How To Make Your Own Paintball Mask + Customize & Painting Ideas

Hi, Freddy here. I’m an old-school paintballer. One of my big interests in life is to customize paintball gear and create unique styles for my next field day and impress my teammates.

There are so many ways you can customize your paintball mask. Here are a few of them:

You can add different lenses to your mask to change your field of view.
You can add other covers or skins to your mask to alter its appearance.
You can add different straps or harnesses to your mask to change how it fits on your head.
You can add accessories to your mask, like a fan or a GoPro mount.
You can customize your mask to be a ghillie paintball mask or camouflage it.
You can paint your mask in different colors and designs
You can decorate your mask with other fabrics
You can clothe your mask with gaiters and face masks in cool designs

It is essential not to compromise on safety when customizing your paintball mask. You can get injured and blind without a proper mask protecting you if you get shot in the face. Be careful when altering your paintball mask to avoid compromising its quality and protection.

With a bit of time and effort, you can have a one-of-a-kind mask that will make you stand out on the playing field! Let’s get into it.

Table of Contents

How to Make Your Own Custom Paintball Mask Step By Step

The first step is to buy a paintball mask.

Go to the paintball store, try on a few masks, and look for one you like.

Consider a quality mask from a big brand like Dye, CARBON, HK army, or VForce. There are much more likely to have replacement parts in different styles and colors. Make sure you can dismantle the mask and that it’s possible to replace the parts. You can get an idea of how available replacement parts are by looking at the best sellers on Amazon.

I always prefer an anti-fog mask with good ventilation and a thermal lens, which decreases the chances it fogs up during my game on the field. A paintball goggle that fogs up ruins all the fun of paintball, and a dual-pane lens is less likely to fog-up than a single-pane lens.

It would be best to consider the paintball mask’s size and fit to ensure it will be comfortable when you’re playing. If the paintball mask is uncomfortable after 5 minutes, it will probably be painful and unbearable after an hour on the field in harsh weather conditions.

Also, consider how customizable the mask is. Are all the parts glued together, or are they removable and changeable? Can you customize or replace the visor, lens, and straps if you don’t like them after you have customized them? Can you remove the parts and repaint them if you are unsatisfied with your final result?

Once you have a good paintball mask, you can now start customizing it. There are many ways to do this, but we will use one example to give you an idea.

How to Make a Ghillie Paintball Mask in Camouflage

ghillie suit camouflage — ghillie inspiration

Example step-by-step guide to how to customize your paintball mask:

1. Get all the stuff you need
2. Paintball mask
3. Thick and coarse cotton yarn in camouflage colors
4. Scissors
5. Fabric dye or spray paint

Camoflague tape from aliexpress or glue
Take your scissors and cut the yarn into dozens of pieces of threads in lengths from 10 to 25 cm.
Tie a knot on the top of the threads and then unravel all the twined lines.
Use a fabric dye on the threads to color them. Let the paint dry, then rinse them and let them dry again.
Tape the knots around the top of the visor with camouflage tape or use glue. Tape it all around the mask’s structure.
If you are satisfied with your final result, you can leave it. If not, you can try to dye or spray paint all the yarn in camouflage colors like green, brown and black to get even more coverage.

This guide was just one example of how you can make a custom paintball mask, but there are many alternatives, so read to the end of this post to see other custom paintball ideas.

How to Customize Your Paintball Mask

Use Stickers to Style Your Paintball Mask

You can buy stickers from this web store.

Or you can create a stencil or design stickers by measuring and drawing the design on a sheet of paper, elastic tape, or sticker paper. There are many Youtube tutorials and design ideas on Pinterest about how to draw patterns.

Once you have the idea in mind, overlay a paper or plastic sheet and draw an outline to see if it fits. You can apply elastic tape, transparent plastic, or drawing sheets on your mask first and paint on top until you get it perfect.

When you are happy with the design, size, curve, and fit, tape them or glue them onto the parts where you want them.

Use Gaiters as Decor for Your Paintball Mask

Using gaiters as decor over your paintball mask is a clever way to change the look and style of your mask.

Gaiters are popular for many sports and can be found in every country, or you can order them from Amazon or AliExpress.

The advantage of using gaiters is that many styles, designs, and color choices are available. The downside is that it can cover the ventilation holes on the mask and make it harder to breathe.

Use Custom Face Masks in Front of Your Paintball Mask

There are some fantastic reusable face masks in fabrics you can buy for super cheap.

I’ll be the first one to admit it. I’m so sick and tired of face masks. Since the global pandemic of 2020, face masks have been mass produced and worn worldwide. Many manufacturers have come up with some fantastic designs, which are cost-effective and guaranteed to work. The best thing about face masks is that they are cheap and mass-produced, so you can buy many of them, and they are so easy to change when you get bored of one design, style, or color.

Just buy one of the many stretchy designs on AliExpress or Amazon, and you can tape or glue them to the front of the mask or strap or tie it onto the sides of the goggle. Face masks may decrease the breathability of your paintball mask if it covers the air openings. But it may work well if the ventilation holes are under, on top, or on the sides of the paintball mask where the face mask won’t cover it.

We recently posted a guide on how to make a deathstroke paintball mask with a balaclava

How to Paint a Paintball Mask

Another option is to paint your paintball mask. All you need is basic supplies, dye, and a little creativity.

Here is a guide for painting your paintball goggle:

Dismantle all the parts of your mask, especially your lens, as you don’t want to get paint on it.
Clean the mask properly. You may use alcohol or another cleaner to remove any oils or dirt that could prevent the paint from sticking.
Wait for the mask to dry completely
Apply a base coat of paint to all the mask parts or different colors to different paces if you want a unique customized design.
Once the base coat is dry, start adding your design elements. Use different colors and patterns to create something special.
When you are happy with your design, add a layer of clear sealant to protect it from wear and tear.
Let the mask dry completely before putting your mask back together.

Frequently asked questions about customizing and painting a paintball mask.

How to Apply Spray Paint?

If your paintball mask has a removable lens, remove it before spray painting. Tape all edges of the goggle and inside the ventilation before you spray.

What type of paint to buy?

It’s best to use Krylon fusion paints, which are meant for plastic. Many types of paint have a hard time sticking to the glossy plastic of the mask or leave a completely glossy or matte result.