When painting oil over acrylic paint for a faux wood look, what is the safe thinner to use for thinning oils and possibly wiping up, without ruining the acrylic base coat.

Any thinner suitable for use with oils should not affect properly dried acrylics, but if you're worried apply a barrier coat of Future/Kleer just to be sure.

Hi,

I agree with Jessica,

Any Turpentine or mineral spirits can not ruin your acrylic paint... (DO NOT USE LAQUER THINNERS...!!!)

But, I like to protect with a gloss coat, becuse it's more safe and specially because the wash run (or spread) in a better way...

I hope my English do not destroy the idea...

Diego

while Mineral Spirits won't effect acrylic based paints, one thing to keep in mind is that with flat paints, the oil/enamels will settle into the nooks & crannies, so even a application of Mineral Spirits to remove it will generally leave some staining. The glossy the surface, the less staining is possible. A clear coat eliminates the staining issue, and lets you streak the oil paints for a wood effect in a more realistic fashion.

The effect I'm looking for, dictates what type of finish the base coat will have, and whether or not I need to seal it.

Joel