Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Finishing a Wooden Table- HELP!!

I'm painting a wooden dining table. I used water-based acrylic paints (various colors) to paint designs on the table top. I now need to seal it, and I'm not sure what to use. My requirements are as follows;
1. The water-based acrylic paints I have used should not smudge.
2. The sealer should make the table waterproof (and if possible heatproof).

Should I be using a varnish of some sort? Or a polyurethane spray? Or something else?

Thanks in advance!!

Welcome to the forums!

I don't often paint around/over artist paints but they shouldn't smear if they are good and dry. Spraying the first coat of sealer [and letting it dry] would garuntee no smeaing.

I doubt there is any coating you could apply that would be heat proof. Oil base poly dries to the hardest finish with oil base varnish being almost as good. Both dry harder than their water based counterpart. Oil base fiishes will alter [yellow] the color of your paints and will amber more over time. Waterbased poly doesn't wear as well but it won't change the color of the raw wood or your artist paint.

Thanks, Mark! That was quick and helpful! :)

I have one more question. For next time, what kind of paint would you suggest using (instead of acrylic) for a similar project?

Hi there,

I always use interior latex paint for painting on furniture. I do seal when it's done, but it's a sturdier finish for the sealing step...no smearing when wet and it's as flexible to work with as acrylic.

Hope this helps...

Nikki