Acrylic being a versatile paint offers limitless options for surfaces where you can do fun projects and show your creativity.
Therefore, while contemplating embarking on a project on walls, you may want to know if walls can be a surface to use acrylic paint on or not. So, let’s look into the answers ahead to get a better insight into the topic.
Using Acrylic Paint On Walls:
Acrylic paint can be used to paint walls. Acrylic paint is one of the prevalently used wall paints as it’s highly durable and contains strong adhering qualities, thus, the paint sticks to most types of wall surfaces and lasts for a long time. 100% acrylic paint is the best one to paint walls.
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Since walls are made of different materials such as concrete, plaster, etc., some of you might not know on what type of walls, such as exterior or interior walls, and at what locations like the bedroom or bathroom walls you can use acrylic paint to paint walls.
Therefore, these points are explained individually below with proper reasonings for your better understanding.
Type:
Interior Walls:
Acrylic paint makes one of the safe options for painting interior walls because it offers a protective cover to the interior walls and is highly durable. Specifically, water-based acrylic paint is the best-suited paint for interior walls.
Moreover, acrylic paint is low maintenance and easily cleanable, so even in high-traffic spots where spills can take place, you can use acrylic paint on interior walls.
And dries faster after applying on walls while leaving a less odd odor at the painting spot, which makes it a more suitable interior paint.
Exterior Walls:
Whether you want to have a mural or simply want to paint an exterior wall, acrylic paint is one of the best possible exterior paint to finish this job. It has a very powerful adhesive quality due to its chemical formula.
As a result, acrylic paint firmly sticks to almost any exterior walls, and the paint becomes moisture-resistant and chipping-resistant upon drying on exterior walls. Besides, it’s more inexpensive than many other exterior wall paint and amazingly durable. Acrylic paint not only gives the exterior walls a beautiful look but also the paint withstands most weather and stays vibrant on the walls.
Oil-based acrylic paint is mainly suggested to use on exterior walls for better results.
Location:
Bedroom Walls:
Acrylic paint undeniably is one of the best-suited paint for painting bedroom walls or carrying out almost any DIY project to have customized bedroom walls.
Especially water-based acrylic paint is the perfect choice to paint bedroom walls as it’s easily applicable and dries to a water-resistant finish.
So, any kind of spill on the bedroom wall is less likely to ruin the acrylic paint. Besides, acrylic paint is long-lasting, so the paint on your bedroom walls is going to last for a good time.
Moreover, acrylic paint comes in several different pigments and is highly versatile, so painting your bedroom walls using acrylic color will ultimately provide superior vibrancy to the walls.
Bathroom Walls:
Since acrylic paint gives a moisture-resistant finish, you can use it to paint bathroom walls. But since the bathroom is a wet palace and a high humidity level is present in its air, there are high chances that the paint will fade away or crack.
So, if you are considering applying acrylic paint to your bathroom wall, apply a layer of primer before applying the paint so that the paint sticks strongly and remains protected from moisture.
Material:
Concrete Walls:
Acrylic paint surely can be applied on concrete surfaces. However, if you decide to paint concrete walls with acrylic paint, a water-based clear binding sealer must be applied to seal the paint on the concrete walls.
It will make the paint adhere to concrete walls strongly and will make the paint last longer.
Plaster Walls:
As long as acrylic paint is applied on plaster walls in a wet condition, it can be used to paint plaster walls as acrylic paint is alkaline in wet conditions, therefore, sticks well to the plaster walls.
Is Acrylic Paint The Same As Wall Paint?
Wall paint, known as latex paint is basically a water-based paint that is used for painting both the exterior and interior walls of a home. Whereas acrylic paint is a chemical-based paint, is usually used on interior or exterior paint to draw murals and is occasionally used for painting a whole wall. So this clearly indicates that acrylic paint and wall paint are not the same.
The durability of acrylic and latex paint makes them different too. Acrylic paint has more elasticity than latex paint, so it extends and contracts more than latex. Thereby, acrylic paint withstands temperature fluctuations and scratches/ scuffs better than latex and prevents peeling.
How Long Does Acrylic Paint Last On Walls?
Acrylic paint on walls will last for 7 years or more. However, the given estimated time can be more or less depending on factors like humidity, sunlight, weather, maintenance over the years, preparation of the wall before applying paint, application tools, and the drying time of the paint after application.
This is because these factors directly impact on peeling or fading away of the acrylic paint which lessens the expected time of the paint to last on walls.
How To Paint On Walls With Acrylic?
Below the steps are described that would help you paint walls with acrylic paint.
Tools you will be needing:
- Acrylic paint
- Water-based primer
- A sealer
- Cleaning agent
- Sandpaper
- Paint stripper
- Paint roller/ paint brush
Clean The Walls:
Cleaning the walls’ surfaces is the most important and the first step to beginning the painting task.
So mix a cleaning agent with warm water and wipe away existing all loose dirt, debris, and grease from the wall. Then, let the wall dry fully.
Strip Old Paint Off:
If the walls have oil-based paint on them, you must strip the paint off the walls because acrylic paint will not adhere to any oil-based paint.
Use a metallic paint scrapper first to scrape off paint, then, apply a layer of chemical-based paint remover and allow it to rest on the walls for 15 minutes. After that, use a metallic paint stripper to remove the remaining paint from the walls.
To strip water-based paint off the walls, use a mixture of rubbing alcohol, soap, warm water, and vinegar.
Sand The Walls:
Next, sand the walls to make the surface smooth. Use harsh-grit sandpaper of 80-100 grit for coarse wall surfaces. And fine-grit sandpaper of 180+ grit for non-coarse walls.
Apply Primer On The Walls:
Then, apply two coats of water-based primer on the walls to seal any small pores and to make the paint adhere to the walls better.
You can apply an all-purpose primer as an alternative.
After applying the first coat of primer, let it dry for 2 hours at least, then apply the second coat of primer on the walls.
Apply Acrylic Paint:
Now apply two coats of acrylic paint on the primed walls using a paintbrush or a paint roller. Allow the walls to dry for two hours minimum before applying the second coat of paint.
Seal The Paint:
After passing the curing time of acrylic paint (after 24 hours), seal the paint by applying three coats of a sealer containing polyurethane. A sealer is a must to increase the durability of acrylic paint on walls.
What Other Paints Can You Use On The Walls?
Here’s a list of other kinds of paints that you can use to paint walls.
Latex-based Paint:
Latex-based paint makes the best wall paint. It dries fast, is sun-resistant, and is easily appliable.
Alkyd Paint:
Alkyd is an oil-based paint for walls. It’s highly long-lasting and dries to a very smooth finish, however, it spreads a strong smell in the air.
Enamel Paint:
Enamel paint is another oil-based wall paint. If you want such a wall paint that can withstand regular wear and tear and has incredible durability, then choosing enamel paint would be a good decision.
Eggshell:
Depending on the paint finish, eggshell is a good choice as indoor wall paint. It gives a low finish, dries to a smooth finish, and resists stains.
Satin:
Satin is the best indoor paint. It’s hard-wearing and easy to clean. Plus, gives a soft shiny finish.
High Or Semi-Gloss:
High gloss paint has a highly shiny appearance, whereas semi-gloss paint gives a less shiny finish. Both are suitable for painting indoor walls and can resist wear and tear in high-traffic spots.
Final Thoughts
Both exterior and interior walls can be painted using acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is water-resistant, long-lasting, and adheres firmly to most exterior and interior wall surfaces. Also, upon drying, it leaves a bright look on the wall which can last upto seven years.