{"id":17661,"date":"2022-06-27T11:16:10","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T11:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resin-expert.com\/?p=17661"},"modified":"2023-08-09T18:41:01","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T18:41:01","slug":"what-is-varnish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resin-expert.com\/en\/guide\/what-is-varnish","title":{"rendered":"What Is Varnish? – Our Guide to Protective Surface Treatments"},"content":{"rendered":"

These days, there are so many options when it comes to finishing a wooden workpiece. Gone are the days when you had to crush up some berries and smear them on your wooden creations to set them apart from your neighbors. These days you have many options, from oil-based paints, latex-based paints, acrylic-based paints, and even metalized paint to choose from when selecting a finish. One of the most tried and true ways to finish a wooden workpiece without sacrificing the grain and texture of your wood is to use wood treatments like wood stain and varnish. So, let\u2019s have a look at what varnish is, why it’s so popular, what it’s used for, what it is made of, and what the best way to use it is.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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What Is Varnish?<\/h2>\n

What is varnish? The term varnish is often used as a blanket statement for all manner of wood treatments like lacquer<\/strong><\/a> or polyurethane-based wood treatments that kind of interact with wood in the same way that real varnish does. This is why it’s often confused with real varnish, which is entirely unique in its composition and the characteristics it grants wood.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

What varnish is in a technical sense has changed over the years, and considering that it\u2019s been around for hundreds of years, it is now completely different from what our ancestors knew as varnish. Before, varnish was a term used to describe a wood treatment consisting primarily of wood sap and alcohol, but these days, varnish is a varying mixture of solvents, resins, and oils that are used to treat and seal the wood.<\/p>\n

\"Tree<\/p>\n

The exact composition of varnish can be altered to achieve a particular look or even work with a specific species of wood, which means that there is no textbook definition of varnish apart from it containing some combination of the aforementioned chemicals in varying quantities. Wood varnish<\/a> is also inexpensive and highly effective as a means to seal and treat wood aesthetically. <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Aesthetic<\/p>\n

While wood varnish isn\u2019t exactly unique in what it does these days, back in the day it was one of the only ways to ensure that your wood was protected from the elements and looked good at that. This is because even today, varnish interacts with wood in a unique way, seeping deep into the wood\u2019s fibers both altering its colors and sealing it.<\/p>\n