A little known and often misunderstood issue
when discussing the use of clear lacquers is that clear lacquer is often not
clear at all.
Lacquers can range from what is commonly called
water clear (no colour at all) to lacquers that are almost a honey colour.
Choosing the correct clear lacquer to meet the needs of each individual project
can mean the difference between a happy client and a disgruntled client.
Traditionally clear lacquers were made in a
slight honey colour and they were most often applied over natural timbers. This
slight honey colour would compliment the natural timber colours and add a
certain hue to the finished product that complimented the timber.
With the introduction of man made veneers and
especially those that are non traditional colours the use of these honey
coloured clear lacquers can actually changed the finished colour quite
dramatically. Light coloured veneers can look orange and grey/silver veneers
can turn green.
As a general rule ultra violet rays affect
lacquer more dramatically the more yellow/honey coloured the lacquer is to
start with. So using the correct lacquer to meet your long term needs is even
more important. The incorrect lacquer applied over natural timber may look fine
for the first few months but may turn very yellow in a short space of time.
Worse still we have seen applicators using
different lacquers on different parts of the one project. This in turn led to
the lacquer ageing differently which resulted in the joinery project being two
distinctly different colours within a very short period of time.
Water clear lacquers generally don’t change
colour and therefore create a finish that wont be affected by ultra violet rays
over time.
As with all polishing we undertake for you, the
correct choice of lacquer to suit the individual needs of each project is
vital. As we have discussed in previous newsletters even different gloss level
clear lacquers can alter the finished look of the timber, as can applying
uneven coats or differing number of coats to alternate items within the one
project.
At Simmonds Polishing we have highly trained
and experienced polishers on staff who understand how the different lacquers
affect the final finished look of your joinery. They can advise on what is the
most suitable lacquer to use to achieve the look you are after.
