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Can You Spray Polycrylic? (All You Need to Know)

Polycrylic is a water-based top coating finish mostly used in wooden surfaces. It is made from organic elements hence it is safer to use than polyurethane. In this article, we will discuss the application of polycrylic.

Can you spray polycrylic?

You can spray polycrylic. It is more convenient to spray on a wooden surface than to apply it using a brush. The spray helps the finish to apply evenly and easily for someone without expertise. Its odorless and toxic material-free. So, when sprayed it does not harm the surrounding environment.

Polycrylic can be sprayed to wood such as furniture or interior surfaces. It is a more hassle-free process than the traditional painting process using a brush where you have to soak the brush repeatedly into the solution.

This simple technique allows you to implement just the plug-and-play method by opening the cap and spraying it over the material to make sure it dries up quickly.

You can apply over a painted surface or bare wood to make it water-resistant and extend the lifespan of a wooden product.

Spraying polycrylic helps to prevent wood damage from water, light, and temperature. The following are some of the surfaces that can be sprayed with polyacrylic:

Over vinyl:

In many cases, vinyl has a polycrylic coating that will make your vinyl surface shiny and strong. However, the problem is that if a thicker layer is sprayed on the vinyl, the paint may wrinkle.

So even if you spray on vinyl, it is better not to spray a thicker layer over vinyl.

Over chalk paint:

You can apply a water-based polycrylic finish over white chalk paint. You don’t worry about fading the paint or getting yellow-tinted like the oil-based polyurethane finish.

Putting polyurethane over chalk paint will make the paint look older after a certain time.

Over latex paint: 

Latex paint is a good choice for spraying polycrylic on it. But just in case you are unsure about the issues it might cause, try to spray on a specific spot of the paint to find out if it suits the paint.

As latex paint is oil-based it will help coat the paint if a polycrylic coat is used. 

Over polyurethane:

You can use a polycrylic finish over polyurethane. But sometimes the polycrylic might not stick to polyurethane well. So, sanding the polyurethane surface is the best option.

It will help you to smoothen the surface, just spray the polycrylic over polyurethane to bring back the gloss again.

On metal:

Polycrylic is the best option for wood, metal, and painted surface, so you can try applying them over metal very easily. It helps the metal to become quickly dried and gives an ultra-finished look.

Can you spray polycrylic indoors?

You can spray polycrylic indoors without tension. Polycrylic is a water-based clear topcoat that is made using organic elements, unlike polyurethane which is an oil-based finish. So, it has no such toxic elements in it.

Also, it is odorless so spraying the paint indoors will not cause any bad smell in the closed room. You won’t face any breathing problems. Besides, the polycrylic finish doesn’t cause the emission of harmful gas that causes environmental pollution.

The advantage of spraying polycrylic indoors is, it will prevent dust from sticking to the paint. So, the paint will give you a clean, glossy finish. It takes around 30 minutes to dry up.

Although you need to leave it 24 hours before you start using it, spraying indoors will help you to start using it without any hassle. Moreover, polycrylic is water-based and non-flammable, so spraying indoors doesn’t create any fire risks.

Brushing polycrylic might cause the paint to create mess here and there, so spraying is a quick technique and needs you to put less effort into it. 

Can you spray minwax polycrylic with hvlp?

HVLP, also known as a high-volume lot pressure sprayer can be used to spray polycrylic over wood. Before that, make sure to reduce the thinness of the polycrylic spray material by 10% of its volume to get the best results.

Also, the standard thinned volume that minwax contains might create drips or bubbles over the surface. So, try to spray multiple layers on the surface. Once the first layer gets dried up, rub off the surface using sandpaper, then apply the second layer.

Repeat the same process a couple of times to get the best results. When spraying using HVLP, try to spray in a specific direction.

Spraying here and there will make the surface uneven and incomplete in some spots. So, be careful when you spray and balance the pressure and thinness of the paint.

3 reasons why you can spray polycrylic

There are plenty of reasons why you can spray polycrylic instead of brushing it over a surface. Since polyacrylic topcoat finish is a water-based finish, it is very eco-friendly and easy to use.

In addition to that, polycrylic is made from organic elements and does not contain harmful toxic elements. So, it doesn’t affect your breathing when applying it.

Spraying polyacrylic instead of brushing it over the surface makes it easy to apply and it takes very little time to dry up.

Moreover, brushing strokes over a plane surface might not be able to provide a proper finishing but spraying will make the surface more even and the surface will get a proper amount of polyacrylic on it in every part of it.

The spray polyacrylic comes in a spray container so you don’t need to gather different types of instruments when spraying polyacrylic over a surfaces

Easy to use:

First of all, polycrylic is very easy to use. Anyone without proper expertise can spray the polycrylic topcoat finish over wooden surfaces. It is a hassle-free job which is very efficient for any people to do.

Takes less time:

Spraying Polycrylic takes less time than brushstrokes of the wooden surfaces. Also, it takes less time to dry up. It gets dry in about 30 minutes from spraying.

Doesn’t require any instrument:

When you try to apply polyacrylic using a brush you need to gather other instruments to pull off the procedure.

But when you try to spray the polyacrylic over a wooden surface you just can simply shake the spray bottle well and spray over the surface.

Can you use polycrylic spray for sublimation?

Sublimation, also known as passing the solid phase to the gas phase without interrupting the liquid phase can also be done in terms of polycrylic finish. And the best surface to put a spray polycrylic for sublimation is on hard surfaces.

If you want to stick the contents of paper on wood, simply apply the paper over the road and spray polyacrylic on the paper after a certain time you can simply rinse the paper with water and remove it easily.

Before you spray Polycrylic on any surface that you want to sublimate, make sure to add water with the polycrylic to make it thinner and then apply it.

How to use polycrylic spray?

Spraying polycrylic is very simple if you know the right directions to do it. You need to focus on the surface and ensure every inch of it gets properly sprayed. Spraying polycrylic over a wooden surface will provide a glossy and smooth finish.

Besides, it will prevent UV rays from sunlight to damage your wood, as well as keep it in good condition from water and temperature, increasing the overall lifespan of your wood.

So, applying polycrylic on surfaces is a must. Unlike the traditional polyurethane-based finish, it will not cause a yellowish tint on the surface and dry quickly.

It is highly recommended for such a project where you need to the job done quickly. The following explains how polycrylic finishes are sprayed on a wooden surface:

Spray from 1 foot away:

The polycrylic spray requires a certain distance to be sprayed from to ensure proper airflow.

So, when you’re spraying the polycrylic finish on the surface make sure to stand 1 foot away from the surface and hold the can straight to spray more efficiently.

Apply more than 2 layers:

It is always better to use more than one layer of coating for your wooden surfaces. applying more than two layers will increase the thickness of the topcoat finish and will provide you with a glossy and durable result.

Spray in one direction:

When you’re spraying on the surface make sure to spray in a specific direction. Spraying here and there will create a mess on the surface and the results will not be even.

the surface will have Polycrylic accumulated in a place and the other places won’t get a drop.

Final Thoughts

You can spray polycrylic on surfaces. It is a more efficient and time-saving job instead of painting the surface using a brush. It will make the surface look more even and glossy. So, applying polycrylic using a spray can help the surface to dry up quickly and is considered the best short project.