Priming is one of the foundational or additional things to do when preparing your wood surface for acrylic paint. While this is not a must-do activity, a lot of artists have seen priming as recommended. This is because it comes with its advantage. If you’re unsure how to use acrylic paint primer on wood, this article will help you.
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Do you need a primer for acrylic paint?
Applying a thin coat of primer will help seal the wood surface, allowing the acrylic paint to adhere more easily, while making the project surface more vibrant. When applying acrylic paint to wood without a primer, your painting is unlikely to appear in the ideal way because acrylic paint does not adhere well.
How to prime wood for acrylic painting?
Take the following steps to prime wood for acrylic paint:
Materials needed:
- Sandpaper
- Acrylic paint color
- Paint brushes (multiple)
- Air compressor
- Plastic drop cloths
- Paint primer
- Ventilated painting mask
Steps to prime wood for acrylic paints:
- Sand the wood surface
With a few fine grits of sandpaper, you should sand your wood pretty well. The purpose is to smoothen the surface and remove any form of molecules or wood particles. This way, the wood will soak up new primer and paint.
- Get rid of dust and Particles
Having sanded the wood, it’s time to get rid of the particles. You should thoroughly clean the surface. Running a wet rag or using an air compressor will be the best idea to ensure that no particle or dust stays on the surface. Avoid over-damp rag.
- Prime the wood
With the surface ready, apply the first layer of the primer. Make sure you apply the primer sufficiently. This will help the wood to coat. Avoid too much primer to prevent drip marks, bumpy or goopy spots. Distribute and spread the primer evenly on the surface. You can apply the second layer of the coat of primer. While it is optional, the second layer of the coat of primer ensures the surface is sealed. However, make sure the first layer completely dries before applying the second.
- Painting on the wood
After priming the wood surface, you can start to apply the acrylic paint color. You’ll need a lot of accuracy, patience, and time here. Ensure the layers of the coat of primer have fully dried before you start to paint. Spread the acrylic paint evenly across the surface to avoid bubbles or goops. The paint color should be vibrant, bold, light, and strong, and shine brightly.
Best wood primer for acrylic paint: Liquitex Professional Gesso Surface Prep Medium
One of the best wood primers for acrylic paint is the Liquitex 7608 Surface Prep Medium. This incredible gesso is excellent on a wide range of surfaces, including plain and cereal boxes, cardboard, and more. You can also use it on a sheet of watercolor paper. It won’t fail.
The product meets and exceeds the ASTM D4236 standards. This makes it safe for use in schools and among kids. This Liquitex Professional gesso product is mixable with acrylic colors and mediums. Besides, it reduces viscosity if you apply on heavier gels and paints. The package comes with an 8-ounce bottle of the medium.
If you want to create a tooth for pastels or draw with pastels, this gesso comes as a perfect choice. As a rule of thumb, do not use this gesso on acrylic paint or oil-based paint. Acrylics go for acrylic. Simple!
Pros
- Perfect for multiple surfaces
- Great for price
- Flexible, white, and opaque
- Features more tooth and coverage
Cons
- May be too thin for your need
Best canvas primer for acrylic paint: U.S. Art Supply White Gesso Acrylic Medium
The 17-ounce White Gesso Acrylic Medium from the U.S. Art Supply tops the list of the best acrylic paint primers for canvas. When it comes to premium acrylic gesso with high flexibility, the US Supply Art Gesso is the go-to guy.
It is extremely smooth integrated with high pigmentation. This ensures superior and wide coverage. This is truly a many-in-one coat. It is also resistant to water with a non-yellowing surface.
What’s more, the gesso medium is water-based. Yet, it is flexible will remain permanent after drying. Mixed with other acrylic paints or other pigments, this product can produce multiple custom colors. The icing on the cake is the lightweight, safe, and non-toxic features
Pros
- Safe and non-toxic
- Covers a wide range of colors
- Flexible and mixes well with other pigments
- Water-resistant yet permanent after drying
Cons
- Can be sticky to touch
Best glass primer for acrylic paint: DecoArt Multi Purpose Primer & Sealer
It’s a no-brainer having the DecoArt DS17-9 Dads17-9 Primer and Sealer as the best glass primer for acrylic paint. It is recommended for glass, wood, and metal surfaces. DecoArt primer can also work excellently on plaster, glazed ceramics, terra cotta, and other surfaces.
This product dries to a clear finish. This way, you won’t have to worry about adding one layer over another. This non-toxic product is safe for use. Besides, it quickly thins with water, making it suitable for highly absorbent surfaces.
The product can mix perfectly with other pigments. The DecoArt produces no smell and dries glossy. It is pretty useful over acrylic paint projects.
Pros
- Dries to a clean varnish
- Great for price and value
- Works on glass, glazed ceramics, terra cotta, and more.
- Safe and non-toxic
Cons
- Works as a primer not sealer
Best primer for acrylic enamel paint: Rust-Oleum Zinsser Spray Primer
Leading the pack of the best primers for acrylic enamel paint is the Rust-Oleum 272479 Zinsser Bulls.
If you’re in search of a true primer intended for enamel, the Rust-Oleum is your perfect selection. It is perfect for both interior and exterior use. It works well on metal, concrete, drywall, glossy, and more difficult surfaces. If you want to apply it on a masonry surface, this product will produce the desired result.
As an oil-based formula, the Rust-Oleum will stick to any surface and you won’t have to sand it beforehand. It also seals uniformly without leaving behind any goopy spots. It dries to finish within minutes and can cover a wide area, up to 1728 sq in.
Pros
- Dries quickly
- Incredible resistance to stain blocking
- Produces little or no dust
- Suitable for oil and latex coats
- Pretty decent coverage
Cons
- Not waterproof
Best acrylic water-based sealer primer: INSL-X Acrylic Water-Based Sealer Primer
You need a water-based primer to achieve the desired result. The AQ040009A-01 Aqua Lock water-based sealer primer from INSL-X will do the magic on your for your paint.
When it comes to a multipurpose primer and sealer, INSL-X AQ040009A-01 Aquawater-based is the right product. This 100% acrylic primer boasts quality adhesion and is suitable for interior and exterior applications and surfaces.
It has a wider coverage, up to 57600 sq in (400 sq ft). The product is popular for its superior sealing and priming qualities. With a perfect base coat great for oil-based and latex finish coatings, this product is highly resistant to stain blocking.
Pros
- Excellent short drying time
- Superior sealing and stain blocking features
- Suitable for latex and oil-based paints
- Wide coverage 300-400 sq. ft.
Cons
- May be too dense and chunky for your need
FAQs
As hinted, you don’t need a primer for your acrylic paint. However, applying a primer makes things easier. A layer of primer before painting your wood with acrylic paint will make applying paint a lot easier. With an acrylic paint primer, your project will produce the desired effect. Besides, acrylic paint primer also saturates and makes vibrant colors shine brighter.
The best primer to use for acrylics is exterior oil-based paint primer. The primer should also be able to block exterior stains from penetrating the paint. You should finish the process by topping it with a latex varnish coat. As a general rule of thumb, only use an oil-based primer if you’ll be coating the project with an oil-based finish.
Absolutely yes! Acrylic paint will work on a wood surface without a primer. However, priming the wood will prepare the surface and make the paint colors shine brightly. It also helps remove all dust and molecules as it smoothens the surface for a quality painting result. You won’t need to worry if the primer isn’t present.
You don’t have to. But the decision depends on the type of canvas. In most cases, manufacturers have already primed the canvas before you purchase them at your local craft stores. In that case, you won’t have to add any paint primer again. if you buy a vibrant color canvas, you won’t need to prime it.
Yes, you should prime your paper for acrylic paint. This is crucial, especially if the paper is not designed for oil-based paint. You should paint paper before you paint them with oil painting. Doing this will prevent the paper from damage due to the effect of solvents and oil. Priming the paper will also help to cure and bind the acrylic paint.
Yes, but it comes with caution. You can only do this for an exterior application. Secondly, the acrylic paint has to be latex. Nothing stands in your way to applying 100% latex acrylic paint on oil-based primer. But it’s recommended to use oil-based acrylic paint over oil-based primer and latex acrylic paint over latex primer.
Yes, You can use spray primer for acrylic latex paint. However, an oil-based spray primer comes as a more versatile option. It works well on a wide range of surfaces than its latex counterpart. In fact, an oil-based spray primer works perfectly on both oil-based and latex paints.
Final Thoughts
One thing is sure. When priming, you’ll need to be sure whether you’re repainting finished wood or applying the paint on finished wood. Typically, unfinished wood is porous and will hold on to paint readily. However, the repainted wood surface contains some molecules of already existing paint. As a result, painting on it won’t be as effective as on unfinished wood.
Besides, getting familiar with what type of primer to use and how many finish coats won’t be a bad idea. Priming preps the wood surface to be ready to receive and absorb the paint.
