What to replace the smoothing medium with

Looking for something to replace the smoothing medium needed to do Pouring paint? If you are a follower of Fluid Art, you necessarily know the terms "smoothing medium" or "casting medium" or "Pouring medium".

And you also know that these are essential products to facilitate the flow of paint and the mixing of colors in Fluid Art.

But maybe you are out of smoothing medium or find it too expensive. So, are you looking for a product to replace this smoothing medium?

Well, I am telling you below the best alternatives to the Pouring medium, the most qualitative and the most economical that you can easily obtain. I will also tell you how to make your homemade Pouring medium (recipes with products and proposePouring).

What is a smoothing medium?

The consistency of acrylic paint being too thick to flow directly from the tube, in Fluid Art it must be mixed with a smoothing medium to be able to make beautiful flows on the canvas. This product is also called pouring medium.

In fact, in Pouring, a good medium mixed with acrylic paint is essential to guarantee:

• Good viscosity;
• A clear flow and a gradual spreading of the paint on the canvas;
• Optimization of color blends and gradients;
• Good restitution of pigments and opacity or transparency of colors;
• A certain slowness in drying which avoids cracking or cracking of the paint.

The advantage with a ready-made smoothing medium is that the result is convincing. Moreover, among the best smoothing mediums, the Liquitex brand is the reference.

Do not miss the Explanatory video on the qualities of Liquitex smoothing medium

But considering its rather high price, you may find it useful to look for another product to replace this Pouring medium.

What can I replace the smoothing medium or Pouring medium with?

The 3 best products that can replace the smoothing medium are:

• White PVA glue
• The Mod Podge
• Floetrol

Here are more details about these 3 alternatives to the Pouring medium, their qualities and how to use them:

White glue to replace the smoothing medium

To replace the smoothing medium, the most economical alternative is to use white PVA glue. In fact, PVA glue is a water-based adhesive that dries transparently and can be used as a substitute for a Pouring medium. Additionally, PVA glue mixes very well with acrylic paint to create a smooth, clear, glossy finish, just like a smoothing medium.

It is readily available and affordable, making it a great option for Fluid Art artists on a budget.

What glue for Pouring medium?

To replace the smoothing medium, you can use Elmer glue or Cleopatra glue (French manufacturing). Indeed, these two brands of glue, mixed with acrylic paints, give them a good viscosity and restore the brightness of the colors well.

How much glue for Pouring medium?

It all depends on the brand of glue and your acrylic paint. Personally, I use the Cleopatra brand that I mix with water in the following quantities: 60% glue + 40% water.

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Use Mod Podge instead of smoothing medium

Mod Podge is a glue very similar to PVA glue but much thinner than the white PVA glue listed above. According to blogs and forums, this glue is even better to replace a smoothing medium.

However, as I have never used it, I will not particularly recommend it.

It's up to you to see if you want to test it instead of a Pouring medium, but in France, it remains more expensive than white PVA glue.

To use Mod Podge as a Pouring Medium, I've read that you need to mix 70% Mod Podge with 30% paint. To make it simpler: 2 doses of Mod Podge for 1 dose of acrylic paint.

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Floetrol to replace Pouring Medium

Most Fluid Art artists use Floetrol instead of a ready-made smoothing medium. In fact, Floetrol is a product that improves the fluidity of all paints whether they are wall paints, exterior paints or acrylic paints for Pouring.

According to many users, it is the best Pouring medium because it gives the paint a good flow, dries to a nice glossy finish, without bubbles and it promotes formation of large cells !

Personally, I also use it to replace the ready-made medium and I confirm that the results are top notch. I use it in the following quantities: 

1 part acrylic paint to 1 part Floetrol

However, you will find like me that Floetrol is quite expensive. So, I concocted a more economical homemade Pouring medium recipe that I let you discover below.

How to make your homemade Pouring medium?

To make a homemade and economical Pouring medium, just mix 50% PVA white glue with 50% Floetrol and a little water. You thus obtain a perfect smoothing medium which combines the qualities of PVA glue and those of Floetrol.