Art might be your hobby or your profession or sometimes, both. Either way, it is great to put art on rocks, making it from one of the non-artistic objects to a beautiful one.
But it is important to know how to waterproof painted rocks and seal them to make them shiny and ever beautiful.
Sealing painted rocks is especially important if you are doing it for outside decoration. It helps to protect your artwork from the harsh and trying elements of the weather, such as the rain, in a storm, the snow, dust, etcetera.
The most asked question about rock painting is how to seal painted rocks. Read on further to learn the steps, and you are good to go.
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Step-1: Wait for the Right Time
It is highly recommended that you wait for a period of 24 to 48 hours after your rock painting, before starting the waterproofing process, to let them dry.
Starting the process earlier can ruin the paint, and of course, you don’t want a piece of art ruined before it is even finished. It is also advised that you wait for a non-windy day since once you start spraying, a lot of the sealer will be lost in the wind. This will increase waste and will cost more money.
Step-2: Choose the Right Sealer
You can either spray the sealer on the painted rocks, or you can brush it on. Spraying is the way to go if you are planning to keep the rocks outdoors. For indoor decoration, brushing the sealer on is needed.
One way or the other, make sure you choose a waterproof and ultraviolet-resistant sealer to serve your purpose. Otherwise, you will end up with a smudged and tainted rock after a short while.
It also depends on the kind of paint you use to paint rocks, for example, a sealer for acrylic paint is available. However, it is not the best waterproof spray for rocks used for outside decoration.
Now that you have figured out which sealer to go with, you can move on to the next step.
Step-3: Holding the Spray Can in the Right Place
A common mistake people make is to hold the can close to the rock and get the sealer inconsistently sprayed. This makes the surface of the rock bumpy.
Hold the spraying can at about 8 to 12 inches distance from the rock to get a smooth surface and avoid the bumps.
Step-4: Start Spraying
Start to spray slowly to make a light coating on your painted rocks. You have to avoid making the coat thick at first, though a nice and thick coat is what you want.
If you spray a thick coat on the first spray, you risk ruining the paint. To avoid this, spray 2 or 3 times after drying them each time to get a nice and shiny effect on the rocks.
Make sure you spray at every angle of the rock, the back, the front, and the sides. And remember to let them dry each time. Proceed after you have made sure that the rocks are dry and no sealer is dripping off of them.
Step-5: Seal Your Rocks at the Right Place
It is important to seal the painted rocks in an aerial room and keep them out of the sun until they are dry. One way to know the rocks are dry is that the strong smell from the sealers is no longer there.
Some time will be needed for them to become dry, so you need to keep them in a room, uninterrupted. It also helps if the weather is not windy. Otherwise, a good amount of sealer will be lost, and the rocks will pick up dust from the wind.
Once everything is done, see if you are happy with the end result. If needed, you can spray another layer of the sealer on your rocks, since this is actually a method of trial and error. If not, your artwork is now complete.
Alternative Ways to Seal Painted Rocks
When it comes to waterproofing a surface, it means water can’t penetrate through that surface. To make a surface waterproof, you should use a sealant that is particularly designed with properties that can prevent water penetration.
But, sealing something means making that particular thing not only waterproof but also durable and long-lasting. As a result, it will be able to withstand extreme weather conditions like dirt, debris, wind, heat, etc.
This article focuses only on the methods of waterproofing painted rocks. But, there are several methods of sealing painted rocks. It can be done by using a spray sealer, brush-on sealer, resin, or even mod podge.
Check out another post to know about different types of methods that you can follow to seal painted rocks.
Conclusion
You can use the best way to paint rocks, and combined with the best method of sealing painted rocks, you can create an artwork that is worth praises, and will be an everlasting masterpiece.
