VarathaneWater-Based Ultimate Polyurethane, Quart, Matte

I have used this varnish for several applications, three of which I'll describe here.I've been varnishing my rat cage with this stuff for 20 years. I made the cage myself out of an unfinished pine bookcase to which I attached pine-framed screen doors. I originally got the varnish on the suggestion of a Home Depot associate who said that it was non-toxic when dry, which is essential for small animals who would be sleeping on the varnish and who like to chew things.This varnish takes some heavy punishment. Although my rats use litterboxes, as soon as the boxes are a bit dirty they start using the corners of the cage instead. That means that there is often urine (and all sorts of foods, from fruit to oatmeal to gravy) drying on and sticking to the varnish. This is not a problem for the varnish: it cleans right up with water and a damp paper towel. But to really clean the cage, I spray isopropyl alcohol on it every five to seven days and scrub with a towel. After about 2 or 3 years of this abuse, the varnish starts to wear thin in places and needs recoating. I never follow the directions, which say that I have to sand the existing varnish before recoating. I just thoroughly clean and dry the shelves and then paint on a couple more coats. I have never had the varnish flake or scratch under these conditions.I live in a very old house whose demise is imminent, so remodeling is always on-demand and slap-dash. Recently I had to get rid of some old carpet. In one room, the floor was literally nothing but bare plywood with lots of paint drips and plaster from earlier room remodeling. In the other room, there was a pretty parquet wood floor, which had been ruined by a VERY thorough application of carpet glue in ridges about 1/6in to 1/8in high. The house is not going to be standing much longer, so to get through the remaining 3 years I decided to use polyurethane--it was good enough for the rats, so why not for me?Last year, for the first room with plywood, I mostly followed the directions, which say to use a brush and make small strokes. This is supposed to avoid bubbling. I applied two coats without sanding in between. The results were outstanding: the splashes of paint and plaster on dark plywood under the high-gloss varnish give the room a sort of shabby industrial chic. I've single-handedly scooted the heavy (high efficiency) washing machine back and forth several times over the varnish and it didn't scratch, even in the places with raised blobs of paint or plaster underneath. It's been a year and even the high traffic spots between doors and the areas that get year-round sun look like they were just painted.This year I had to uncover that parquet floor with the glue on it. This room gets much less traffic (bedroom), so I cared a lot less about the paint bubbling. And I was in a big hurry to get it done. Painting a floor with a brush is not my idea of a fun home project. I decided to do what is absolutely forbidden by the instructions: use a foam roller to apply the varnish, right over the lines of glue, and over the mysterious 7-inch-wide bands of duct tape that ran across middle of the room. (Did not want to find out what was under that tape!) Because the glue lines were so high, I put down 4 coats of this very thin polyurethane varnish instead of just 2, so that I could more easily dust-mop the room. Again, fabulous results. I cannot find a single bubble in the paint, despite having hurriedly used a roller for all 4 coats. The varnish is adhering just fine to the duct tape; I think the tape will peel up before the varnish comes off it. The rough, scratchy ridges of glue are now smooth and comfortable to walk on. I like to think of the glue as a feature: no-slip flooring for when I wear slippery socks.I really liked using the roller to apply the paint. It's easy to see where you've just painted because the roller makes a much cloudier application than a brush, but still dries crystal clear.I care for my flooring much better than the rats care for theirs, so by the time this varnish starts to show wear, this house will have been demolished.The third application for this varnish is as a top coating over primer. On built-in shelving and inside drawers in this house, I have applied Kilz white mold-inhibiting primer, because a roof leak caused a mold problem. After fixing the roof, I spray treated all the drawers with a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and grapeseed extract, then applied Kilz primer. I would have been happy to leave it at that, but primer is a terrible surface to deal with, sort of powdery in texture, impossible to slide anything like clothing on it. I haven't found any normal paints to be good for shelving, probably due to the humidity in this region--everything sticks to the paint and it gets peeled off the shelves. So, given the great results with the rat cage, I decided to try varathane. On top of the single coat of Kilz, I applied a single coat of varathane. All problems solved. The mold has not returned after 6 years, and the surfaces of the drawers and shelves are still shiny and slick. EXCELLENT product.

Much improved product and very durable. Drys very quickly so you don’t have wait long between coats.

Great product, the shine is incredible and dries fast. I used this product to cover my acrylic artwork. It is very protective and shines like glass. I only had to do one coat.

This water-based polyurethane is very easy to apply - much easier than solvent-based polyurethane. You can be sloppy and not particularly skilled at brushing, but it still comes out smooth. It initially looks white and uneven when wet, but after it dries, it looks very consistent. Coats dry very fast, maybe in 10-20 minutes or so.The only drawback I can see is that it takes many coats to build up a satisfying thickness. Maybe 4-6 coats.Very good product, especially if you aren't very skilled at brushing on clear finishes.

This is a great polyurethane. The only minor issue is the depth of wood grain change. All water based urethanes and coatings seem to have the problem, wiping solvent on shows deep, rich grain, wiping oil on shows even deeper 9hence the "French Polish"). The water based don't bring out the depth of color as much.After discovering the weaker grain visibility (which may be a bonus for some people and applications), I put down a coat of shellac sealer with a disposable cotton pad, which is alcohol based which brings out the grain very nicely and also dries quickly. Once the sealer is down, i put polyurethane over it and there are no incompatibility issues so I get the depth of an oiled finish with the ease of water cleanup, and the water cleanup is the most important aspect.Excellent product and I use the triple thick version of this with even faster great results using same sealer preparation.

I have this old but beautiful wood endtable whose tabletop had gotten a little faded and dull looking over the years. I effortlessly revived it using nothing but a circular sander, some coarse grit sanding disk and one fine grit sanding disk, a fluffy towel (to brush off the sand), boiled linseed oil (to restore the attractive amber hue to the freshly sanded wood, and, yes, this magnificent SATIN-sheen water-based polyurethane. Why water-based? Because it's easy to work with, to clean up, and doesn't add any unneeded extra yellowing (why, let the boiled linseed oil do that!). Why the small container? Because the 8-fl-ounce size is perfect, from past experience if you let too much polyurethane remain in the trough where the circular lid top contacts you might accidentally permanently seal the remaining polyurethane in an 8-ounce-can tomb, so get two, one for your job and one for the next job in case the lid dries on. And why satin? Only SATIN beautifully matches the existing sheen of most finished wood (high gloss and semi-gloss impart a conspicuous shiny glass like coating that calls attention to the job and any imperfections in the wood, while flat is too cloudy and makes the wood look lifeless and dirty. Satin, satin, satin! A lovely product.

Used on cabinets, furniture and picture frames. Results in a great water resistant protective coat. Dries fast.I have used sponge brushes and paint brushes to apply this. Using a good Wooster brush works better for me. If I overdo it by applying too much so that it drips, I get milky white “bubbles” that dry that way and remain visible which I don’t mind since my projects are all “distressed” looks. This doesn’t smell strong or fumey. Cleaning the brush with soap and water is easy too. Highly recommended.Here’s a pic of recent projects. The wood frames on the mirrors and painting were basic pine board stained with Varathane Weathered Gray and then painted with 2 coats of this poly.