I need advice for decorative painting on an outdoor wood project.?

I have been asked to paint a swing set. An exterior satin finished latex has already been purchased, for the basecoat. I am planning to use my acrylics for the decorative painting. But I am not sure how to finish it. Can I just use a water sealing product (ex: Thompson's Waterseal), or should I use a clear coat? If a clearcoat is the way to go, are there any suggestions on which one to use and how long after I paint should I wait to apply it? I really want this to be durable and lasting. It is for a very special little girl, my grand-daughter. Thank you to everyone who chooses to help me. Peace!I need advice for decorative painting on an outdoor wood project.?
Use the acrylic sealant that you can buy at any paint store or arts and crafts store. Wait until it COMPLETLY drys (your creation) then apply the sealant. Let that dry and apply a second coat. And try this after the acrylic sealants are completely dried and coated. Put a polyurathan seal over all of it. It will smooth it out and have an EXTREME lasting quality. You'd have to give that swingset a lot of torture to remove a couple coats of the poly...Good luck!!!I need advice for decorative painting on an outdoor wood project.?
Get J.W. painters finishing wax. After you have decided the best varnish to put over the painting apply the finishing wax and I would apply a spray varnish and this wax every 6 months or so more often. (I apply to all wood products and I apply to all my wood seasonal out door decor before I put them outside each season) It repels the water and keeps the painting in nice shape. J.W. has a website but I don't know what it is. You can buy the wax at www.vikingwoodcrafts.com.





Happy Painting!





UPDATE: In the June 2007 Issue of PaintWorks magazine there is a very helpful and informative article by the CEO (Sandra Croy) of JW Etc. On varnishing and types of varnish and what to use to protect wood products. I thought it was very informative and would be very helpful for your project. For instance she tells you when to varnish and how to varnish and what to varnish with for different things. She even tells you when to use Matte Finish, Satin Finish and Gloss Finish! Which I never knew... just always used Satin. Good luck.
Unfortunately, there is nothing that you can paint on wood that will last a really long time. However, hopefully you used a very high quality exterior paint rated with a 25 year life. Your acrylics should have been high end, light fast artist grade, and not the less expensive varieties. After that, you can seal with a polymer spray meant expressly for acrylics. Home Depot used to carry it. I used it on a public art piece and it worked well. It comes in matte or gloss. Good luck!