– Parchment paper This translucent waxy paper is one of your best allies when it comes to preserving your graphite drawings. Although parchment paper is the optimal choice—the graphite will keep better in place—you can also put a white sheet of paper on the drawing to protect it.

Place a sheet of clean paper under your drawing hand. The sheet of paper between your hand and your drawing not only prevents smudging, it also protects your drawing from the oils in your skin, which can cause the artwork to age prematurely or paper to yellow over time.

Hairspray can be useful even outside the beauty parlor. Though professional art fixatives are always a better option, hairspray works in a pinch to protect your pencil drawings from erasing and smudges.

Protect your charcoal, chalk, graphite, and pastel drawings by using a fixative spray. Fixative spray keeps surfaces from smudging, fading, and flaking after a work is complete. There are two basic types of fixative, regular and workable.

Allow fixative to dry completely before painting, drawing or touching the work. Do not over apply as it will cause a more dramatic color shift or even cause pastels to dissolve in the fixative.

1 Answer. Once you’ve finished your work, if you need to protect it from being smudged, use Fixative Spray that is made for specifically this purpose. Hairspray will also work in a pinch. Only do this once you’re finished though – since it will make it near impossible to add more chalk once it’s done.

To make your chalk drawings permanent, lay your chalkboard out and carefully spray with a THIN even coat of hairspray from AT LEAST 10 inches away. It will probably look like the chalk is disappearing because the hairspray makes it wet. But seriously, don’t freak out.

Oil pastel drawings are always framed behind glass to protect them. Sennelier make an Oil Pastel Fixative that comes in both an aerosol spray can and liquid in a glass bottle to be decanted into a sprayer or brushed on. It says on the can/bottle that it protects from dust and smudging.

It is not a good idea to laminate drawings. They will last nearly indefinitely so long as they’ve been drawn on a high quality paper. Jack Knight, Illustrator, cartoonist and artist. I wouldn’t recommend laminating it to preserve it.

Photographs and computer-generated art can probably withstand hot lamination, but something such as a watercolor painting would be better served by cold lamination. And if you find yourself laminating a lot, you should probably consider buying your own laminator. So make sure you start laminating your artwork.

Latex paint

Sanding is not necessary to prepare laminate for paint, but you might want to check between coats to make sure you’re getting an even finish. You can lightly sand between coats if you see raised brush or roller marks.

Laminate is a slick and non-porous surface so it’s best to lightly scuff the surface. I use 150-220 grit sandpaper to sand the laminate because it’s the BEST way to get the primer and paint to adhere properly.

How to paint laminate furniture [without sanding]

1. Step 1: Clean.
2. Step 2: Prime.
3. Step 3: Paint with emulsion of choice.
4. Step 4: Varnish.
5. Step 5: Wait for the eggshell or varnish to cure and harden.
6. Step 6: Admire your project.
7. BONUS TIP: Cover your paint tray with cling film before pouring your paint on it.

Deglosser focuses on dulling an old finish. If the older finish is irregular, rough, pitted or scratched, deglosser won’t smooth it. Only sandpaper can repair bad surfaces, smoothing them with its abrasive qualities. If your previous finish needs smoothing in any way, sanding is the only way to accomplish it.

Painting is the easiest way to change the look of laminate cabinets. However, because the surface is slick, you can’t just paint them the way that you would wood cabinets. To help the paint adhere to the laminate, the surface must be scuffed slightly with sandpaper, says Bob Vila.

A sure way to recognize wood laminate is when the grain does NOT follow through your piece. Wood Veneer is a sheet or thin layer of ‘quality-natural-hardwood’ that is adhered to a lesser quality wood surface. Wood Veneers give the impression of a more desired quality wood without being as costly.

Painting over wood veneer is just like painting over wood, except the wood layer is very thin, requiring care not to sand all the way through it. Any latex paint you like turns that outdated or ugly dresser into one that suits your tastes.

Distinguishing Real Wood From Laminates Busby Cabinets offers some dead giveaways: Check the edges of the doors and drawers. If they are solid wood, you’ll see end grain on the tops and bottoms. If they’re laminated, you’ll see edging material with a longitudinal wood grain, which looks unnatural.

Veneer is a decorative wood layer that’s overlaid on a different surface. Veneer can be primed, painted, stained, and treated just like any other wood surface. The trick to painting veneer is to clean, sand, and prime it before applying a finish coat of paint.

An alternative that can turn a throwaway into a conversation piece without the danger of damaging the veneer is to paint the surface white and distress the finish. There is more than one way to do this, but a simple method uses flat white latex paint or wood primer.

Sand the tabletop by hand using a fine-grit sanding sponge or sandpaper and a sanding block, working in the same direction that the wood grain runs. Sand through the finish just enough to reveal the bare veneer. Remove the finish around the tabletop edge using a fine-grit sanding sponge or sandpaper.