After making some little cute stone paintings, I thought I should seal them. I don’t have any varnish or clear coat at hand. What I have is some clear nail polish. Will it work? Here’s what I found out:
Clear nail polish can be used to seal small rocks or stones painted with acrylics. It can be an inexpensive alternative to varnish or other clear coats that are typically used to seal rock art. However, it may not be ideal for bigger rock painting projects or rock art done using pens or markers.
How to use clear nail polish for rock art
Materials
- Small rocks/stones/pebbles painted with acrylics
- Make sure they are completely dried. Not sure how to dry painted rocks? I explained here the simplest and the fastest way to dry rock art..
- Clear nail polish (affiliate link)
- Drying rack
- I use old egg cartons for this purpose.
- Gloves (optional)
You will also need:
- A well-ventilated area (I do this outside)
Steps
1. Set up
- I recommend working in a well-ventilated area, preferably outside the house.
- Lay down all the materials. So you can easily reach them.
- You can then hold the stones to paint. You may need to wear hand gloves for this.
- Alternatively, you can place the stones on a rack if you will like to coat them directly. This is what I did since I don’t have gloves.
2. Applying the coating
- This step is similar to painting nails.
- Load your brush with as much clear nail polish as you can. Then brush it to the stone in 1 straight stroke. Repeat loading and brushing until you cover the entire stone.
3. Drying
- I leave the stones on the same rack I painted them on.
- I love using egg cartons for this since we have lots of them. I also use them to store little rocks.
- In case you are curious, this is how I made these cute Halloween rocks.
Advantages of using clear nail polish to seal rock art
- Protects rocks/stones painted with acrylic paint
- Just like acrylic painting on canvas, rocks painted with acrylics can be ‘sealed’. This is typically done by applying a few layers of varnish or a clear coat after the painting has completely dried. This prolongs the life of our rock art by protecting them from elements like dust, spills, etc. This is especially necessary if we want to keep them outdoors.
- Adds some shine
- Clear nail polish has the same glossy effect as gloss varnish or clear coats
- Convenient
- Most gals, probably have it at home. It is also cheap and can be found anywhere even in dollar stores.
- I happen to have a few old bottles, which I don’t use on my nails anymore. So I use them for crafting instead.
- Easy to set-up
- Since nail polish comes with a brush, you don’t need any extra brush (a typical brush will not fit the tiny bottle anyway). That also means you don’t have to clean the brush after. Cleaning a brush with a clear coat or varnish is extra work. You might also need a paint thinner or other solutions to clean your brush.
- Alternatively, you can use spray-on coats. With this, you will need to set up a working area to make sure tables and other things are protected from the spray.
- Good for beginners and trials
- Great when you are just starting to do rock art, and not sure if you will do it again after. You probably won’t want to buy a big can or bottle of clear coat.
- Fast drying
- A thin coat of clear nail polish dries in about 15 minutes.
- For painted rocks or stones, I try to apply a thick layer to avoid having visible brush strokes. Which also means they take longer to dry.
- Since my clear nail polish has a very strong smell, I let them dry outdoors overnight.
- Great for tiny rock paintings
- Comes with a tiny brush that you can use on little paintings without wasting any nail polish. Especially lesser waste compared to spray-on sealants.
- I showed in the picture below the size of the rock or stone that can be coated with clear nail polish. I also put the nail polish bottle for size reference. I probably won’t go much bigger than this jewel stone.
Disadvantages of Clear Nail Polish
- Not compatible with markers and pens
- It may not work so well with rock art done using markers or pens. Because some markers and pens may have different compositions other than acrylics, they tend to bleed when clear nail polish is applied.
- Takes a long time to apply
- Because of such a tiny nail polish brush, it takes so long to apply.
- If you are planning to do lots of stones or bigger rocks, I would not recommend using nail polish. Applying varnish or a clear coat using a bigger brush or using a spray-on will make your life easier.
- Uneven
- Because you will need to use a tiny brush instead of covering a lot of surfaces at once, brush strokes might be visible. This can be minimized by loading the brush with lots of clear nail polish to apply a thicker layer.
- Strong smell
- The polish I have has a strong smell when they are wet. Maybe I suddenly just got a sensitive nose. One reason why I don’t paint my nails anymore.
- I personally work with clear nail polish outdoors, and let them dry outdoors as well.
- Makes rock art glossy
- Not all rock paintings need to be sealed. Some rock art actually looks better without a coat. It’s good to try it first to know what’s best for a particular piece or what you prefer.
- Also, if you are planning to take some pictures, you might want to do it before sealing. The gloss creates some glare making it hard to take good photos.
- Can cause discoloration
- If you are particular about the color of your painted rocks, this coating will not work. It can add some yellow tint to your rock art.
- In the picture below, I placed 2 coated ghost rocks (left) vs non-coated (right). As you might notice, there is a bit of ‘yellowing’ on the coated ones. This was taken just 2 weeks after coating.
Other things to use to seal a rock painting.
- Spray-on sealers
- Pour-on sealers/resin
- Brush-on sealers
Want to learn more about sealer options? Check out this blog. It will help you choose the best type of sealer for you and why. I also added tips on how to solve a common sealing problem that you may encounter.
Overall
Yes, you can use clear nail polish to seal tiny rocks painted with acrylics. I hope that this makes it easier to start and have fun with stone painting.
