What are Warhammer Technical paints and the texture spreader for?
Technical paints are thick, textured paints for bases and effects such as mud, rock or snow. A texture spreader moves them better than a brush, because the paint forces a brush's bristles apart as it dries. A pot of Stirland Mud and a spreader are enough to finish your first bases.
Stirland Mud is £3.75 (sold out at the moment), and the Medium Texture Spreader is £4.94 (sold out at the moment).
What Technical paints are
Technical paints are the odd ones in the range. Games Workshop makes them to create churned-up battlefields or alien landscapes on your bases, and to add effects such as gore, ageing and weathering to a model. Base, Layer and Shade paints colour the model; a Technical paint changes the surface it sits on.
We list two: Stirland Mud and Agrellan Badland. Both are 24ml pots, twice the size of a 12ml Base pot. Games Workshop's Battle Ready method ends with a Technical paint such as Stirland Mud. Battle Ready is its standard of coloured main areas and a simple base finish. The Paints & Tools set holds Armageddon Dust, another Technical paint.
Why a texture spreader and not a brush
The paints are much thicker than the rest of the range. Games Workshop's painting team says the texture spreader does a fantastic job of getting them out of the pot and across the base. The team adds that a standard brush will often lose its fine point as the paint dries and forces the bristles apart.
With no spreader to hand, the same team suggests a piece of plastic from your box or a coffee stirrer. The 11th Edition Getting Started boxes include a texture spreader. A pot of Stirland Mud and the Medium Texture Spreader come to £8.69 together.
Finishing a base in four steps
- Paint the model first. The Technical paint goes on the base once the model is finished.
- Load the spreader. Take a small amount and spread it over the base, working round the feet.
- Let it dry. Then drybrush a rocky texture if you want one. A Games Workshop painter drybrushed a base textured with Astrogranite Technical paint, first with Dawnstone and then with Grey Seer. Dawnstone is £2.25 here.
- Paint the rim. Black, such as Abaddon Black, is the safe pick. On Warhammer Community, Games Workshop's news site, two writers paint their rims black: one says it frames the base, the other that it resists scuffs.
Problems on bases
| Problem | What hobbyists do |
|---|---|
| Flaking | Agrellan paint can flake off bases. A seal of watered-down PVA glue or varnish, or a primed base, helps. |
| Technical paint on the feet | Hobbyists split on whether to glue the model to its base before texturing. Gluing first makes the feet look planted, and a toothpick reaches the tight spots. |
What we list
Common questions
Do I need a texture spreader for Technical paints?
Not strictly, but it is the right tool. Games Workshop's painting team says the spreader moves thick Technical paint better than a brush and saves the brush's point. With no spreader, the same team suggests a piece of plastic from your box or a coffee stirrer.
How do I apply Technical paint to my bases?
Paint the model, then spread a small amount of Technical paint over the base with a spreader, working round the feet. Let it dry before painting the rim. Some people glue the model to its base before texturing and some do it after, and both orders work.
Why is my Agrellan paint flaking off the base?
Agrellan paint can lift. A thin coat of watered-down PVA glue or varnish over the top seals it, or prime the base first.
Which Technical paint should a beginner buy first?
Start with Stirland Mud, because Games Workshop's Battle Ready method names it as a finish for bases. Agrellan Badland is the other we list. Armageddon Dust comes in the Paints & Tools set if you buy that.
Technical paints and the texture spreader: Warhammer Community (Games Workshop's news site), 24 June 2022, 28 June 2022, 14 July 2023 (Highlights, Basing, and Eyes), 15 December 2022 (Snow Basing Tips) and 24 March 2025 (base rims). Flaking and gluing: hobbyist threads on Reddit, 2026. Getting Started boxes: Warhammer Community, 5 July 2026. Pot sizes: our product titles. Prices and stock: this shop, read live.