Acrylic paints are a very popular material among artists, designers and creative people in principle. They have a very wide range of uses: from construction to painting and creating designs on fabrics. Unfortunately, this material has one drawback - it is very "firmly" set, it is difficult to wash or dilute it.
The reader will learn from this article: if acrylic paint is dry, what to do. To understand why it is so durable and difficult to breed, you need to know a little more about this amazing material. And also how to dilute if the acrylic paints are dry.
A little bit about acrylic paints
This material has a synthetic base and has existed on store shelves and in the everyday life of artists, designers and decorators for about 50 years. Its composition is extremely simple: water, pigment and a binder - acrylic polymer emulsion or resin. These paints are known for their special qualities:
- They are easy to apply to the surface.
- They have a high hiding power.
- They are persistent and do not change color after evaporation of the base, for which everyone loved it - from amateurs to professionals. Such paint is grasped very firmly, tightly.
In addition, thanks to the synthetic base, these paints are fireproof and ethical, since they do not contain animal products.
By cons include the cost. Acrylic paints are more expensive than the same gouache, so they are not used very often for painting. Acrylic is mainly used for illustrations, decorating clothes, home and other decorative works. It is also difficult to wash the hands and surfaces of the substance due to its adhesive properties, and it is difficult to reanimate after the paint dries.
More on paint properties
- Brightness and color saturation.
- Acrylic dries quickly enough thanks to the water base.
- Dense and uniform surface coverage.
- Durability. When applied, water evaporates quickly, leaving a strong synthetic substance and pigment. They firmly bond the paint to the surface.
- Preservation of color when dried and exposed to sunlight.
- Structural strength and resistance to external stimuli.
- Water repellent property. Acrylic paints are not exposed to moisture after drying.
Comparison with oil paints
Acrylic paints, like oil paints, are a coating material. They are applied to the surface in a similar way and have many common features when mixing different colors with each other. However, despite their similarities, they have many differences.
Acrylic dries faster because water evaporates lighter and more intense than oil paints, which can dry from a few days to several weeks. It is not sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, as well as to the amount of sunlight. Acrylic paints are much stronger. They do not fade, crack or crumble over time, which makes them suitable for construction work and for decorating clothing and the exterior of a house.
Acrylic and watercolor
You can work with this amazing material in “liquid” technology. If acrylic is diluted with a large amount of water, it will repeat the properties of watercolor, it will give a light delicate color and soft contours, but it will dry faster, and it will not work out after drying.
It differs in that it does not fade in the sun and is not washed off by water or rain after drying, and also gives more room for creativity. After all, they can work in hiding equipment.
Features of working with acrylic
Acrylic paints can be diluted with water or other diluents that will change their properties when dried. For example, you can add gloss by mixing with varnish or, conversely, dull with oil. Shine can also be given with hairspray by spraying it after the paint dries. Thanks to the solvent, the fluidity of acrylic can be improved so that it is convenient to paint large surfaces or work with a paint roller.
They can be used for priming canvases and other surfaces. With the help of acrylic, you can get both an even base, and textured or textured.
Packaging
Most often in stores this material can be found in two packaging options. Acrylic paints are sold in metal tubes and in cans. In the second version, they have a more liquid consistency, and they have an increased risk of drying out, and they are stored in tubes longer.
The jars must be closed very tightly, and the remains of the paint must be carefully removed from the lid and the thread so that when dried, nothing sticks together and the container can be easily opened.
Is it possible to restore dried acrylic?
Paint dries due to contact with air. Water dilutes the pigment and binder so that the paint remains the desired consistency, so that you can mix colors or apply paint to a large area. If it evaporates, the acrylic resin in the composition sets, and the acrylic loses its properties, hardening.
They can be restored, but difficult. Due to carelessness, acrylic paints dry in banks quite often, and due to their density it is difficult to wash and dilute them. You can restore them, but most likely, they will never get the previous properties and color and will become more like gouache. The hue will fade, the coating will become less even, but the paint will remain suitable for drawing.
How and how to dilute dried acrylic paint
Sometimes damage to acrylic paint cannot be avoided. Sometimes the bank fails, and sometimes too much material remains on the palette. In any case, I do not want to throw it away at all.
Acrylic paint has dried up, than to dilute if it acquired a “rubber” consistency? In this case, you can simply add a little water to it. However, if acrylic paint for painting has completely dried up, drastic measures will be required. There are a couple of ways to bring stuff back to life.
Several options for what can be done if acrylic paint has dried:
- The easiest way is to dilute with a special tool. So, if acrylic paint has dried, how to dilute it? For these purposes, a special acrylic thinner "Gamma", which can be purchased in art stores, is suitable. White spirit, an industrial composition for removing old coatings for all types of paint or solvent, will also be effective. When breeding with special means, it should be borne in mind that they may not help if the acrylic paint has dried completely.
- There is a more radical way. A solid piece of acrylic must be pulverized. It should be as small as possible. Then the powder must be heated in a water bath or diluted with boiling water.
- If hot water does not help, you can add alcohol or regular nail polish in small portions.
Irrevocably, the paint deteriorates only under the influence of very low temperatures due to the polymerization of the acrylic emulsion in the composition.
However, despite the fact that in some cases acrylic is relatively successfully reanimated, most specialists strongly recommend disposing of dried material. This is because reconstructed paint irretrievably loses its unique properties. Adhesion to the surface will no longer be so good, the coating will become lumpy, and the consistency is inhomogeneous, the color will fade, the paint itself will become less strong, stable and durable.
Restoring acrylic paint is a laborious task, and the result may simply not be worth the effort spent on resuscitation.