How To Seal Painted Rocks To Preserve Its Quality

There’s much more to painting rocks than just dabbing on some paint and if you want to make sure your artwork stays beautiful and prevent damage from environmental elements, you’re going to need to seal the rocks.

This means, knowing how to seal painted rocks the correct way can really impact how long they last.

If you’re in a hurry, the best way to seal rocks is to lay them flat on a non-stick surface, use a sealant to give the rocks a light mist. You’ll then want to spray a much thicker coat and leave it to dry completely.

There are many different techniques and ways to seal rocks that will also many them water-resistant.

In this guide, you learn everything there is know about sealing rocks and taking care of them.

Do You Need To Seal Painted Rocks?

As mentioned before, sealing your rocks will prevent any damage to its design but it’s not completely necessary to seal rocks.

However, it will be beneficial for you in which your painted rocks will look more beautiful for longer.

Also, if you would like to decorate the outdoors or display painted rocks, you won’t need to be concerned with them getting damaged from exposure, moisture, scratches, or yellowing.

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Most importantly, sealing a rock will make it look more glossy and pretty in general.

With acrylic paints, some do not need to be sealed since they can be sealed on its own but others may not depending on paint quality. It really depends but sealing will be a safer option to go for.

Best Sealant For Painted Rocks

There are two types of ways to seal painted rocks which is by spraying or using a brush.

Either way works pretty well and it really depends on your preference although spraying is much easier to coat large areas or multiple rocks at once compared to using a brush to apply the sealant on.

Using a spray sealant also saves much more time than if you had to use a brush but definitely try both ways to see which method works best for you.

Tips For Sealing Rocks

Now that you have your chosen sealant ready, it’s time to get started.

With sealing, you can either do it before or after painting a rock but here are a few tips if you want to learn how to seal painted rocks the correct way.

Step 1: Choose a Sealant

Whether it’s a spray sealant or a brush type one, you’ll want to try a few to make sure you get the perfect result. Grab your supplies and let’s get going.

Step 2: Make Sure The Paint Is Dry

Before spraying your sealant, make sure your paint is dry since this may lead to a tiny bit of smudging or the ink may run if you use sharpies.

Step 3: Lay Them Flat

Here you’ll need to choose a surface that won’t make the rocks stick to it.

Parchment paper is a great alternative but you can use another surface that won’t stick when spraying the other side.

Step 4: Spray In Separate Layers

The trick with sealing painted rocks is to lightly mist your rock with one layer, allow it to dry, and then spray another layer. You’ll want to give it at least one more spray before finishing.

And that’s all there really is to sealing rocks!

However, if you are going to use ink markers, sharpies, or paint pens, then apply a light coat of mod podge on the rock before spraying will definitely help preserve the design and prevent any smears or smudging!

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Other Sealing Questions You May Have

Can You Use Hairspray to Seal Painted Rocks?

Unfortunately no. Most supplies can be used with hairspray however acrylic and other types of paint will not be sealed with hairspray which may lead to a bad reaction and make the paint melt.

Hairspray is also not a good alternative for sealing glitter on rocks so it’s definitely worth investing in a good sealant rather than using this alternative.

Can I use PVA glue to seal painted stones?

PVA glue can be used to seal painted rocks but you may have to use many layers to properly coat the entire rock and you will need to let the rock completely dry before applying another coat.

Can I use clear nail polish to seal acrylic paint?

Similar to hairspray, nail polish may react badly to the acrylic paint and might destroy your design. Another thing with nail polish is that over time you will notice a significant yellowing and will not stay clean for very long. It would be best to opt for a proper sealant or an acrylic gloss to seal painted rocks.

Conclusion

Sealing painted rocks is really easy and fun to do while bringing your whole piece together.

That moment of finally finishing a rock by sealing it can really make the experience feel worthwhile while and with the use of a glossy finish, you’ll love how the rocks end up looking.

When it comes to sealing rocks, it’s best to stick with what works and that way, you won’t have to deal with other issues or watch your work get ruined with a cheap product or alternative that won’t work.

Also, with making sure your painted rocks are correctly sealed, it’s best to start off slowly and work your way up.

The rock should never drip or run with a sealant so it’s best to give it a light mist rather than heavy coats at a time.