This is v embarrassing, I NEVER thought that home decorating would be important enough to post about!

I'm looking for a totally clear varnish, not a wood varnish that has a brown tinge. I've 'sponge' painted an area and want to put a clear varnish on top but cannot read Thai so find it v hard to find the right varnish.

Would 'laquer' be better? I've no idea what laquer is so ignored it whilst in Home Pro only to choose a varnish that has turned the small area I covered a brownish tinge. Thank God I only varnished a small area to check!

Nothing to be emabarrased about.

Varnish and lacquer are substantially different, varnish being more durable. Home Pro, indeed, does not carry an untinted can of either last time I looked; the "stain", irritatingly so, is incorporated within the finish leading to a low quality result.

My local hardware store does, however, in Trat, and if Trat has it, most places will.

But just like benzene has not been used in gasoline in decades (but they still call it benzene) lacquer here is often not lacquer, but polyurethane. I actually found spar varnish here, which is pretty good for exterior as well as interior woodwork.

One of the benefits of lacquer, true lacquer, is that it is solvent based. This means that if the surface is damaged, the solvent in the lacquer will dissolve the new coat into the old and become one, thus allowing it to be "spot repaired." Varnish must be lightly sanded and the entire continuous surface recoated; spot repair is not an option as it is quite noticeable as it is another layer.

Another good point about lacquer is that it has zero tint to it, allowing true colors to show through. Varnish is amber and changes many tones and adds a shade or two.

But varnish is quite a bit more durable for say, a coffee table. A non-catylized lacquer,which is what you would be using, can also temporarily "ring" with a wet glass. Varnish won't. So horizontal surfaces are tpically better for varnish or urethane.

Problem with lacquer is that many of the cans that have said "LACQUER" have not been lacquer. Many cans that say "URETHANE" have been lacquer. (Urethane is more closely related to varnish than lacquer). Trial and error here. If you decide to use it, PM me and I'll see if I can help. But frankly, even speaking Thai fluently will not guarantee it's real lacquer you are buying. Even asking the salesman, do I use lacquer thinner or mineral spirits to clean the brush, will 99% of the time get you a confused look or the wrong answer.

Lastly, if it is a large surface, varnish is the better option for a newbie. Lacquer dries quickly.

Look at the smaller mom and pop hardware stores.

Hope I didn't overwhelm you. Nothing's simple anymore, huh?

Nothing to be emabarrased about.

Varnish and lacquer are substantially different, varnish being more durable. Home Pro, indeed, does not carry an untinted can of either last time I looked; the "stain", irritatingly so, is incorporated within the finish leading to a low quality result.

My local hardware store does, however, in Trat, and if Trat has it, most places will.

But just like benzene has not been used in gasoline in decades (but they still call it benzene) lacquer here is often not lacquer, but polyurethane. I actually found spar varnish here, which is pretty good for exterior as well as interior woodwork.

One of the benefits of lacquer, true lacquer, is that it is solvent based. This means that if the surface is damaged, the solvent in the lacquer will dissolve the new coat into the old and become one, thus allowing it to be "spot repaired." Varnish must be lightly sanded and the entire continuous surface recoated; spot repair is not an option as it is quite noticeable as it is another layer.

Another good point about lacquer is that it has zero tint to it, allowing true colors to show through. Varnish is amber and changes many tones and adds a shade or two.

But varnish is quite a bit more durable for say, a coffee table. A non-catylized lacquer,which is what you would be using, can also temporarily "ring" with a wet glass. Varnish won't. So horizontal surfaces are tpically better for varnish or urethane.

Problem with lacquer is that many of the cans that have said "LACQUER" have not been lacquer. Many cans that say "URETHANE" have been lacquer. (Urethane is more closely related to varnish than lacquer). Trial and error here. If you decide to use it, PM me and I'll see if I can help. But frankly, even speaking Thai fluently will not guarantee it's real lacquer you are buying. Even asking the salesman, do I use lacquer thinner or mineral spirits to clean the brush, will 99% of the time get you a confused look or the wrong answer.

Lastly, if it is a large surface, varnish is the better option for a newbie. Lacquer dries quickly.

Look at the smaller mom and pop hardware stores.

Hope I didn't overwhelm you. Nothing's simple anymore, huh?

Couldn't agree more... it used to be simple back in the UK, but here its a lottery.

I'll try lacquer on a small area and see how it looks...

I'm bad tempered about this - I was sooo happy when my 'sponge' painting worked, only to find that the 'top varnish' coat made it look awful.

Nothing to be emabarrased about.

Varnish and lacquer are substantially different, varnish being more durable. Home Pro, indeed, does not carry an untinted can of either last time I looked; the "stain", irritatingly so, is incorporated within the finish leading to a low quality result.

My local hardware store does, however, in Trat, and if Trat has it, most places will.

But just like benzene has not been used in gasoline in decades (but they still call it benzene) lacquer here is often not lacquer, but polyurethane. I actually found spar varnish here, which is pretty good for exterior as well as interior woodwork.

One of the benefits of lacquer, true lacquer, is that it is solvent based. This means that if the surface is damaged, the solvent in the lacquer will dissolve the new coat into the old and become one, thus allowing it to be "spot repaired." Varnish must be lightly sanded and the entire continuous surface recoated; spot repair is not an option as it is quite noticeable as it is another layer.

Another good point about lacquer is that it has zero tint to it, allowing true colors to show through. Varnish is amber and changes many tones and adds a shade or two.

But varnish is quite a bit more durable for say, a coffee table. A non-catylized lacquer,which is what you would be using, can also temporarily "ring" with a wet glass. Varnish won't. So horizontal surfaces are tpically better for varnish or urethane.

Problem with lacquer is that many of the cans that have said "LACQUER" have not been lacquer. Many cans that say "URETHANE" have been lacquer. (Urethane is more closely related to varnish than lacquer). Trial and error here. If you decide to use it, PM me and I'll see if I can help. But frankly, even speaking Thai fluently will not guarantee it's real lacquer you are buying. Even asking the salesman, do I use lacquer thinner or mineral spirits to clean the brush, will 99% of the time get you a confused look or the wrong answer.

Lastly, if it is a large surface, varnish is the better option for a newbie. Lacquer dries quickly.

Look at the smaller mom and pop hardware stores.

Hope I didn't overwhelm you. Nothing's simple anymore, huh?

Couldn't agree more... it used to be simple back in the UK, but here its a lottery.

I'll try lacquer on a small area and see how it looks...

I'm bad tempered about this - I was sooo happy when my 'sponge' painting worked, only to find that the 'top varnish' coat made it look awful.

Varnish and urethane have an oily, heavy mineral spirit odor. Lacquer is less viscous and has a less heavy odor. Maybe that will help.

Cyaaaaa