El acabado mate sigue la capa de imprimación.

Because acabado is a masculine noun in Spanish, so it takes el.

• el acabado = the finish
• la capa = the coat/layer

Even though mate ends in -e, that does not decide the gender here. The gender comes from the noun acabado, which is masculine.

In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun, especially when they describe a type or quality in a straightforward way.

So:

• acabado mate = matte finish
• pintura blanca = white paint
• capa fina = thin coat

This is more natural than putting mate before the noun. In technical or product-description language, noun + adjective is especially common.

Here, mate means matte or non-glossy.

It describes the kind of finish:

• acabado mate = matte finish
• acabado brillante = glossy finish
• acabado satinado = satin finish

In Spain, mate is the normal word for this meaning in painting, decorating, and product finishes.

Here sigue comes from the verb seguir, and it means something like comes after or follows in sequence.

So the idea is:

• first, the capa de imprimación
• then, the acabado mate

Be careful: seguir can mean different things depending on context, such as to continue, to follow, or to come next. In this sentence, it is about order in a process.

Good question. Seguir can be used with or without a, depending on the meaning and structure.

In a sequence like this, Spanish often uses seguir directly:

• El acabado mate sigue la capa de imprimación.

This means the matte finish follows the primer coat.

You may also see other ways to express this idea, such as:

• Después de la capa de imprimación va el acabado mate.
• El acabado mate se aplica después de la capa de imprimación.

For a learner, the main thing is: in this sentence, seguir + direct object is normal.

It means the primer coat or the layer of primer.

Breakdown:

• capa = layer / coat
• de = of
• imprimación = primer

So literally it is the layer of primer.

In painting and decorating contexts, capa is very often used for a coat of paint or similar material.

Because Spanish often uses noun + de + noun where English might use a compound noun.

Compare:

• capa de imprimación = primer coat
• capa de pintura = coat of paint
• mesa de madera = wooden table / table of wood

So de links the two nouns and shows what kind of coat it is.

Spanish uses definite articles more often than English does, especially when talking about specific steps, materials, or things in a process.

Here both items are treated as specific, known parts of the procedure:

• El acabado mate = the matte finish
• la capa de imprimación = the primer coat

In English, you might sometimes omit the, but in Spanish it is very normal to include it.

Yes. In Spain, imprimación is the normal technical word for primer, especially in painting, construction, DIY, and decorating.

For example:

• aplicar una imprimación = to apply a primer
• capa de imprimación = primer coat

A learner might not see this word often in everyday conversation, but it is very common in practical and technical contexts.

The subject is El acabado mate because it is the thing doing the action of following.

So:

• El acabado mate = subject
• sigue = verb
• la capa de imprimación = object

A useful clue is the verb form:

• sigue = he/she/it follows

Since el acabado mate is singular, the verb is singular too.

Yes. Even if the meaning is already clear, it helps to know that Spanish and English may phrase this kind of technical instruction differently.

Possible natural English versions include:

• The matte finish follows the primer coat.
• The primer coat is followed by a matte finish.
• After the primer coat comes the matte finish.
• The matte finish is applied after the primer coat.

The Spanish sentence is quite compact and slightly technical in tone.

Yes, although it sounds a bit technical or formal, rather than conversational.

In manuals, product descriptions, or instructions, Spanish often uses concise wording like this. In more everyday speech, people might say:

• Después de la capa de imprimación, se aplica el acabado mate.
• Primero va la imprimación y después el acabado mate.

So the original sentence is correct, but it has a more instructional / technical feel.