We receive a great deal of questions each month from our visitors and subscribers. One of the more frequently asked questions is “How long does acrylic paint take to dry?”. It is impossible to give an exact time as drying time depends on several factors: brand of paint being used, the support it is applied to, humidity levels, thickness of the paint application, just to name a few.
It is important to note that acrylic paint has a two stage drying process. The first stage happens relatively fast. This is when a skin forms on the surface of the paint layer and it becomes “dry to the touch”. This is a result of the water within the paint evaporating or being absorbed by the substrate. With a thin layer, the paint can dry to the touch within seconds. Thicker applications can take a day or more to dry.
The second stage is when the entire thickness of the paint is fully dry. This is when all of the water and solvent within the paint are gone. This is also known as “curing”. This second stage is very important because this is when the various characteristics of acrylic paint really shine, like adhesion and hardness for instance. For thin applications it could take several days. Thicker applications may take months or even years to dry completely.
The quick drying time of acrylic paint makes them a very popular painting medium for many beginners while some find the fast dry time difficult to work with. It really is a matter of personal preference and something you will discover only when working with this medium for some time. I hope you found this post helpful! Thanks for your visit!
Find more acrylic painting lessons and tips from our site here.
Any suggestions for all the thousands of us painting rocks for the Kindness Rocks Project? We are using basic acrylic paint. After it dries, usually an hour we are sealing them with an acrylic sealer.
I am doing my own research for many Rock Groups. This will be our first winter leaving them out in the weather!
Thanks for any advice !
Sandie Rainey Chelmsford MA Rockd
Hi Sandie,
I would first wash and rinse the rocks to prepare the surface for painting and then let them dry. If the rock is really dirty, you could gently scrub it with an old toothbrush to remove soil or other particles from the surface. The best rocks are smooth rounded rocks that you might find in a river or other body of water. If there are any rough patches, you could try gently sanding the rock with sand paper. Then apply the acrylic paint. I would use a good quality acrylic paint that is made for outdoors if you want them to last. Check out DecoArt Patio Paint: https://decoart.com/patio-paint-outdoor/. According to the decoart website, there is no need to seal the rocks when using their patio paint. I hope that helps!