How to Keep Acrylic Paint from Chipping

Acrylic Paint is a lifesaver for its convenience, but when it comes to conserving it, you need to put in the extra effort.

When the question is how to keep acrylic paint from chipping, you will get different answers because it always depends on the type of surface you’re painting on. If it’s glass, then there are a number of sealants and primers to seal it on the glass. On the other hand, the acrylic varnish is more than enough to do the job if it’s for a canvas. And if it’s plastic, it’s similar to that of glass.

Keep reading if you want to find out the right method in our article How to Keep Acrylic Paint from Chipping.

How to Seal Acrylic Paint on Glass?

As mentioned above, ways of preventing acrylic paint from peeling depend on the surface of the paint. Thus, we will walk you through the process for each of these materials and discuss how to maintain the protective coat over time.

Whether you’re making a glass painting, drawing on glass bottles, or making your Christmas ornaments, acrylic paint is one of the most preferred choices when painting on glass surfaces. Especially, acrylic enamel paint is known for its compatibility and is considered the best paint for glass materials. 

But when you pour your heart and soul into a painting, the last thing you want is to see the paint flake off. The two main methods for preventing this is using a glass paint sealer, and if you’re taking a traditional route, you can use heat, precisely oven heat, to seal acrylic paint on wine glass or bottles.

Using Glass Paint Sealer

Painting on a glass surface is never easy. Even before you touch the actual paint, you need to start being cautious. So, let’s take a step by step look to see what you need to do.

Make Sure the Glass Surface Is Clean

We cannot stress the importance of this step enough. Even small evidence of dust on the glass could be the reason why the paint is flaking off later. Use a clean cloth to clear off any large particles and then a tack cloth to wipe the surface of any dust or debris properly.

Prime the Glass

You can use a spray primer or any other kind of your preference and lightly spray the entire surface, creating a thin layer of primer on the glass. Next, let the primer dry completely. It should take about an hour or two to dry completely. Priming before you seal your paintings is particularly important as it provides increased protection.

You can work on your acrylic painting afterward.

Choose Your Sealant

This process depends completely on what you prefer. You can choose between glossy, matte, and satin variations. All three coats evenly, but they differ in the degree of shine they give out.

Matte is the least shiny, while gloss is the highest. The glossy finish is the preferred sealer coat for glass as they bring life to the painting and make for a more protected painting than a matte or satin finish.

Use the Sealant

You can do this in two ways. Use a spray sealant to spray on the finished painting. Or paint on the glass surface using a flat headed paintbrush. Paint-on sealants are better if the painted area is larger.

If you’re using paint on sealants, then a mod podge will be perfect for it. Mod podge has many benefits, including its function as an adhesive to adhere fabric and other porous materials onto a board or surface, and of course, mod podge is the favorite sealant of pro artists and DIYers.

Finally, use a clean brush to paint over your acrylic paintings. Applying just a layer of evenly painted sealant is sufficient, and you can leave it to dry off afterward. And that should keep it from chipping for a long time.

How to Keep Acrylic Paints from Chipping off a Canvas

To prevent acrylic paint from peeling off, you need to varnish it. Whether it’s ordinary acrylic paint or the most expensive, varnishing is the best way to ensure you have a protective seal over your artwork.

Priming the Canvas

Varnishing a canvas follows a similar pattern as sealing glass. It starts with priming the canvas. However, you can skip this step if you’re using a primed canvas.

Priming can be done on nearly any surface. Crafters and artists prime wood, canvas, glass, and other surfaces as it lets the paint stick on the canvas much better than on an unprimed canvas. Use a gesso primer as it has adhesive components that can prevent acrylic paint from peeling.

After you’re done with priming, let it dry. It is time to wipe the primed canvas clean when it is completely dry so that you can start painting on it.

Choosing and Applying the Varnish

You can choose between gloss, satin, or matte varnish. Glossy varnish makes the painting shine brighter and is the preferred type of varnish for canvas. Acrylic polymer varnish gives a matte finish, while epoxy varnish is known for its gloss finish.

Once again, your choices are between a spray or a brush varnish, and you can choose your preferred one and start applying the varnish evenly.

Maintain Your Painting

Maintaining your paintings in the right environment can go a long way in determining how long they’ll last. So, clean them regularly and avoid excessive exposure to the sun as the UV rays can speed up fading.

How to Keep Acrylic Paint from Peeling off a Plastic

Plastic is another surface that you can use acrylic paint on. However, plastic is also the most delicate of the lot and requires some prepping before you can even use the sealant.

Cleaning and Sanding the Plastic Surface

Your first task is cleaning the surface with a wet cloth or sponge dipped in warm water (preferably with soap) to get rid of any dust and dirt.

The next step is unique to plastic surfaces as they have a sleeker surface. Use sandpaper to lightly sand the plastic. Remember, the goal is not to make scratches but just to roughen up the surface so that paint sits on it.

Priming the Plastic

Your priming options are similar to that of other surfaces. However, keep in mind when priming on plastic, it is recommended to spray even layers multiple times to allow the acrylic paint to settle on plastic properly. You can also use white acrylic paint after the primer as a base layer for your design.

Applying the Acrylic Sealant

Use a clear acrylic sealer and paint on the plastic. Also, you can add additional coats to ensure the acrylic paint is well protected. However, the acrylic sealant is for acrylic paints only and should not be used if you’re using other paints.

Final Words

Acrylic Paint is a lot of fun to paint with, but you also need to be aware of all the subtleties that come with it. For example, one thing to consider is if the material you are painting is a good match for acrylic paint. It works on most surfaces, unlike other paints but needs varnishes and sealants to prevent chipping. Hopefully, our article cleared all your doubts and prepared you to make amazing art.