Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Wood?

It is a great experience experimenting and playing with acrylic paints, even for a newbie artist or a young child who is eager to learn to engage with art, and the end result is very satisfying.
Can you use acrylic paint on wood? Artists who are working with acrylic paint often come up with a professional-looking result.
Let’s find out more about using acrylic paint on wood!
How to Decorate Wood Using Acrylic Paint
Every artist can paint drawer or decorate panels as well as make custom creations with intricate designs using acrylic paint. However, painting wood with an acrylic paint can be challenging because it may not stick, or the acrylic paint may soak deeper into the wood, which makes a messy wooden surface. This can be prevented by preparing the wood.
This is to make sure that the acrylic paint sticks to on the wooden surface or hardboard surface. The things you’ll need to prepare the work area include a fine grit sandpaper, a primer, and a sealant for applying and sealing the color after application. To complete your painting project, acrylic art paints and supplies are found in local art stores or online stores.
What Are Types of Acrylic Paint?
The different types of acrylic paint include student grade, fluorescent, craft acrylic paint, and gouache. Student-grade acrylics are least expensive and tend to have lesser pigment as compared to other paints.
Gouache is similar to typical watercolors with greater color intensity and excellent opaque and reflective qualities. Fluorescent acrylics have bright colors with a glow effect achieved by using a black light. Craft acrylics tend to run but are generally versatile and inexpensive.
Preparation When Using Acrylic Paint on Wood
Smooth wood surface to create a smooth and even surface by using sandpaper. It’s best to use a sandpaper with 140 to 180 grit. Sanding along the grain of the wood is recommended until the surface is totally smooth. Rub the wooden surface using a tack cloth to eliminate any dirt, dust, and debris before you start painting.
Prime the wood, filling all exterior pores to allow the acrylic paint to be absorbed evenly. Spray-on primer is the best option because of its nature. It is easy to apply. It’s important to apply a primer evenly on the entire wood surface so that the acrylic paint works smoothly once it’s time to get to more intricate details of your artwork.
How to Paint Acrylic Paint on Wood
When painting a specific design using a stencil, prepare a tracing paper, a tracing instrument, and a graphite paper.
Then, trace your desired design by putting the tracing paper over the pattern so you can copy it.

MUST SEE: Make 16,000 Projects With Step By Step Plans
Ted's Woodworking Plans contains complete instructions from start to finish, leaving absolutely no guesswork. Here is what you get:
- Step-By-Step Instructions
- Cutting & Materials List
- Detailed Schematics
- Views From All Angles
- Suitable For Beginners & Professionals
Read More: Common FAQs About Woodworking Techniques [List 1]
- Can Acrylic Paint Be Used on Wood?
- Can Flex Seal Be Used On Wood?
- Can I Paint Over Stained Wood?
- Can Rustoleum Be Used On Wood?
- Can You Burn Treated Wood?
- Can You Paint Pressure Treated Wood?
- Can You Sand Wet Wood?
- Can You Sandblast Wood?
- Can You Spray Paint Wood?
- Can You Stain Pressure Treated Wood?
- Can You Stain Wet Wood?
- Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Wood?
- Can You Use Bleach On Wood?
- Can You Use Windex On Wood?
- Does the Type of Lumber Matter for a Woodworking Project?
- How is Nail Set Used in Woodworking?
- How Long Does it Take for Wood Glue to Dry?
- How Long Does it Take for Wood to Dry?
- How Long Does It Take For Wood to Season?
Placing the graphite paper with the graphite surface facing down on the wood is the next step, then put the tracing paper on top of the graphite paper so the design is transferred onto the painting surface of the primed wood.
Next, you need to squeeze the acrylic paint color you want to use on the surface of the palette.
Keep paper towels and a bowl of water nearby for washing the paint from the brush when you are mixing and switching colors.
Clean the brush using water in between colors to prevent the colors from mixing together.
Squeezing a large amount of paint on the palette and using a sponge or a foam brush are the things you can do to apply the paint.
Read More: Common FAQs About Woodworking Techniques [List 2]
- How Long Does It Take Wood Putty to Dry?
- How Long Does Pressure Treated Wood Last?
- How Long To Season Wood?
- How Long To Soak Wood Chips
- How Many Coats of Primer on Wood?
- Is a Router Necessary in Woodworking?
- What Colors Go Well With Dark Wood?
- What Does a Wood Jointer Do?
- What Does Mold Look Like On Wood?
- What Grit Sandpaper for Wood Before Painting?
- What Grit Sandpaper to Remove Paint from Wood?
- What Is A Cord Of Wood?
- What is Wood Alcohol?
- What is Wood Ash Good For?
- What is Wood Conditioner?
- What is Wood Pulp?
- What is Wood Veneer?
- What to Do with Fresh Wood Chips?
- What to Do with Wood Chips From Chipper?
- When to Use Pressure Treated Wood?
Sponge painting creates a fun design or backdrop when intentionally used for its texture.
Use a paintbrush and apply the acrylic paint following the design on the primed wood. You can use different brushes for varying wood surfaces, like a flat brush used for painting around curves and a small round brush used for precision painting.
Let the wood surface dry completely before proceeding to the other side. After you’ve finished painting, let the art project completely dry within 24 hours. Apply a sealant using a sponge brush to seal in the acrylic paint.
Conclusion
Yes, you can use an acrylic paint on wood. It is very important to prepare the wood in order to land a successful result. Sealing after painting is also crucial for a long-lasting artwork. Have you enjoyed reading this article? If so, please like and share this post as well as comment below.
Sources
https://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/How-to-Use-Acrylic-Paint-on-Wood-/10000000178571759/g.html
https://modpodgerocksblog.com/how-to-use-acrylic-paint/
https://www.thoughtco.com/hardboard-or-wood-painting-guide-2578682