Tung oil is one of the most common oil finishes for woodworking projects. It is an eco-friendly wood finishing product that is 100% natural as it comes from tung trees. It is an excellent finish that gives a protective layer to your woodwork items to prevent them from several environmental elements.
It is unique compared to other wood finishing oils. Acrylic paint is a painting medium that is suitable for all levels of texture and surfaces. It is easy to work with, it does not require special equipment, and it is pretty affordable.
Oil-based varnishes can be applied to thoroughly dried acrylic paint with less difficulty. Oil-based varnishes usually have a natural amber tint that may turn yellow over a long period.
Acrylic paint is a versatile product that can be applied to most surfaces. It can be successfully used over tung oil if a suitable primer is applied over the tung oil, and this will make sure that the acrylic paint sticks to the surface properly. Today, you’ll learn about things you should know before applying acrylic paint over tung oil.
What Is Acrylic Paint?
This is a fast-drying paint made of pigments suspended in plasticizers, stabilizers, defoamers, metal soaps, and, most importantly, acrylic polymer emulsion. Most acrylic paints become water-resistant when dry, although they are water-based.
An acrylic painted surface can look like an oil painting, watercolor, or a gouache depending on how much water is added to the acrylic paint for dilution or how much the acrylic paint is modified with acrylic passes, mediums, or gels. Water-based acrylic paints are used for the production of latex house paint.
The term for the suspension of polymer microparticles in water is known as latex. Acrylic paint is compared to three components; a pigment, a binder, and an acrylic vehicle.
Acrylic pigment
The acrylic pigment gives the paint its color. It is composed of small granules that are crumbled down into tiny particles that are suspended in the paint without dissolving. This acrylic pigment can be organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic.
Acrylic binder
The acrylic binder is known as the acrylic polymer, and it serves two roles. It forms a protective layer once the water has evaporated from the paint and the other role is to hold the pigment in place when the paint is fully cured
Acrylic vehicle
The acrylic vehicle is the water that transports the pigment and the binder. When the water is mixed with a binder, it forms a polymer emulsion. The paint dries to a transparent film that contains elements of colored pigment once the water evaporates.
Benefits of Using Acrylic Paint
It dries quickly
Acrylic paints are so popular because they dry quickly. A thick application of acrylic paint may take a bit longer to dry, although a thin application should dry within ten minutes. You do not need to keep halting in the middle of a painting session to pause for each coat to dry.
It is water-based
Paint thinners or turpentine are not required to clean your brushes, palette, and even your hands. It would help if you had soap and water for cleaning.
It is very flexible
Acrylic paints are made flexible by the chemicals it contains. Expect it to contract and then expand relative to temperature increase and decrease. Acrylic paint will remain flexible even after thoroughly drying without cracking or flaking.
It is versatile
Acrylic paints are very versatile. So, you can apply them on any surface, except it is free of wax or oil. You can use acrylic on paper, canvas, plastic, glass, cardboard, or metal.
It is non-toxic
Acrylic paints are non-flammable, non-toxic, solvent-free, and odor-free, and they are entirely safe for use and are not harmful to pets.
It is water-resistant
Acrylic paints will retain their vibrancy and will not turn yellow over a long period. They are highly flexible and will not crack or peel when dry.
What Is Tung Oil?
This is a plant-based oil that is an excellent wood finishing product. It is a clear, quick-drying product that penetrates a wood grain to protect and enhance the beauty of the wood.
It is the most popular type of wood finish in the world, a common item used by many artisans around the globe. There are several reasons why artisans use tung oil for woodworking projects. It is non-toxic, eco-friendly, and food-safe and it doesn’t yellow over time like other oil-based wood finishes.
Very few types of furniture are coated with 100% natural tung oil, and most people would instead use polymerized or boiled tung oil. Tung oil is expensive and can be liable to stains, scratches, and water rings.
Uses Of Tung Oil
Tung oil is used on boat decks, furniture, unfinished wood flooring, concrete floors, bamboo, weathered wood, cabinetry, bricks, musical instruments, and so much more. It helps protect the wood from other external substances that may destroy it.
Tung oil does not stick on a wood surface, it penetrates deep into the wood fibers and becomes a part of it, and once it is fully cured, it creates a beautiful non-oily finish. A 100% natural tung oil will not discolor over time, and when it is used over a wooden surface, it slowly does show an amber-colored tint.
Benefits Of Using Tung Oil on Surfaces
- It is eco-friendly. It provides an environmentally safe finish with no VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
- It does not require a sealer coat to be applied over it. Tung oil naturally protects and seals surfaces against a liquid pour.
- It is a durable and flexible finish
- It resists moisture and will not mold over time.
- It has a faster drying time than other oil-based wood finishing.
- It enhanced the beauty of wood.
- It cures into a beautiful matte finish.
Acrylic Paint Over Tung Oil
The versatility of tung oil makes it an ideal option for several projects. It offers a space where you can paint anything. Tung oil hardens surfaces to create a nice undercoat for oil-based and latex paints.
It toughens through its oxidation reaction with oxygen when exposed to air. You can certainly paint over tung oil since it provides a rigid surface. Tung oil serves as a protective and decorative layer for any surface.
It creates a massive, durable surface for your projects since it possesses a high water resistance capacity. It would help if you left a tung oil-coated surface to cure correctly before painting over it. Tung oil takes about two or four weeks to get completely dried.
Steps On How to Apply Acrylic Paint Over Tung Oil
The surface should be non-sticky
The tung oil-coated surface must be thoroughly dried before painting on its surface. Applying acrylic paint over a wet oil finish surface will not yield significant results because the acrylic paint will not stick to the coating.
The coated surface should be prepared with steel wool
Utilize a ball of steel wool to scuff the tung oil-coated surface by making it smooth. The scraping procedure will eliminate the surplus and lumpy oil finish from the exterior. This will boost the adhesiveness of the acrylic paint to be applied.
Apply a good primer
An excellent acrylic primer should be used on the oil finish (tung oil) before applying the paint. The acrylic primer will enable the paint to cling adequately to the tung oil’s surface, preventing the paint from cracking or peeling.
Rub in the paint
If the primer becomes adequately cured, you can apply the acrylic paint over the previously coated surface. Tung oil offers an excellent undercoat for oil-based and latex paints.
Can You Use Tung Oil Over an Acrylic Paint?
Tung oil can be applied over acrylic paint, but it will darken the paint a little bit. A top coat like tung oil can be used over acrylic paint even when cured. Acrylic paint can be coated over most oil finishes.
When cured completely, it can easily be covered with an oil-based finish like tung oil. It should be noted that some oil-based finishes can develop a natural honey color, and over time it will get more yellow.
Acrylic paint dries more quickly when painted on a surface. If you apply acrylic paint thinly or heavily, it will affect the topcoat you use. Before you apply tung oil over acrylic paint, you should make sure that it is completely cured.
Raw tung oil tends to fold as it dries up, so you should ensure that you are purchasing 100% pure tung oil that is heat treated. The toughness, versatility, waterproof protection, and overall safety of tung oil are numerous reasons why many people prefer to use it on their projects. It does not discolor, mold, or grow moldy.
Tung oil can be applied more quickly than other wood finishing oils because of its fast-drying property. It also cures into a beautiful matte finish and enhances the grain of wood while giving the surface a relic style.
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