Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After decades of trying every varnish out there, I have settled on the Liquitex Gloss spray varnish whenever I want gloss. Don't get me wrong, Krylon, Golden, Grumbacher and WN varnishes are also good, so if price is your only criteria, they will do a good job. But I have run experiments where I test various varnishes side by side on the same substrates. Here's how... I paint acrylic patches in primaries, secondaries and gradient washes, wait for them to dry completely, cover half the samples with tape, then apply one coat of varnish at a time. I spray at the same distance, the same angle, same direction and the same speed. When each coat is dry, I examine it by eye under good lighting AND photograph it for later comparison in photo editing software. Here's what I've noticed: Krylon is very good but it requires five coats to get the same gloss and coverage that Liquitex does in three. If your spraying technique is less than perfect, thinner coats with Krylon might provide an advantage! The Krylon dries slightly faster so it can save some time between coats, (about ten minutes) but the Liquitex has better adhesion, more even coverage and less tendency to run. Since Liquitex takes fewer coats, it is the overall speed champion too. Golden is almost as clear, adheres well (does not run easily) and dries fast, but it costs more. The Golden brand gloss seems to have a golden cast in color too. It is VERY slight and you won't see it when the finish is new or under poor lighting. Under fluorescent bulbs, there is no noticeable difference. But after some time and with good full-spectrum lighting, you CAN see differences. Golden seems to warm up reds and yellows. If you want that effect for bright red or yellow floral paintings, that might be desirable! Otherwise, it usually is not. Grumbacher and WN varnishes are decent and slightly cheaper than liquitex, but since I need less of the Liquitex to achieve the same level of gloss, the Liquitex ends up being more economical. It's just like the difference between professional paint and student paint. Sure, the pro-stuff cost more per tube, but you get more pigment, so it goes farther. Well, although there is no "pigment" in varnish, the ingredients still matter. Liquitex is purer and does the job faster. That saves time and money. Grumbacher has more tendency to yellow over time. WN varnish does not yellow, but becomes turbid in thick applications. Since it requires more coats to achieve the same level of internal refraction, that turbidity is noticeable. I also check the colors under 4500 to 5400K lighting. By removing the masking tape, I can see the effect of each varnish on each color sample. All these good brands provide good protection. All these clear gloss varnishes do a decent job of enhancing color, but I notice that on any mixture with blues (purples, greens) the liquitex really POPS the colors more. Perhaps you know that BLUE is a higher wavelength of light. Therefore it takes a finer size of particulate matter to refract blue. The Liquitex varnish has a slight blueish cast when you see it in a thick glob. (as in the fluid form from the jar) Perhaps this is due to its finer particulate formula or manufacturing processes or some ingredient. Either way, Liquitex enhances colors without changing their temperature and the difficult litmus-test in BLUE family of colors remains brilliant, saturated, value and hue-accurate. Colors look "wet" and intense, but do not darken or lighten comparitively. Also, the liquitex varnish does not change the warm or cool character of mixes. This effect can be photgraphed and then measured by placing photographs of the samples into photoshop (or any other digital imaging software that accepts HIGH RES JPEGs) then sampling the color patches. To insure my photography technique does not influence these tests, I rotate the samples 180 degrees and place them in the exact same spot under the exact same lighting. Each little sample is only one inch anyway, but I do that just to be sure I am not skewing results. With the naked eye these effects are subtle, especially when the varnish is fresh. Wait one month, photograph the samples again and use your software to pinpoint samples of the various varnishes. THEN you will see! Liquitex is the "clear" winner. (pardon the pun) It dries clear and STAYS clear like clean glass. (actually BETTER than glass!) It has a higher level of gloss, which increases the internal refraction index of the film. That, in turn, makes the colors achieve higher luminance and saturation. Even if your monitor is not expensive and the room you view photos in has poor lighting or wierd colored walls and furniture, the software will show you the difference. So, for overall value, color enhancement and ease of use, Liquitex varnish is my first choice. The others are good too, so you won't need to worry if that's what you already have. But sometime you owe it to yourself to at least try one can of the Liquitex. Try these experiments if you're scientifically inclined. Or just view your color samples by eye under sufficient illumination. Either way, I think you'll see the difference. Regarding another review and the spray nozzle or "bad can" problem... Absolutely ALL spray cans do that. Technique is paramount for professional results. We must understand that unlike a professional spray gun or air-brush, internal pressure of a can changes as we use the product. Even professional spray equipment clogs and spatters occasionally. That's when we know it is time to STOP, clean the tip, then try again. With spray cans, timing is important if you want to get all or almost all of the product from the can. By shaking the can (as you must before each use) you can feel how much is left. If there is little product left, then you can be sure there is also less pressure available to push it out. Therefore, shaking the can thoroughly for two full minutes at 70 degrees F, will help. In fact, although most directions do not mention this, I know that heat from your hands transfers to the can. So even in a cold studio, shaking the can BY HAND for two full minutes helps warm up the internal temperature of the varnish. (After asking my local paint store guy to put my spray can in his machine, I discovered that machine-shaking does not work as well! Shake BY HAND for TWO FULL minutes.) Always use a freshly cleaned nozzle and spray until the first sign of spatter occurs. Do NOT let up on the tip for more than a few seconds. Varnish dries fast, so we don't want to give globules a chance to form. I keep a lint-free rag soaked in turpentine handy and wipe the nozzle anytime I must pause painting. This method insures you get most of the varnish ( or any other spray paint) out of any can by any brand. I know from experience that Krylon, Liquitex and Golden ALL have good nozzles... so I doubt that is the problem. Montana and Liquitex have the BEST nozzles and the best variety of nozzles too. (especially for artists!) I have painted cars and boats and hundreds of woodworking projects with liquitex and krylon paint, and the results were indistinguishable from pro-painting equipment. Except for one time I dropped a can from scaffolding, I have never had a tip-failure with any of these brands. I've been using spray cans for one thing or another for about five decades now. Temperature, timing, technique and THOROUGH SHAKING will help, no matter what brand you use. Alway clean the tip after use and if you must, soak the tip in turpentine or mineral spirits to clean it. But whatever you do, do NOT use a wire to unclog the tip. That inevitably damages the finely-made hole in the tip and WILL cause spatters. As far as I can tell, wire never works well. I hope that helps anyone reading this and GOOD LUCK with your spray finishing!