Mural surface prep and finish questions

PatriciaCVener wrote

on 10 May 2011 10:29 AM

Hi there!

I am doing my first mural and have two questions: one for starting the other for finishing. The first is that given my surface is to be a wood wall painted with oil based paint, what would be a good primer for art that will be Golden acrylics? The second question is, given that the wall is in a restaurant and they will need to clean it occasionally, what would be a durable sealer that won't discolor?

Thank you guys for any advice.

Patricia

Paul Sullivan wrote

on 10 May 2011 12:54 PM

Patricia—

You'll probably get some good advise on this but here is the best I can offer:

Generally using acrylics is a good choice for a mural. However, using acrylics over a wall painted with oil based paint is usually a no no. Oil seeks the surface. You have three choices. 1. Remove the oil based paint from the wall in the area to be painted as a mural. 2. Use oil based paint on the mural. 3. Paint the mural on another surface and mount that on the wall.

If you remove the oil based paint and you are going to proceed using acrylics, an acrylic gesso would be an excellent primer. 

Paul Sullivan

PatriciaCVener wrote

on 10 May 2011 4:18 PM

Hi Paul,

Uh oh. The wall has many many decades of paint on it, so, not going to be able to remove it. Painting on a separate surface and mounting won't work given the size - I don't have the studio space that would need much less stretchers! The owners need it done pretty quickly (while the place is closed for vacation except for the bread baking) so I'm concerned about drying time, but if there is no primer that can buffer between oil paint and acrylics it looks like I'll have to do the whole thing in oils. Well... I like oils best anyway.

Do you think I could use those new water cleanable oils?

Thanks Paul. And anyone else who responds.

Patricia

Paul Sullivan wrote

on 10 May 2011 4:53 PM

Patricia—

I don't know about water cleanable oils. My guess is that  they would work okay on a oil base painted wall. You might email the brand of water cleanable oil paint about this.

Paul

valeriemalley wrote

on 10 May 2011 8:08 PM

Just wondering . . .  Since you can use latex paint on an oil painted wall if you first paint the wall with a very good latex primer, would this resolve the oil paint leeching through on a mural?  This is just wondering 'out loud'.

vallep wrote

on 3 Aug 2012 8:12 PM

Hello Paul,

I'm doing  a school mural in one of the hallways and i'm using mural acrylic paint from dick blick.  I was wondering if you have any advice on what kind of coating or sealer to use.  I hear that varnish more than likely will turn yellowish over time.  I'm looking for something that will protect the wall somehow from tagging,,,,,,any suggestions will be greatly appreciated

thanks,

Nilda

Paul Sullivan wrote

on 3 Aug 2012 8:54 PM

Acrylic medium is th best bet I know of for sealing. If you are not familiar with arcylic medium, it comes in both matt and gloss. It looks milky but it drys clear. Follow directions. I would thin it slightly and use two coats, one vertically and one horizontally.

You will probably get more advise on this from other artists. I have worked in acrylic for many years but have been working in watercolor exclusively for the last 10 years. 

Good Luck

dewatson wrote

on 3 Aug 2012 10:55 PM

Nilda,

I am an artist and decorative painter. I paint murals frequently. Here are some suggestions for a top coat. You can order alll these products online.

You have a number of options for a top coat. The best, in my opinion, is Golden Artists' Colors (goldenpaints.com) makes a very durable water-based varnish http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/polvar.php, but it may not be practical for your application. You first have to use  another one of their products, Soft Gel Gloss, thinned, and paint a barrier coat so the mural itself is not disturbed by the varnish.  I used this varnish on an outdoor mural I did about 4 years ago and it's holding up wonderfully. UV protective, too. Could be a little pricey, though. Dick Blick carries their varnishes: http://www.dickblick.com/products/golden-acrylic-polymer-varnishes/?clickTracking=true

Option two would be Modern Masters' acrylic varnish:  http://shop.modernmasters.com/products/category/Satin/4107.0.1.1.1018151.80655.0.0.0

The link above is for their newest product, an acrylic varnish that is very durable and non-yellowing. The Modern Masters' products are designed for decorative painting and faux finishes, so they are perfect for a mural. They also make a Satin Varnish that's in their 'regular' line that I have used often. Some paint stores sell Modern Masters' products.

Do NOT use Minwax or other regular polyurethane, as they are usually meant for floors or architectural applications and will yellow over time and with exposure to sunlight.

Option 3 is: possibly Lowe's. They used to (hopefully still do?) have a faux finish line of paint. Their Valspar clear coat is made for faux finishes and works great as a mural topcoat. Non-yellowing, as well. I've used it over marbling before.

And one more: Benjamin Moore now makes a non-yellowing clear coat that is suitable for using over faux finishes, so it would be fine over a mural. http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-painting-contractors/paint-products/benwood-stays-clear-acrylic-polyurethane#advs=0&tab=3 

Whichever you choose, I'd recommend brushing on (thin coats - and no 'back-brushing') with a very fine, flexible brush meant for acrylic paints and varnishes.  Rolling these products can cause an orange-peel effect. I'd recommend testing your method of applying the top-coat on something other than your mural to be sure you'll get a level finish and to get a feel for whether you'll need to thin it slightly.

Good luck!

Deb.

vallep wrote

on 9 Aug 2012 12:50 PM

Deb,

thank you so much for the information, appreciate it!!!!

vallep wrote

on 9 Aug 2012 12:52 PM

thanks Paul, for your help!!