Varnishing is essential for preserving and extending the longevity of your artwork. It is essential for protecting surfaces from dust, light, humidity and other corrosive and environmental agents that can damage them, as well as adding depth, increasing colour saturation and unifying colours, and providing a specific finish.
Where do I start?
Firstly, we must wait for the paint to dry completely. Depending on the medium we have used, this can vary greatly. From acrylics, which can dry in a couple of days, to oils, which can take 1 to 12 months to dry completely depending on the thickness of the layers.
Ideally, we should wait around 4 months.
Although logical thinking would suggest not rushing to varnish the work, it is better to varnish it even if it is not completely dry if necessary. All these external agents will accelerate its ageing if it is not properly protected.
Always apply thin coats, as if the varnish coats are too thick, it will never dry completely.
When and how to varnish:
- Semi-fresh/semi-dry painting: it should not be varnished, but it is possible to apply wax soap, a very delicate water-based varnish, or museum varnish, which is wax and solvent-based. Retouching varnish can also be used, which allows the work to continue to breathe and dry.
They can be removed. - Dry painting: ideally, apply a final coat of varnish to completely seal it.
- Permanent final varnish: cannot be removed from the painting. Made from dammar and wax.
- Final varnish: used to add shine to our paintings, reduce it or increase it. They are actually finishes, although they also protect.
- Dammar varnish: widely used as a permanent final varnish, although it tends to crack over time.
How can we varnish our work?
Once we are clear about the different varnishes we can use, let's look at the steps we need to follow to varnish our work:
- Create your own varnish or buy it ready-made. Today, there are countless different types of varnishes available. If you are unsure which one to use, take a look at our varnish guide.
- Test it before applying it to the final piece. It is important to know its properties in case you need to thin it.
- Clean your piece thoroughly with a cloth or feather duster to remove any dust and dirt that may have accumulated.
- Pour the varnish into a bowl so that you can apply it with a brush.
Do not pour the varnish directly onto the painting. This unusual way of varnishing is currently very fashionable and can be seen on social media, but you must be careful because it can damage your work. - Use a paintbrush, small brush or flat brush. It needs to be of a certain quality so that no hairs come off and stick to the surface, and it will also give you a smoother, mark-free finish.
- Apply several thin, even coats, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. First horizontally, then vertically... and so on for as many coats as you need.
- Before they dry, you can use the same brush, without varnish and slightly dry, to even out and blend the varnish in the opposite direction.
- Don't forget the edges of the canvas!
- Varnish and leave to dry flat if you are using liquid varnish to prevent it from running.
- Try to varnish on a day when there is not too much humidity and the room is clean and dust-free.
- If you are using spray varnish: apply several thin coats from a distance of about 30 cm, in opposite directions, and allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. You can do this vertically. Leave the painting to dry leaning slightly against the wall to prevent dust from sticking to it
