Is Acrylic Paint Heat Resistant?

If you have just started working with acrylic paint, you might be concerned about its resistance to the sun and hot temperatures. Acrylics are known to be versatile, quite common and widely used, but you may ask yourself whether you can expose works done with acrylics in the sun. So, is acrylic paint heat resistant, and what temperature could it withstand?

Acrylic paints are resistant to heat to some extent, and you can expose them to sunlight. However, if you expose them to extreme heat, they will probably get damaged, especially acrylic latex paint. High temperatures might result in fading the paint and giving it a rough finish and brush marks.

This article will provide all the information related to sun, high heat, and acrylic paint. Maintaining and storing your paintings and artworks properly is as important as the method you use while working on them.

Please note that we are not specifically talking about fabric paint, house paint, interior paint or exterior paint, as each one of them will have different specificities in comparison to a water based paint for arts and crafts. For oil based paint, your question might be if it fades in sunlight. So, Is Acrylic Paint Heat Resistant?

What Temperature Is Considered Safe For Acrylic Paint? 

You may know the acrylic paint properties that refer to water, surface, texture, and so on. These things are usually needed to be known for the process of painting, i.e., while you work on some project. However, once you finish the painting, you will need to know the proper way of storing or exposing the painting since not all kinds of environments would be appropriate, and the last coating may not be a resistant coating.

Usually, the biggest concern can arise when it comes to sunlight and certain temperature degrees. If you work with different paints, you already know that not all colors behave the same way when exposed to the sun or heat. Some paints can withstand high temperatures, while others will definitely get damaged. Therefore, it is of crucial importance that you know these features. 

When it comes to acrylic paint, it can be said that this type of paint is resistant to heat and sun but a certain extent. For example, if you do some acrylic project and then put it outdoors in the sunlight, you should expect that the paint will fade over time. This will not happen in the first months, but you will definitely see some changes in the colors in a few years. 

On the other hand, you should be careful to what degree you expose and store your painting when it comes to temperature. Sometimes, even room temperatures can be quite high, and they might cause some damages to the acrylic paint. A temperature range that goes from 16°C to 26°C is considered a regular room temperature, and it is regarded as a stable temperature for keeping paintings in. 

Furthermore, there are certain temperature degrees in which the color of the paintings will not be affected no matter the surroundings or the environment where the painting is exposed. However, this does not apply to any acrylic paint, so you need to be careful with the properties of the acrylics you intend to use. 

Usually, when you buy a set of acrylics or just a tube, you will see that most of them contain information about that particular paint on the back of the package, including the safe storing temperature. Nonetheless, I would like to point out that information refers to the paint when it is in its container, not when used on a canvas or a similar surface. Therefore, you should not follow those temperature directions since what you use on canvas, and the tube are two different things.

Also, you should not make a mistake in the types of paint and the temperatures they withstand since they do not have the same properties. For example, if you compare oil-based and water-based paints, you will see that oil-based paints can resist extreme heat, while the latter, such as acrylics, will be definitely damaged. 

Exposing Paintings To Sunlight 

I have discussed the safe temperatures for acrylic painting; now, I will move to the question of sunlight. Even though many people can take temperature and sunlight as similar, you should make no mistake since these two notions might have great similarities but are still very different. 

The first thing you should think about when you decide on a place for your painting is the exposure to sunlight and how safe that place would be in these terms. You need to know that paintings and furniture, and other objects around the house need to have certain protection from the sun. Therefore, you need to think about the paint properties of your painting and the ability of the same to withstand bright conditions. 

However, it would help if you always remembered that direct exposure to the sun for any paint is not a good idea. The UV rays might cause serious damage to the colors, so it is better to avoid them at all costs. If you want to protect UV rays, you can UV protection glass on the windows, blinds, and curtains that block the rays, and similar solutions for this issue. 

Exposing your painting to sunlight might cause some changes in the colors, i.e., their pigments so that they can become faded and paler than their original version. Therefore, if you ever notice some changes in your paintings, you can be sure that the bright conditions do not affect the paint positively. 

Acrylic Paintings Exposed To Sunlight 

Acrylics are known to be versatile due to their durability and high resistance to environmental conditions. They can be exposed to sunlight, but you will still have to protect UV rays. Also, you will want to avoid exposing acrylics to sunlight before one year passes after finishing the painting. 

Extreme heat should be avoided at all costs, as I already mentioned, since it could deeply damage the colors. As noted above, 16°C to 26°C is safe in both a room and outside. However, if you plan to keep your painting outside, ensure that it is not directly exposed to sunlight, and ensure that you frame it with UV protection glass before installing it. 

Even though acrylics are water-based paints, they still can resist heat and be kept outside, as long as you take a right and proper measures. Otherwise, they will face some damages and probably be ruined. 

Will Acrylic Paint Start Melting When Exposed To Sun? 

As I said above, even though acrylics are water-based paints, that does not mean that the sun will melt them since melting is caused by the temperature. Acrylics can withstand temperatures to 26°C, and in no case will they start melting due to the temperature conditions. However, some damages might occur if there is direct sunlight. 

If you want to avoid all of this and not worry about direct sunlight, you can always add some protection to your paints using different varnishes suitable for these purposes. Varnishes with UV protection will not make any changes to the colors, so you do not need to be concerned about using a varnish. 

Oil Paintings Exposed To Sunlight 

Oil paintings have very similar features to acrylics. Therefore, they behave almost the same when exposed to sunlight. However, direct sunlight can more easily cause damage than acrylic paint. Since oil paints are heavy in texture, a little bit of sunshine can make them melt and sometimes even ruin them completely. 

They can resist heat the same way as acrylics, and the safe temperature for them is the same as for the acrylic paint. However, they can be more sensitive to sunlight. Therefore, you might need to consider stronger protection for them, such as mandatory varnish or UV protection glass. It is always better to take safety precautions than to be disappointed after facing some damages. 

Watercolor Paintings Exposed To Sunlight

When it comes to watercolor paintings, exposure to sunlight should be avoided at all costs since they are the most sensitive ones. When there is sunlight directly on the watercolors, it will cause them to fade and lose their pigments. You can take the safety precautions that I mentioned above for acrylics and oil paints. However, they might not be enough. 

In the case of watercolors, absolute avoidance of sunlight would be the best solution. Also, you should avoid placing them in humid places since humidity can cause molding and foxing. 

Does Low Temperature Affect Acrylic Paintings?

Now that I have established that acrylic paintings can withstand heat to a certain extent and sunlight, it is also important to mention the behavior of acrylics when exposed to low temperatures. Acrylic paint might not show any changes at low temperatures. However, everything has its limits, and the same applies to acrylics.

If the temperature is at a freezing point, that means that acrylics would not be able to dry up as quickly as they regularly do. Since the evaporation will take longer, the drying time will be delayed. Therefore, you will need your painting a little more time and be patient not to ruin it. 

If your painting is not dried out completely, it may thicken the acrylics and brittle paint film. There might also be an occurrence of ice crystals, so make sure that you let your painting dry fully despite the low temperatures. It is better to wait longer than to do everything all over again. 

Does Humidity Affect Acrylic Paintings? 

Humidity can affect acrylic paints the same way as in all weather conditions. If there is a high humidity level, your acrylic paintings would not be able to dry properly. Therefore, the amount of drying time would be delayed. Also, the moisture they absorb from humidity might affect acrylic paints, so it is better to avoid storing paintings where humidity is present, especially at a high level. 

Can You Leave An Acrylic Paint In A Car In Hot Weather? 

Firstly, you need to know that leaving even your painting supplies in a car might affect their quality, not to mention a complete painting. For instance, if you leave your acrylic paints in a car in hot weather, they might lose their pigments and not provide the original color they are supposed to. If you work with acrylic paint a lot, you will be able to spot the changes immediately. 

When it comes to leaving your paintings in a car, you should be aware that they might experience some damages. If your question is whether acrylics will melt or not, the answer would be no since they can withstand the heat to some extent. However, they might fade and become thicker, therefore, ruined. 

Too low and too high temperatures might really be a problem for the acrylics since they are water-based paints, meaning they are quite sensitive to weather conditions. You probably know that once acrylic paint is dried out, it cannot be reactivated, which means that you will not make any changes to your painting. Therefore, avoid leaving your paintings in a hot car or in any environment that is characterized by extremely high temperatures. 

It is always recommended that you keep them somewhere where the temperature is equal to regular room temperature. That way, you will always be on the safe side when it comes to storing. 

If you read the whole article, you are now aware that leaving and storing your paintings in very high temperatures would not be a good idea. Acrylic paint is known for its ability to resist heat and sunlight, but that is to a certain limit. So, it is better to avoid any experiments and ensure that your artworks are stored in a place with a regular room temperature.  

If you want to review how to store paint properly, The Paint People can give you some tips.

Sources

• Protecting a painting from sunlight
• Temperature Effects on Acrylic Paint! Will it Melt On Heating?
• Quora: Can I leave my acrylic paintings in the sun to dry faster?