Aleene's Acrylic Sealer Spray Matte 6oz

I've used both the gloss and matte finishes on my paintings. I prefer the matte. It's intended to seal acrylic paints from moisture. It has other uses as well but I use it for my art. Aleene's comes in a 6oz can.

Aleene's Spray Acrylic Sealer

Here's what they say about it:

• Acrylic sealer spray provide a protective, clear finish
• Give a glossy luster to virtually any indoor or outdoor project
• A durable protective finish
• Spray on formula goes on simply and evenly
• Contains no cfcs-in accordance with federal regulations
• Applies clear and dries matte
• Spray-on formula goes on simply and evenly. 

Since acrylic paints have a tendency to darken when dry and you end up losing some detail in your paintings, Aleene's spray sealer brings everything back to how they were intended before the paint dried. It will not yellow nor change the color although it will bring out more contrast into your paintings. The contrast is what most people might think that it has changed the colors while actually bringing back the hidden ones. For some, your painting may look wet.  I use it on most of my acrylic paintings.

It may not have cfc's however the spray is toxic and has a lingering odor which will last several days. I recommend not using it indoors due to the toxicity and flammability of the sealer. I use it in my garage with the door open and wear a painters respirator mask. Instead of using my finger to activate the spray nozzle, I use a hand trigger mechanism as seen in the above pic. not only for better control but to keep the spray off my finger.

The sealer dries in just a few minutes and spraying several layers anytime, even when wet is not a problem. Once the sealer is dry and the odor has dissipated, I can take it indoors and admire the awesomeness of the painting.

Since I use it on my artwork, I can recommend it especially for paper and hard board panels. It works on canvas panels and on canvas but will need a few extra layers. By the way since it is a sealer for acrylics, you can still make a few touchups on your painting afterwards, should there be a need by painting right over the sealer. You can always use the spray again to go over the touchups you made using acrylic paints without a problem. I've done it several times and had none!

Since there was no mention regarding  best temps for spraying, I contacted Aleenes. I was told that as long as it's above -31F I should be okay. But I'm a bit skeptical about that claim. I will try it on a painting in the next few days at temps in the mid 30's F.

Update Nov. 15, 2018

It was about 33F outside today and I was eager to see how well Aleene's clear matte sealer might work in the cold.  I went into my garage, put on my painter's respirator, shook the can and began to spray. I was impressed! I had no problems and after spraying my acrylic painting with this sealer, it dried within 15-20 seconds. I was able to spray 3  coats within just minutes. I ended up sealing 3 16x24" within 10 minutes.

Due to the strong lingering odor, I left the paintings in my garage with a fan blowing on the paintings for several hours to get rid of the smell. When I took the paintings in, they were cold and let them warm up. I had no issues. So for now I think this will be my new favorite sealer for my artwork!