Can I Lacquer Over Acrylic Paint?
Acrylic paint is a type of paint that uses a traditional pigment, but combines it with a polymer solution that bonds to the pigment and carries it to the surface. Acrylics typically use a water-based solution to dilute the paint, but can also use petroleum bases. Either way, acrylics are popular for a wide variety of surfaces, favoured for their bright colours and their waterproofing abilities.
Lacquers use a strong solvent to cover and protect wood. Typically, lacquers dry very fast and you will usually need to spray them on or paint them very quickly. Lacquer should always be mixed with lacquer thinner, typically in a 50/50 solution, before you apply it. Lacquers are very corrosive to other paint substances. The combination of the solvent and the thinner will almost always lift other types of paint, including acrylics.
- Lacquers use a strong solvent to cover and protect wood.
- The combination of the solvent and the thinner will almost always lift other types of paint, including acrylics.
Generally, there are many types of acrylic paints and many different types of lacquers, but you should not lacquer over acrylic paint or any other type of paint. The older the paint layer is, the more damage the lacquer will do, and the less effective it will be at finishing the wood. It will probably not make a large different whether or not the acrylic paint is water based or petroleum based.
Lacquering Process
If you do want to lacquer a section of wood painted in acrylic paint, you will need to first sand away the paint and reveal the wood layer beneath. New wood is best, but if you decide to sand the wood, make sure it is smooth, clean and dry before you begin. You can lacquer over surfaces that have been previously lacquered without sanding, if you choose.
- If you do want to lacquer a section of wood painted in acrylic paint, you will need to first sand away the paint and reveal the wood layer beneath.
- New wood is best, but if you decide to sand the wood, make sure it is smooth, clean and dry before you begin.
When you lacquer, make sure to do it in a well-ventilated area, preferably with moving air. Gloves and a mask are also good ideas, because the fumes from lacquer are toxic, and the liquid is not safe to expose to bare skin. Try not to lacquer over the same area twice in one coat, and wait for coats to completely dry before adding any more.
So just what is an Acrylic Lacquer?
Short answer, because an Acrylic isn’t solely a water based paint.
The term “Acrylic” has been used in hobby/art talk as a descriptor solely for water based paints incorrectly for a long time and this is where the confusion begins.
Before I started our company, I too thought of water based paints as Acrylic. That was what they were labelled as and what they were marketed by.
Acrylic, Enamel, Lacquer.
The names of the three types of paints that were commonly used in hobby/art applications.
The more I researched about how paint is made, what it consists of and how to improve it, one thing was glaringly obvious – the word “acrylic” almost NEVER means water based in industry outside of hobby industry. “Acrylic” always refers to solvent based paints, what hobbists refer to as Lacquers.
So, as this question began to be asked more and more when people began to notice our brand and products in stores, my answer to this confusion became this : NEVER refer to your paints by their popular names, but instead learn about their bases and it will remove all confusion.
Wipe Acrylic, Enamel, Lacquer from your mind and replace it with the base types of Water, Oil and Solvent.
Doing this will allow the user to instantly understand the product they are using and treat it accordingly with correct use alongside other paints and thinning/cleaning agents.
But why are Acrylic Lacquers named as such? The binders that suspend the pigment in place are a thermoplastic polymer, a clear plastic resin otherwise known as Acrylic. That plus the fact there are multiple different types of lacquer paints out there, using the term Acrylic Lacquer also instantly indicates to the user what type of paint it is and how best to handle it.
One of the most concerning things I have discovered since beginning our product line, is that most modellers have very little knowledge of the products they are using. Many people believe marketing hype without a second thought, often doing things that are unsafe.
Always remember to use a spray booth and a P2 rated face mask when air brushing. It doesn’t matter what type of paint you are air brushing – if it’s atomized in the air and you are breathing in that paint mist, it’s not good for you.
Please, take the time to fully understand the products you are using – it will save you a lot of time, money and your health if you use it right the first time.
Our SDS for our Acrylic Lacquers are available on our website.
