Varnishes, Glazes and Primers
These are just some of the varnishes and glazes that are used in a scenic paintshop
Water-based polyurethane varnish. Designed to seal wooden floors, these varnishes are great for tough jobs. This one by Bona is excellent. Rosco Premiere Clear has a great matt finish. They are more expensive than emulsion glazes but much tougher.
Acrylic glaze. Cheaper than polyurethane varnish but softer and more likely to bloom. Some are ready to use straight out of the pot and some like this Rosco glaze are dilluted 1:1 with water
Bristol Aqualak. This can be used as an additive to paint or as a lacquer. It has excellent adhesive properties and is a great product to bare in mind when painting shiny surfaces.
Covent Garden Primer. This is used to paint vacuum formed mouldings, plastic dance floor and other problem surfaces. It's designed to be used as a primer but like aqualak, it can be used as an additive to make paint stick.
Polyvine Deadflat. This is a decorators varnish with a good matt finish. The new floor varnish and heavy duty floor varnish versions are stronger but more expensive.
Crackle Glaze. There are a number of these on the market. A layer painted in between two different coloured paint layers makes the top layer crackle and reveals the colour underneath.
Frosting Varnish. One of polyvine's specialist varnishes that is great for creating a frosted glass effect.
Scumble Glaze. Use this if you need to make a coloured glaze with a longer open time. Its good for graining in high summer
