Every wood varnish product is very slightly different. All the products we sell come with detailed instructions and you should always follow them to the letter. With varnishes, short cuts invariably mean you won’t get the quality finish that you were hoping for. Here are some useful generic tips: 7 tips for varnishing wood Water-based varnishes have come a long way over the last decade or so and are now just as good or better than the traditional spirit-based varnishes used in the past. Excellent examples of modern day water-based varnishes include

First there’s Shellac varnish, something we’re asked about frequently. But what exactly isShellac? It’s actually a natural resin secreted by an insect called a lac beetle, which lives in Indian and Thai forests. The substance comes exclusively from the female insect and is scraped off the tree branches, processed into dry flakes then mixed with ethanol to create a liquid. The end product has lots of interesting functions; it is used as a food glaze and colouring as well as a wood varnish. Polyurethane is a plastic in liquid form. It comes as either a water based varnish or an oil based varnish, anything from satin varnish to high gloss and absolute matt. The

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Remove any existing varnish or finish with a suitable paint and varnish remover / stripper. Sand the wood to remove any surface imperfections, then use a damp cloth to remove any debris and let the wood dry The first coat can be thinned if required but this isn’t necessary with many of the modern water-based varnishes. Leave it to dry for 24 hours, then sand it with fine sandpaper and wipe down with a damp cloth or vacuum to remove the dust Choose a day when the weather isn’t too humid. Varnish will dry slower in humid or cold conditions, and there’s more chance of dust and dirt settling on your project before it’s fully dry, which means you’ll have an imperfect finish.If working indoors, use the heating to get the room temperature somewhere between 20 and 25°C. If the room is too hot, the varnish will dry too fast and messy bubbles might form Thank you for your enquiry. A stain will need to be able to absorb into the surface of the wood and any pre existing treatment may prevent this. So you would need to strip off any old varnish. The wood that you are applying to can have a direct impact on the colour that will be achieved with the stain. Pines, for example tend to have a naturally red, orange or yellow colour and application of stains, varnishes or oils can highlight the already natural tones of the wood.

Your workspace needs to be dust and dirt free, otherwise it can collect on the surface of the wood and the freshly applied varnish, spoiling the sheen and smooth finish. The good thing about these water-based wood stains is that they are very versatile. They can be lightened by adding water or intermixed to create alternate colours. Plus they are available in sample sizes so you can carry out some test areas. Any top coat of an interior wood oil or interior varnish will darken and enhance the colour of the stain so a test area with both the stain and protective top coat is highly recommended to assess the final finish and colour. If there is any roughness to the wood before application it will be better to sand the wood first, this will help to avoid any snagging when in use. Once clean and smooth you can look at applying the Manns Extra Tough Interior Varnish this will give a smooth and durable finish to the bobbins. Apply as many more coats as you need, generally 2 to 3 coats is the norm, but additional coats can be applied for greater depth of finish, gently sanding in between each coat. Don’t sand your last-but-one or final coat, and go with the grain for the final coat for a super-smooth finish Shellac used to be the most popular wood finish on the planet until polyurethane came along, a much more durable, heat and chemical-resistant material with a longer shelf life. These days, since it is compatible with most other finishes, Shellac is often used as a barrier or primer to prevent wood stains from blotching. It’s a major ingredient inVarnish, polyurethane, lacquer and Shellac…they’re all different and they’re not supposed to be interchangeable. So what’s the score?Let’s look at a few different types of wood varnish. Shellac varnish Believe it or not, lacquers are the same as varnishes. The trade often use the term ‘lacquer’, while the general public tend to use the term ‘varnish’. Acrylic varnish Vacuum the area to remove dust and dirt, before starting work. A slightly damp mop also works well for removing sanding dust from the surface of the floor