I’ve been reading about acrylic paint and have found alot of info in the archives. Im interested in where to get the paint. I assume your not using regular latex house paint. Im really nervous about bleeding from thinning with water so Im interested in what you use to thin it. Ive read about acrylic paint thinner and future? Is this something readily available? What is future and where do I find it?
For airbrushing you will need either flat (flatte?) acrylic or tempera paint. I believe acrylic lacquer and flat acrylic are the same thing so if you ask for flat acrylic and get a funny look ask for acrylic lacquer. You should be able to get it from a panelbeating supply shop or a paint shop without too much fuss. As for bleeding, I press my masking tape down with an icecream stick. A razor blade can do the same thing as well. Press all the masking tape down with either and bleeding shouldn’t be a problem. You can thin acrylic with distilled water, no more than about 25% water though or you’ll make the colour very bland. Future is floor polish made of acrylic wax. It’s also known as Klear floor polish here in New Zealand and I get it from the supermarket. It puts a nice sheen on the board and makes for a good finish spray I reckon.
Or, you can get it at any art supply store. I’ve used cheap stuff for the kids with pretty good results(I’m only making boards for my own amusement) and a paint brush. Mike
Future is a floor polish,that you can buy at most supermarkets.
Archive it . Herb
I’ve made an acrylic paint of sorts using water based tempera and acrylic floor finish as thinner. It works OK as a color coat sprayed on a shaped blank. A light coat of just plain acrylic floor finish (no paint mixed in) serves as a sealer so it doesn’t bleed.
Beware of dark color crystalization. Allowing light coats to dry completely between additional coats may help prevent this.
I’m not sure the specific “Future” brand is super important. I’ve used other brands.
Hi Guys ,
I want to throw this out there to help prevent confusion. ( or create more…)
I live in the United States. I used to paint cars.
Acrylic lacquer would get thinned with paint thinner…not good for surfboards
Acrylic urathane would get thinned with a product called reducer…not good for surfboards
Water based Acrylic paints are not good for painting cars but are great for surfboards
If you live in the US go to a craft store and buy water based Acrylic paint. You can thin your paint with several products including Acrylic Floor Finish (future finish) or bottled water or with several other water based products discussed here on Swaylock’s.
I’m talking about painting on foam
Just go for it!
Ray
Future has the lowest amount of additives in it compared to other floor polishes which contain waxes,petro-chems,dyes,lg amts of ammonia,etc.
Future is basically acrylic and H2O ,…a small amt of fragrance,and ammonia is in the mix but not enough to cause any problems down the road.
Since I discovered Future for paint mixing/sealing some 5-6 years ago many industrial painters are using it,and not just in the surf arena either.
Before that… everyone use overly expensive thinners or just water.
Does thinning the water-based acrylic paint prevent the paint from re-activating and bleeding when it contacts resin?
If you use Future it will seal the paints,and no bleeding will occur.Also it makes a better taping surface(no paint pull up).
Howzit NJ, There is a point where to much water does affect the acrylic content in the paint and it will bleed. That’s where the acrylic thinner or the acrylic floor polish comes into play. By using either of these acrylic thinners you keep the acrylic content higher. I make a thinning mixture of 60% acrylic thinner and 40% water. This allows you to thin the paint and not lose the acrylic % needed to prevent bleedage. I never seal my paint except for reds and blacks and those I seal with thinned resin to keep them from crystallizing. Aloha,Kokua
I’m considering delving into simple taped foam sprays and very much appreciate the info. What kind of paint/future ratio do you suggest?
and stay away from BLACK!
I am a noob when it comes to making boards, so bear that im mind. I went to an auto shop, and bought some acrylic spray paint ( used for touching up dings on your car ). It worked great. I didn’t put heaps of paint on, but it came out good. Taping was easy, and also, the glass doesnt seem to have any problems sticking to the painted foam. 
This pic is just after the lam coat on the bottom.
Depends on the paint type and brand.
Mix some batches and …test,test,test,…before you spray your blank.
Thinned resin ? What’s the mix ,K ?
How do you apply it ?
I’m thinking about pre-lammung all shapes from now on,the benefits seem worth it.
Very helpful, Kokua… thanks.
Do you think there’s a need to thin the paint at all if you apply it with a roller? Is thinning with acrylic just for spraying or is it it to prevent bleeding? What would happen if you thinned with only acrylic and no water?
I’m asking because I don’t do any spraying… the guy who does the art does all the spraying. But I’ll paint some simple colors on my own boards with regular acrylic latex house paint and a mini-roller. It goes on fast and easy, puts some color on the thing, but I always have to deal with the bleeding issue.
If I thinned with acrylic (Future) only, and painted with a roller, would it prevent bleedage?
Trying to “stop the bleeding”…
NJ
Howzit Herb, I thin the resin with styrene, then just brush it on the paint. Think thinning the resin like for a cloth inlay.You want enough resin to seal the paint but not to thick. I do know 1 glasser that does this on all red painted boards, but in my mind that much resin adds weight. Aloha,Kokua
Howzit NJ, I usually spray my paint jobs but a few times I have used a brush for doing things like tiger stripes and I used thinned paint since I had pre thinned paint in the shop left over from other boards. I always have extra laying around since when I mix paint I make enough to almost fill a 1.5 liter water bottle. Aloha,Kokua
What do you thin epoxy with? Styrene as well?
styrene will dissolve polystyrene (e.g., EPS). There are lots of threads and other Inet info (try West Systems) about thinning epoxy if you really want to do that.