Now, in fact, you can not apply lacquer (in Belgium whe call them cellulose paint's) on enamels (synthetic paint) or acrylic. Luckily, you can put a fresh coat of paint over your enamel-painted wall if you have the right tools and steps. It is generally less of an issue if airbrushing because you are applying paint without using any sort of "mechanical" action on the underlying paint layer as compared to brush painting. Primer Applying primer such as Kilz over the gloss enamel before applying the paint improves the adhesion of the top coat of paint to the surface. He asked me how I got them looking so good because he never could. But first he would have to do one thing for me, bring in the can of lacquer. Some other parts also looked shiny and melted. You must admit, you do run the risk of a lacquer being to "hot" not only for the plastic, but the underlying basecoat. I didn't mean to pick on you Mike, was just joking. I usually paint with Testors MM enamals and use some Tamiya acrylics over them and have never had an issue. You didn't specifically say it, but it's implied... -- Jim -- "Put the pedal down & shake the ground!". I have a question, that's probably been asked a thousand times: Will acrylic paint stick to something painted with enamels? To participate you must either login or register for an account. I explained to him my steps, even wrote them down for him. This is because the solvents used in lacquers are MUCH "hotter" (stronger, faster evaporating) than enamel solvents, and the lacquer solvents can 'dissolve' the enamel paint underneath them, leading to "alligatoring" or cracking or other things that TOTALLY ruin the paint finish. But I also know one persons idea of a light coat might not be the same LOL. By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. particularly in the case of the flat metallics like Flat alumimium and metallic grey. Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials. Unless you are spraying acrylic enamel from a can, you will need an air spray gun and a compressor to apply it -- it is not a job for an airless sprayer. When making the choice to use acrylic paint, you don’t have to worry about having to prep the paint, such as mixing in hardeners, as is necessary with urethane paint. the paint will peel off. for it. This also applies to adding an acrylic enamel for an extra shine. You can paint acrylic over oil paint pretty easily actually. While you can apply oil-based enamel directly on top of acrylic paint - you can't apply water-based paint on top of oil-based enamel paint. You can generally paint acrylics over (well cured) enamels without any issues at all. The clear coat of urethane supplies the acrylic enamel paint with a buffer between the paint and the elements. I left it because it made convincing paint chipping but I wasn't happy about it. I have to ask, what are you thinning your paint with? Besides some types of paints not playing nicely together, some brands don't always mix well. Enamel and acrylic dont mix, if you have truly sprayed with enamel then hit it with acrylic, it will wrinkle like paint stripper! Acrylic paint will cover enamel but will not "stick". (Kenny Roberts). The big question is, can you paint over polyurethane? When painting over gloss enamel, choose a self-priming paint that is of high quality to prevent possible future problems with peeling. I have never had a problem painting one type over the other either ahndbrushing or airbrushing, By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. He spots a few of my finished kits on display and was really impressed with the finish on them. I think it is just a matter of going light on the coverage. It should stick with no problems. You can paint acrylic paint over enamel paint, but only with proper surface preparation. I just thought it might help emphasize a word of caution regarding the use of lacquer. Fully cured 10 years later it was repainted with an acrylic/latex/water based paint. C'mon over here and answer this guys question will ya?! Most wooden furniture has a polyurethane finish. NEVER enamel over acrylic and NEVER lacquer over anything. What if enamel is thinned with paint thinner?, can it be painted over dried/cured acrylic paint? He's already making the AB setup list. The thinners used for acrylics are "softer" and don't usually affect enamels. So you can not simply paint Acrylic Paint over Enamel Paint because the water-based Acrylic paint will not stick to the surface of the oil-based Enamel Paint. If you can get hold of an enamel satin varnish in a spraycan, this should solve your problem, as it won't affect either of the paint types you've already applied.. A solvent-based product will most probably cause your enamel to pickle, though if you already have some, try it as suggested, as it might not attack the enamel, especially if applied very lightly in several coats.. 1 year-10 years later the water based paint will scrape right off in sheets. View our, Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. Or will there be some problems. Our community is FREE to join. If you just apply a coat of water-based paint, it won't adhere properly on the surface and the colour will fade quickly. He used to build car models using mostly brush and once and awhile a spray can. Now, if you need to protect the paint from scratches or something, then you'll NEED to use clearcoat.