Sealing wood panels and Dibond sheets

[KevLea]

Hi all, since I started airbrushing I have sealing some wooden boards with 2 coats of pva glue mixed with gesso, then a final gesso. With the dibond panels I have just scuffed them, cleaned them and used gesso again. Is there a better way to seal these surfaces? Any advice would be appreciated

 

[Kim McCann]

Hi all, since I started airbrushing I have sealing some wooden boards with 2 coats of pva glue mixed with gesso, then a final gesso. With the dibond panels I have just scuffed them, cleaned them and used gesso again. Is there a better way to seal these surfaces? Any advice would be appreciated

Gesso alone should be fine. Modern gesso usually contains PVA along with the acrylic binders anyway. So a good quality gesso, lightly sanded is sufficient.

If you are really concerned, and the painting ia going to be outdoor, an inexpensive wood sealer for decks and patios can be used as a pre coat before the gesso.

Make sure however that any gesso or sealant is 100% fully cured however, before you apply any finishing clear over your artwork. Gesso can out gass moisture for weeks if applied thickly.

While you can paint acrylic on gesso as soon as it is dry to touch, there should be a minimum of two weeks between when you apply gesso and a clear coat. Otherwise bubbles can form or your artwork can sag and slough off. Not common, but I had it happen when I was just starting out.

So now I prepare my panels weeks in advance while working on other artwork, so I know for sure that no more out gassing or moisture will be left before I start painting. Paints will cure quicker, so I only have to wait about 24 to 48 hours before a final clear coat, though usually I wait more.

Gesso is a good sealant, but it holds it's own moisture well after it looks and feels dry. Give it time, especially on a surface that doesn't let it breathe on two sides, like canvas. Wood will slow the curing time of gesso quite a lot.

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[KevLea]

Gesso alone should be fine. Modern gesso usually contains PVA along with the acrylic binders anyway. So a good quality gesso, lightly sanded is sufficient.

If you are really concerned, and the painting ia going to be outdoor, an inexpensive wood sealer for decks and patios can be used as a pre coat before the gesso.

Make sure however that any gesso or sealant is 100% fully cured however, before you apply any finishing clear over your artwork. Gesso can out gass moisture for weeks if applied thickly.

While you can paint acrylic on gesso as soon as it is dry to touch, there should be a minimum of two weeks between when you apply gesso and a clear coat. Otherwise bubbles can form or your artwork can sag and slough off. Not common, but I had it happen when I was just starting out.

So now I prepare my panels weeks in advance while working on other artwork, so I know for sure that no more out gassing or moisture will be left before I start painting. Paints will cure quicker, so I only have to wait about 24 to 48 hours before a final clear coat, though usually I wait more.

Gesso is a good sealant, but it holds it's own moisture well after it looks and feels dry. Give it time, especially on a surface that doesn't let it breathe on two sides, like canvas. Wood will slow the curing time of gesso quite a lot.

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Thanks Kim, much appreciated, I never thought that the gesso might take some time to cure and I do now prepare a number of boards well in advance of starting something. Thanks again for 5he insight

 

[SiRoxx]

The Diabond doesn’t need to be sealed at all if you don’t want to. Once it’s been scuffed the powder oat surface isn’t bad at holding the paint. Granted there can be small dents or imperfections, in wish case a reasonable primer filler could be a good choice.


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[wickedartstudio]

The Diabond doesn’t need to be sealed at all if you don’t want to. Once it’s been scuffed the powder oat surface isn’t bad at holding the paint.

This. Powder coat is actually an extremely good and durable surface to paint on provided it is cleaned, prepped and cleaned again. It's actually better than most primers.