Before glazing, wipe the piece with a slightly damp sponge, removing dust and greasy marks. Be careful not to over-wet it – bisque absorbs water.

 

5. Thoughtless Glaze Combinations

Mixing glazes is wonderful fun, but you need to know what works well together – because some combinations can:

– react unpredictably,

– run more than you intended,

– result in a muddy or "dirty" color.

How to avoid this?

– Test combinations on small samples.

– Don't experiment on your beloved mug 😉

– Ask in the studio – we often have experience with specific glaze combinations.

 

6. Haste and Lack of Patience

Sometimes we make mistakes simply because we glaze "in a hurry" – and ceramics doesn't like haste.

 

Tip?

Allow yourself time for calm preparation of your workspace, consideration of colors and technique. Glazing is not a race – it's part of the creative process 💛

 

Summary: Your Glazing Success

At the beginning, mistakes are part of learning – that's completely natural. But with each subsequent glazing, you learn more, feel more confident, and… truly begin to enjoy this stage.

At Nuna Ceramics Studio, we are here to support you – we help you choose glazes, remind you about clean feet, and share our knowledge from the heart.

In the next post, we will talk about how to create your own glaze samples and keep a ceramics notebook – so your experiments become your greatest creative strength.