Colourful Blocks: Paint Any Block with 16.5M Colors
Vanilla Minecraft limits your palette to a handful of dyes and a short list of paintable materials. If you are building a detailed base or a custom modpack, that restriction quickly becomes a bottleneck. The Colourful Blocks: Paint Any Block with 16.5M Colors mod removes that barrier entirely, giving you a brush-based system to recolor virtually any block in the game, including those added by other mods.
This guide focuses on practical installation, version compatibility, and configuration. You will learn how to get the mod running in a stable setup and how to integrate it with existing modpacks without breaking your world.
Core Mechanics: How the Brush System Works
Instead of crafting thousands of colored variants, the mod introduces a set of brushes. Each brush has two key stats: durability (how many blocks you can paint before it breaks) and a paint buffer (the amount of color stored after a single mix).
To mix paint, right-click the brush. A clean RGB interface opens with sliders and numeric input fields ranging from 0 to 255 for red, green, and blue channels. You will need red, green, and blue dyes plus a water bucket. The mod supports all Ore Dictionary entries, so any compatible dye item works.
- Press the "Random" button for a surprise shade.
- Press "Done" to finalize the mix and fill the brush.
- Left-click a painted block to copy its exact color onto your brush.
- Right-click a painted block with a filled water bottle to wash the color off.
One important detail: the color is bound to the block's coordinates, not the item itself. If you break a painted stone block and place dirt in the same spot, the dirt instantly adopts the same color. Block updates, like placing a torch nearby, will also trigger the paint to appear if it was not visible immediately.
Supported Versions and Loaders
For a stable experience, the mod is primarily designed for Minecraft 1.12.2 running on the Forge mod loader. This is the most common setup for modpacks, and the developer has optimized the code for this environment. If you are using a different version, check the mod file description carefully; there is no official support for Fabric or newer Minecraft releases at this time.
Because the mod targets 1.12.2, it pairs well with other classic mods like Chisel, Carpenter's Blocks, and Microblocks. It even handles tile entities—blocks with internal inventories such as chests and furnaces—which are normally immune to recoloring.
Installation Guide: How to Install
To download Colourful Blocks: Paint Any Block with 16.5M Colors, follow these steps for a clean setup:
- Install Minecraft Forge for version 1.12.2.
- Download the mod JAR file from a trusted repository like CurseForge.
- Place the JAR into your
.minecraft/modsfolder. - Launch the game once to generate the config folder.
- Exit the game and navigate to
config/colourfulblocks.
After the first launch, the mod automatically generates brushes for all tool materials present in your instance, including those added by other mods. You can manually add new alloys or coatings via the config files if needed.
Configuration and Extensions
The main configuration file, main.cfg, lets you tweak global settings like water consumption when washing or mixing paint. The more interesting part is the extensions subfolder. Each extension adds new brush materials with custom recipes and localization.
Two extensions ship by default: vanilla and generated. A third, ported, exists for users upgrading from version 1.0. To install third-party extensions, download the archive, extract the folder, and place it into config/colourfulblocks/extensions.
Popular community extensions include:
- Ore Dictionary metals: copper, tin, bronze, lead, nickel, silver, platinum.
- Thermal Foundation alloys: electrum and invar.
- Tinkers' Construct materials: cobalt, ardite, manyullyn, alumite, steel, pig iron, obsidian.
Each extension contains a materials.json file that defines brush stats and crafting recipes. You can experiment with custom extensions by following the standard item description syntax, even without full documentation.
Server Compatibility and Practical Tips
If you play on a server, the mod must be installed on both the client and the server. Otherwise, painted blocks will revert to their default textures for players without the mod. This is a critical step for multiplayer modpacks.
When copying a color with a left-click, the action consumes dyes from your inventory. Keep a stockpile nearby. You can also layer colors on a single block; applying a new paint fully replaces the old shade.
Future updates promise area fill tools, adjustable brush sizes, and selection tools. For now, the existing system is stable and reliable for creative builds and survival bases alike.
Final Thoughts
Colourful Blocks: Paint Any Block with 16.5M Colors for Minecraft turns construction into a painting session. No more hunting for the perfect shade of wool or crafting stacks of colored concrete. With a single brush, you can transform any block into a custom piece of art. The extension system and broad mod compatibility make it a staple for any serious modpack. Download the mod, configure your brushes, and start painting your world.