Hi everybody, one of the back drops on my “city scape” layout is a photo mural (sorry, I forgot the maker’s name) which to my chagrin reflects a sheen from direct light. I eliminated the blue sky by cutting the building’s shape in a sillhouette fashion. I didn’t notice the “tell tale” dull gloss finish until the “mural” was in place. It really shines like a beacon against the drab gray colored sky I chose for the entire wall. Any advise for cutting this unwelcome effect (sheen) from the buildings would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ted
You might want to try spraying it with Testor’s Dullcoat. I painted a wall sky blue and airbrushed on some clouds to be used as a photo backdrop for my dioramas. Even though I used satin finish paint, my photo lights reflected off the wall so much that it was almost useless. I sprayed a small area with a can of Dullcoat and it seemed to work great. I couldn’t find any of their spray cans bigger than the small ones, so I bought 3-4 of them. I only use 2 or 3, as I was only covering the top half of the wall. The fumes were pretty strong, so I wore a respirator and had windows open all over the place.
Might be worth a test to see!
Bob Boudreau
[#ditto] to what Bob said.
Dull coat or go to an art supply store and ask for flattening spray.
I first tried some flat spray from an art supply shop and it was no way as flat as Dullcoat, so I’d stick with my suggestion to use Dullcoat.
Bob Boudreau
I want to thank you both for your reponses. I guess I was hoping for a “wash” that I might brush over the photo’s surface. I have several three story row houses (fronts) located directly in front and over lapping the mural (for 3-D effect). Another issue is the irregular top border of the buildings which makes “masking” tedious at best. If there is a “dulling coat” that wouldn’t leave stroke marks; it sure would make life easier. I think I’ll sleep on this one for now but am very grateful for the help. Ted
The best product for dulling the surface of a photo mural is Sureguard #941, McDonald Pro-Tecta-Cote Matte Finish, a professional photo flattener spray made by Valspar Corp. It should be available from any large photo supply outlet (I denfinitely know you can order it from Porters…I did). It gives an excellent, totally matte finish and will not harm the photo mural in any way.
CNJ831
Not knowing what finish is on the mural, it may be a good idea to follow CNJ831’s advice. If there is a hidden spot of the backdrop you could test the dullcoat first.
Hate to see the wet laquer destroy the mural.
Bob K.