How to Make Acrylic Paint Matte? Know the Art of Matte Painting
Matte finishes not only bring aesthetic to your painting but there is a practical reason behind it. Matte finishes leave room for an additional layer of multi-color coating.
Many projects demand a matte finish as extremely glossy paint can lead to distraction. It’s easy to spot glossy acrylic painting as gesso creates a non-absorbent surface. But how to make acrylic paint matte?
There are matte-formulated acrylics in the market which are ready to use. However, if you don’t own one, you can always create one. The world of experimentation with painting knows no bounds.
Key Takeways
- Matte Finish Techniques: Achieve a matte finish on acrylic paint with sanding, spray finishes, de-glosser, pigmentation, and fillers.
- Sanding Method: Use 300 grit sandpaper or Scotch-Brite sponge for gentle sanding; wet sanding ensures an even finish.
- Spray Finishes: Apply clear coating lacquer or sealing products from a distance to achieve a satin or matte look.
- De-Glossing with Solvents: Use liquid sander or de-glosser containing detergents and alkaline additives; apply selectively to avoid damage.
- DIY Baking Soda Hack: Mix baking soda with acrylic paint paste for an instant matte finish; simple, non-toxic, and quick solution.
Ways to Give Acrylic Paint Matte Finish
There are numerous ways to give an acrylic matte finish. However, we will talk about some common and effective methods.
Technique 01: Sanding
Don’t be so surprised. Sanding damages the sheen of an object, and we know that. However, it’s the paint we are talking about. Sanding too aggressively will flake off the paint.
The job can be done using 300 or even finer grit sandpaper without any harmful consequences. You can use both dry and wet sandpaper.
Afraid of harsh sandpaper? That’s normal. There is a safe option, by the way. Use a dishwasher sponge-like Scotch-Brite. This kind of sponge has finer teeth that aren’t enough to pull out the dried paint.
Though you always need to be gentle, no matter what you are using, be extra careful while working at the corners and the edges. These portions are prone to damage.
To make the process even safer, always go for wet sanding, as it will ensure an even finish.
Technique 02: Spray Finishes
Sealing products come in a sprayer to give the final finish to the artwork. Many of you might already own it. Use the product from a far distance. Such action will ensure at least a satin look if it’s not the matte one.
The mechanism is – the product dries up partially on the way before getting to the exterior. Hence, the solvent doesn’t get to glide too much. Spraying from a closer distance causes accumulation of product resulting in glossy texture.
Try using the technique with a clear coating lacquerer. As it’s the process of partially drying the solvent halfway, the lacquerer itself has a volatile formulation. Many clear-coating lacquerers have silica that acts as a matting agent.
However, using this lacquered product is trickier. It’s better to choose from other techniques.
Technique 03: Adding De-Glosser
These days, you can find liquid sander or de-glosser in any home improvement store. The solvent containing detergent, alkaline additives, and other components is responsible for de-glossing, the gloss of acrylic paint.
Denatured alcohol can be your savior if you are using water-soluble emulsion paints. While using stronger alkyd paints, go for xylene, naphtha, mineral spirit, or varnish.
A mixture of acetone and mineral spirit could be your go-to stuff if you want to avoid toxic aromatics.
Focused Issue: Instead of applying the solvent all over the paint, re-touch the hard to reach area first. Rubbing aggressively will surely damage the paint. So, wait for an hour between the steps of the de-glosser application and wipe down the surface with a clean cloth.
Technique 04: Pigmentation
This method is for those who love to make paints from scratch using the binder and pigment. While mixing the pigments, loading the mixture up with extreme pigments leads to a matte finish.
By the way, you need to maintain a ratio so that it only gives a matte finish keeping the color unchanged. An extreme amount of pigment can result in less durable paint that will flake off easily.
Inorganic pigments are always a good choice for this job. Mineral pigments like red iron oxide and chromium oxide for green are responsible for matte paints as they have larger particles.
Hence, you can add them in a higher amount while making paint.
Technique 04: Fillers and Extenders
There are many other matting agents known as fillers of paint and pigmentation extenders.
Baryte, silica, and talc are some other agents that are responsible for matte paint. Chalk paints require a high amount of matting agent, whereas any simple paint needs less of it.
You can DIY to make your paint with the raw pigments mixed with the matting agent mentioned above with any clear medium. At last, you will mix your chosen medium for DIY.
The process of mixing the matting agent first with the pigments and then diluting it with the paint medium is the easiest way to control the ratio of the ingredients.
Easy DIY Hack!
Are you being overwhelmed with lots of information, and the clock is ticking? Well, in that case, you probably don’t have time to get to the root cause. Instead, you need a quick solution.
Try out this DIY method of making acrylic paint matte.
Baking soda can magically bring a matte finish immediately without any hassle. As it’s edible, you don’t have to deal with toxic aromatics or VOC components.
Requirements
- Acrylic Paint
- Baking Soda
Simply mix baking soda with your paint paste in a 1:4 ratio. Mix the paste properly and paint as usual.
It’s the easiest and quickest trick to deal with in any situation.
Frequently Asked Question
Yes, you can use baking soda with your paint paste to give a matte finish after drying. The texture is also called thick chalk paint that’s applied on vases and other home improvements.
The cooling reaction between the baking powder and the paint mixture results in the rising and fluffing of the paint. As a result the texture of the paint becomes more noticeable. The fluffy texture of the paint keeps increasing as you increase the ratio of baking soda.
Termination
Now that you have got a clear concept about how to make acrylic paint matte, I hope that giving your art a matte finish won’t be an issue. By any chance, if you don’t have time to experiment, then the DIY method could be your rescuer.
No other technique is as simple and fun as that method.
