Preparing Ampersand’s Natural Wood™ and Hardbord™ Panels with Oil Primer or Acrylic Gesso

Ampersand’s Natural Wood™ and Hardbord™ panels are excellent substrates for all types of oil primers and acrylic gesso grounds. When properly sealed, a wood panel is a better painting substrate because it is not subject to expansion and contraction as it absorbs moisture. Below are some basic guidelines and tips for preparing the Natural Wood Panel and Hardbord for use with oil painting grounds and acrylic gesso. For best results, always consult the directions provided with the product you are using in addition to the information provided here.

Instructions for Priming with Oil Painting Grounds

For this demonstration, we used Daniel Smith’s White Oil Gesso. These instructions are interchangeable for use with Gamblin® Oil Painting Ground. round Both primers contain an alkyd resin vehicle that allows it to dry within a matter of hours. A number of other pre-made oil primers are also available. Generally they are made up of a white pigment, linseed oil and driers or solvents. Primers that use alkyd resin binder instead of linseed oil dry faster and are non-yellowing and more flexible than traditional grounds. Both may be applied in the same manner with either a large trowel shaped knife or a large stiff bristle brush. If you are using a traditional oil primer, it may need to be thinned with lean gum turpentine (or Gamsol) to a workable consistency enabling easy application over the sized panel. Never add oil to a primer. Its leanness must always be preserved. Begin by mixing small amounts of turpentine (or Gamsol) with the primer to thin if necessary. You can test the right consistency by picking up the paint with a knife and shaking it gently. If it falls from the knife like soft butter, it is ready to use.

Step 1 – Size and seal the wood
A size is a thin solution (often a weak glue) that is brushed directly onto a support. Sizing or sealing is necessary to protect Ampersand’s uncoated panels from any harmful oil absorption from the linseed oils used in some primers and oil paints. If wood is not sized or sealed properly before applying the oil painting ground, it will slowly disintegrate over time. It is also extremely important to properly seal all other un-primed wood substrates to prevent support-induced discoloration that can cause your paint film to yellow over time. Hardbord™ is manufactured using Aspen fibers, a wood with a very low acid content, but still needs to be sized and sealed. The Natural Wood Panel™ is made with Basswood plywood that has been sanded ultra-smooth. When you apply the size and primer to the Natural Wood Panel, you will not experience the fiber raising that can happen with some other types of plywood; the surface stays nice and smooth. The Natural Wood Panel also needs to be sized and sealed before applying the painting ground. The best product we have found to seal wood is Golden® GAC100.

Apply Golden GAC100 directly to the wood surface with a 2" paintbrush or trowel. Allow the GAC100 to dry completely and follow with an additional coat. Do not sand between layers. Before applying oil primer or the painting ground, allow the GAC100 to dry for 1-3 days so that the sealer can coalesce into a uniform film for maximum protection.

Step 2 – Protect and prepare the cradle
Hardbord™ is available in either a flat 1/8" panel, with a 3/4" cradle, or with the 2" DEEP cradle. The Natural Wood Panel™ is available in both a 7/8” cradle and 1.5” cradle profile. You have the choice of painting all the way around the cradle or leaving the natural wood showing for framing purposes. Be sure to size and seal the bare wood if you want to paint completely around the edges of the cradle. Or, to protect the wood from paint and primer, cover the sides of the panel with painter’s tape up to the edge of the surface. Do not remove the tape until the painting is finished. Painter’s tape does not leave a sticky residue like many household masking tapes that can be difficult to remove, and will leave a pristine surface underneath when the painting is complete. For instructions on different ways to prepare your cradles for presentation, consult this article.

Step 3 – Apply the Oil Painting Ground or Oil Primer
Both Daniel Smith Oil Gesso and Gamblin® Oil Painting Ground ground can be applied with either a large trowel shaped knife or a large stiff bristle brush. Scott Gellatly from Gamblin prefers to use a roller to apply the ground. Instructions for his technique are shown here.

When priming with a trowel, begin by placing a portion of the oil painting ground or primer in the center of the panel. Spread it in one direction, and then in the opposite, and finally in a diagonal direction. Clean the trowel and run it over the ground to smooth and even out the surface. Also, prime the edges of the panel and the cradles if applicable. Don’t forget to apply GAC100 on the cradle edges first if priming them for painting.

When the first coat of oil painting ground is completely dry (about 7 hours), lightly sand the surface with a sanding block using light grade 400/grit sandpaper. A second coat can be applied the next day or any time after the first coat has dried.

If priming with a brush, use a large bristle brush, at least 2"-3" wide (proportionate to the size panel you are using), and apply the ground or primer with quick alternating strokes, working it well into the surface. After evenly distributing the ground or primer over the entire surface, finish by going over it lightly with a clean brush, carefully in straight lines. Let the first coat dry, then sand and apply a second coat. At least two coats of ground or primer should be applied. The more coats of ground or primer that are applied, the smoother the surface will become.

Step 4 – To Finish
Eliminate any unevenness on the finished primed surface by lightly sanding the panel after it has thoroughly dried. The finished primed panels should be allowed to dry completely at room temperature before painting. If you prepare several panels at a time, then you will have stock on hand that is dry and ready to paint when needed.

Materials List:
• Hardbord 1/8", 3/4" Cradle, or 2" Deep Cradle: Any Size
• Natural Wood Panel 7/8” or 1.5” Cradle: Any Size
• Golden® GAC100
• Daniel Smith White Oil Gesso or Gamblin® Oil Painting Ground
• Large Trowel or 2"-3" Flat Bristle Brush
• Sanding Block with fine sandpaper
• 1"- 2" Painter’s tape

Instructions for Priming with Acrylic Gesso

Step 1 – Size and seal the wood
A size is a thin solution (often a weak glue) that is brushed directly onto a support. Sizing or sealing is necessary to protect Ampersand’s uncoated panels from any harmful oil absorption from the linseed oils used in some primers and oil paints. If wood is not sized or sealed properly before applying the oil painting ground, it will slowly disintegrate over time. It is also extremely important to properly seal all other un-primed wood substrates to prevent support-induced discoloration that can cause your paint film to yellow over time. Hardbord™ is manufactured using Aspen fibers, a wood with a very low acid content, but still needs to be sized and sealed. The Natural Wood Panel™ is made with Basswood plywood that has been sanded ultra-smooth. When you apply gesso to the Natural Wood Panel, you will not experience the fiber raising that can happen with some other types of plywood; the surface stays nice and smooth. The Natural Wood also needs to be sized and sealed before applying your painting ground. The best product we have found to seal wood is Golden® GAC100.

Apply Golden GAC100 directly to the wood surface with a 2" paintbrush or trowel. Allow the GAC100 to dry completely and follow with an additional coat. Do not sand between layers. Before applying the acrylic gesso, allow the GAC100 to dry for 1-3 days so that the sealer can coalesce into a uniform film for maximum protection.

Step 2 – Protect and prepare the cradle
Hardbord™ is available in either a flat 1/8" panel, with a 3/4" cradle, or with the 2" DEEP cradle. The Natural Wood Panel™ is available in both a 7/8” cradle and 1.5” cradle profile. You have the choice of painting all the way around the cradle or leaving the natural wood showing for framing purposes. Be sure to size and seal the bare wood if you want to paint completely around the edges of the cradle. Or, to protect the wood from paint and primer, cover the sides of the panel with painter’s tape up to the edge of the surface. Do not remove the tape until the painting is finished. Painter’s tape does not leave a sticky residue like many household masking tapes that can be difficult to remove, and will leave a pristine surface underneath when the painting is complete. For instructions on different ways to prepare your cradles for presentation, consult this article.

Step 3 – Apply the Acrylic Gesso

For this demonstration, we used Daniel Smith’s World’s Best White Acrylic Gesso. These instructions are interchangeable for use with GOLDEN’s Acrylic Gesso, a flexible liquid ground that seals, protects, and gives "tooth" to wood panels, which promotes good paint adhesion. Both types come ready-to-use, but can be mixed with water for thinner applications. GOLDEN Gesso is available in Black or White, and can be mixed with GOLDEN Acrylics to produce a range of colored grounds. Daniel Smith Acrylic Gesso is available in a number of other colors like Venetian Red, Gold, Black and Yellow Ochre. Both GOLDEN and Daniel Smith Gesso can be applied with a brush, roller, trowel shaped knife or sprayed on. Dilution of the Gesso is only necessary for spray application, but may be desired for brush or roller applications as well. When diluting with water, use a maximum dilution of 25%. Any mixture within this range offers little risk of cracking or other adverse effects.

Thin the gesso with up to 25% water for the first coat so that it will flow more evenly on the panel. For this demonstration, we used a 2"-3" brush for the first coat and a foam roller for subsequent coats. Begin by working the gesso back and forth with the brush in one direction and then in a cross direction with a little pressure so that the gesso penetrates the panel better. Apply gesso to the side edges of the panel and the plywood cradle if applicable. Don’t forget to seal the cradle with GOLDEN GAC100 first if you are going to gesso the edges for painting.

Step 4 – To Finish
After the first coat of gesso is dry, smooth out any rough spots with light grade sandpaper. Apply a second coat of gesso with the foam roller (or brush). Allow it to dry and then sand again. For best results, apply a minimum of 2 coats of gesso and sand in-between. Subsequent layers of gesso will produce an even smoother painting surface. For spray-application, you may have to apply more than 2 coats to achieve a film similar to a brush application.

Materials List:
• Hardbord 1/8", 3/4" Cradle, or 2" Deep Cradle: Any Size
• Natural Wood 7/8” Cradle or 1.5” Cradle: Any Size
• Daniel Smith World’s Best Acrylic Gesso
• Golden® GAC100
• Golden® Acrylic Gesso
• 2"-3" Flat Bristle Brush
• Small foam roller (optional)
• Sanding Block with fine 400/grit sandpaper
• 1"- 2" Painter’s tape