Scenic Paint FAQ's

Under ideal conditions coverage is as follows:
1 Gallon @ 200-300 square feet
1 Quart @ 75-80 square feet

Off Broadway:
Minimum shelf life for unopened, sealed paint is approximately 24 months when stored in a temperature controlled location.

Supersaturated:
Minimum shelf life for unopened, sealed paint is approximately 24 months when stored in a temperature controlled location.

Deep Colors:
Minimum shelf life for unopened, sealed paint is approximately 24 months when stored in a temperature controlled location. (See the "Using Iddings Deep Colors" Technote for more info)

Yes. They may be intermixed freely.

Because we know from painters that no one line of paint is appropriate for every project. When used in conjunction with one another the Rosco paint lines solve most scenic problems.

• FABRIC?
  You can use any Rosco paint on fabric. All have good adhesion and stay supple on soft goods.
• METAL?
  Supersaturated and Off Broadway have the best adhesion to clean metal. If the metal has been primed with Tough Prime you may also use Deep Colors
• WOOD?
  You can use any Rosco paint on wood.
• PLASTICS?
  Supersaturated has superior adhesion to most types of plastic. Off Broadway may be used on many types, also, but we suggest you do a test first. Priming plastics with Tough Prime will assure a terrific result.

Deep Colors is an excellent choice for painting soft goods. It has a completely matte finish and allows drops to stay supple. It also has excellent opacity due to the high pigment load. For additional adhesion add Rosco Clear Acrylic to Deep Colors.

Supersaturated is the paint of choice for hard to paint surfaces such as plastic, foam and metal. Due to the exceptionally strong binder Supersaturated can be let down with large amounts of water for glazing and painting translucencies.

Off Broadway is an easy-to-use, economical vinyl acrylic which adheres to most scenic surfaces. It was designed to be used right out of the bucket but may be diluted if so desired.

All of Rosco's paints are manufactured with a high volume of finely ground artists pigments. They are designed to give an artist clean, bright colors that can be mixed without greying. Rosco's paint lines where designed with scenic art in mind, they stay supple and have good adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces. Rosco paints have a matte finish which will not reflect stage light--even house paints that are labeled "flat" have a sheen which can be distracting on stage.

Deep colors is a casein paint. It has a base which is made of soy protein. Because it is a natural substance, casein acts differently than vinyl acrylic based paints. One of the advantages of casein paint is its rewettability. It is often helpful, when painting drops, to be able to reactivate the paint you layed down earlier. Deep Colors also has an absolutely matte finish due to the casein base making it the first choice of scenic artists for more than 50 years.

Deep Colors begins to degrade when water is added. To maximize shelf life scoop out only as much paint as is needed and reseal the can immediately (you may also cover the surface of the remaining paint with a thin layer of liquid Lysol™). Adding 4 ounces of liquid Lysol per gallon of mixed color will help retard the growth of bacteria.

NO! Many believe that once spoiled Deep Colors dries the smell vanishes. It does not. The smell will stay forever.

Yes. Allow the paint to return to room temperature and use it as you normally would. You may find that the product needs less thinning, however.

Rosco Supersaturated is made of a vinyl acrylic resin, finely ground artist pigment and water.

Rosco Supersaturated is a very concentrated paint pigment. We recommend thinning at least 1:1 before use. Supersaturated may be thinned as much as 50:1 with water. However the binder strength will be compromised the more concentrated paint is thinned so it may be necessary to thin with water and Clear Acrylic Glaze in Flat or Gloss to retain binder strength. For this reason Supersaturated is very economical.

Almost everything. Because of its superior binder strength, Supersaturated is an excellent choice when painting hard-to-paint surfaces, including vinyl dance floor and rear projection screen.

No. Supersaturates gets its intense color from a heavy load of finely ground artists pigments.

Yes. Because Supersaturated is so concentrated it makes an excellent colorant. It can be used in conjunction with any other Rosco Scenic Paint or Coating including Tough Prime, Foamcoat, Flexbond and CrystalGel.

Yes. Because Supersaturated can be let down with large quantities of water it can be used when painting translucencies. It acts much like dye in this application.

Maybe. Allow the paint to thaw slowly, coming up to room temperature. If the paint has a normal consistency, with no lumps or curdles, it is fine. If it has "curdled" it has been ruined and should not be used.

Minimum shelf life for unopened, sealed paint is approximately 24 months when stored in a temperature controlled location.

Minimum shelf life for unopened, sealed paint is approximately 24 months when stored in temperature controlled location.

Yes. They may be intermixed freely.

Off Broadway is an easy-to-use, economical vinyl acrylic which adheres to most scenic surfaces. It was designed to be used right out of the bucket but may be diluted if so desired.

Yes. Make sure the fabric has been properly prepared before painting. (How to Square and Size a Drop.)

Yes with proper surface cleaning and priming.

Yes as long as the wood has not been previously painted or stained with solvent based products.

The plastics needs to be clean and free of dirt, grease and dust. It is best to test an area first to determine adhesion and if a primer or sanding maybe necessary.

Rosco Off Broadway is made of a vinyl acrylic resin, ground artists pigments and water.

Off Broadway can be used on many of the scenic surfaces found in the entertainment industry. If used in conjunction with Rosco Tough Prime, Off Broadway can be used on almost everything.

Maybe. Allow the paint to thaw slowly, coming up to room temperature. If the paint has a normal consistency, with no lumps or curdles, it is fine. If it has "curdled" it has been ruined and should not be used.

Yes. Off Broadway has excellent adhesion and flexibility when thinned which will minimize cracking when folded or rolled.

Yes. Off Broadway can be thinned with water and used as a glaze. If additional adhesion is desired, add Rosco Clear Acrylic Glaze when thinning.

Store paint in temperature controlled environment.

Avoid extremes of temperature.

Always use a clean, dry utensil to stir or scoop paint from the container to avoid introducing bacteria and speeding the paint to spoil.

Seal lid completely so no air gets in to lengthen shelf life.

Best practice is to test products, techniques on the substrate to insure performance expectations.

Rosco has two lines of special effects or ultraviolet paints. They are: Rosco's Fluorescent line and the VividFx line.

Rosco's Fluorescent and VividFx lines are made of finely ground fluorescent pigments, a vinyl acrylic binder and water.

Yes. Rosco Fluorescents and VividFx are water-based paints. They are designed to be used straight from the can for maximum UV effect; the addition of water to them will dilute the fluorescence of the paint under blacklight.

Both lines are made with a vinyl acrylic binder for good adhesion and flexibility. The primary difference is the "pigment load" or amount of pigment in the can. VividFx has a higher pigment content.

Yes. The binders of all the scenic paint lines are compatible with both the UV lines. The fluorescent pigments in the UV lines are especially helpful when an artist is matching bright colors and needs some extra "pop".

Yes and No. Rosco's UV paints are clean and bright under regular light giving a "dayglo" effect. Using a "blacklight" or Ultraviolet Light Fixture makes the paint fluoresce.