Clear varnish for wood: how to choose?

Wood products, especially when it comes to soft rocks, are easy enough to damage. To do this, it is not necessary to subject it to mechanical shocks - sometimes it is enough just to wet it. And ingrained food or chemicals can irreversibly spoil the overall look. One way to protect is varnishing. And the most popular varnish is colorless.

Clear wood varnish should:

• form a durable coating and provide sufficient protection from environmental factors;
• emphasize the beauty of wood;
• be environmentally friendly, safe, does not contain toxins and used in different conditions, without harming children and adults;
• have a long service life without the cost of restoration during operation;
• easy to apply and dry quickly.

Transparent varnishes can be:

• single component;
• two-component (with hardener);
• multicomponent (in addition to the hardener, include solvents and other additives).

The scope of application is quite extensive. Colorless varnish can not only perform a decorative function, giving things a beautiful appearance with glitter or without, but also protect against scratches and significant damage, as well as changes associated with weather conditions or the microclimate in the house. Wooden toys, pencils, musical instruments, furniture, floors, walls and even yachts are covered with transparent varnish. In the interior, inside the houses, they paint wood panels for walls or parquet flooring boards, and also use them to cover the external facades of houses, baths and gazebos.

Depending on the base, there are several types of varnishes.

• Acrylic. The most popular type. It is diluted with water, has no odor and toxins in the composition, fire retardant, vapor-permeable, easy to apply. This coating will be fragile, prone to abrasion.Acrylic-urethane varnish has improved properties.
• Alcohol (polish). Quick-drying varnish, available due to relatively low cost. The resulting film is quite fragile, loses its strength when heated, burns.
• Oil. Its density and strength depend on the ratio of resin and oil in its composition. Fatty varnishes, although they dry longer, but are more resistant.

• Smolyna Its distinguishing feature is plasticity, which directly depends on the use of natural or artificially synthesized resins. Dries faster than oil lacquer, but inferior in strength.
• Alkyd Depending on its constituent components, it requires the addition of a thickening agent or hardener, which accelerates its drying. Durable, withstands high humidity and temperature drops. Stamps with the addition of urethane serve twice as long.
• Epoxy. Withstands heavy loads, does not scratch, does not wear out. Service life depends on the application, but this figure is quite high. The object covered by it will be reliably protected.

• Polyester. Refers to multi-component varnishes.The coating is not deformed by heating, ingress of water and chemicals.
• Nitrocellulose. It has averages for all requirements, but dries well. The resulting film can be deformed if wetted.
• Polyurethane. Drying time is measured not in days, but in weeks. The resulting layer is comparable in strength to the hardest minerals. Well protects the surface in all weather conditions.

Most of these clear lacquers, although they do not have special pigments in their composition, which give them color, after hardening, acquire a yellowish tint. When applied to the natural color of wood, it can make it a tone darker.

The surface of the object must be carefully prepared, since the use of a colorless paintwork material will leave all imperfections visible.

Consider these processes on the example of interior varnish.

• First of all, it is necessary to clean the old coating (with a solvent or a spatula), and also to remove dust or any other dirt (for this you need a vacuum cleaner or a sponge).
• Grind the surface well, making it as smooth as possible (with a sander or sandpaper). The ground object should dry well.

• Apply primer. Firstly, it will help better adhesion of the lacquer coating to the working surface. Secondly, it will not allow the material to be absorbed and will allow to save. Thirdly, thanks to this, the subsequent layers will be applied thinner and smoother. Fourthly, without priming on the untreated surface, even glossy varnish will appear dull due to its high absorbency, and it will be necessary to apply it again.
• After curing, the primer must also be leveled by sanding. Here you will need a fine-grained look sandpaper.
• Take care of good ventilation if there is a smell. The drying process will be faster at a temperature not lower than room temperature and dry air. Good lighting is a must.

The process of applying is so simple that any person can cope with it, even without experience and skills in this area.

To do this, just need to perform a specific procedure.

• If the varnish requires preparation, it is necessary to dilute it with water or a special compound.
• Apply with a brush or roller the first layer.The technique of applying here is one: the movement must be strictly along the fibers.

• Each manufacturer has its own drying time, so carefully read the information on the packaging. After that, you need to polish the frozen layer and remove the separated particles.
• Then you can apply subsequent layers, of course, only after the final drying of the previous one. The number of layers depends on the desired result. To make the gloss really brilliant, you need at least three layers. This process is quite long, so it should be considered when planning work.

In the case when a person cannot determine whether he needs a clear lacquer or tint, The choice in favor of a colorless varnish occurs in the following cases.

• When expensive woods are used. Oak, wenge, mahogany, beech have their own, quite noticeable color and texture. Therefore, it makes no sense to apply in this case the color version.
• If the interior focuses on naturalness. Of course, untreated wood looks natural, but it is not always convenient to use, and the protective function of lacquer has not been canceled.The main nuance is that the lacquer coating will be more appropriate for the styles rustic, Provence, country.
• The matte version is practical if the varnished item is often used because there are no scratches on it, although it all depends on the brand of product.

In general, when choosing a varnish you need to take into account some points.

• Safety grade First you need to evaluate the smell. Its presence immediately narrows the range of use, excluding contact with food and children. This applies to alkyd, nitrocellulose and polyurethane species. Water-based material can be used almost anywhere.
• Expediency. Each type of lacquer has its pros and cons, so they must be weighed. You should also consider the conditions of use and all possible effects on the object to be varnished.

• Ease of use. The form of release in the form of cans is more convenient, since it does not require the cost of tools and is applied more evenly. Spray can quickly and completely reanimate any surface.
• Budget. Since there are many varieties of colorless varnish, it is almost always possible to find a more affordable option.

For details on colorless acrylic wood varnish, see below.