Tips and Techniques

Annie Sloan Matte Finish Lacquer - Both for Interior and Exterior Use! Lacquer CANNOT GO OVER WAX!   If using for OUTDOOR...it  is best to wait 14 days after final application AND....make sure you covered 100% of all surfaces...including the bottom of the feet or beneath the piece.

This is a new product as of May 2019.   Annie Sloan created a clear matt Lacquer that is water based varnish for painted floors or heavily used furniture items, particularly for those painted with Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan. Pay attention when ordering because we also carry a GLOSS!    I do not typically use Annie's Lacquer on cabinets.  I would typically use Annie's Clear Wax  *****     This lacquer can be used both indoors and outdoors!   *************  Annie's new Lacquer is suitable for outside use on garden furniture.  We have found that customer expectations are better met when using Annie's Lacquer, especially on seats and tables etc.   However, on exterior fences, sheds, walls, brick, stone etc - applying a topcoat is not necessary.  The outside of Annie Sloan's warehouse was painted in Primer Red in 2016 and still looks great!    If painting on exterior concrete, Annie's Lacquer can absolutely be used, but keep in mind, that Chalk Paint takes extremely well to concrete and you will probably find it is unnecessary (except perhaps to protect colours from fading).Lacquer can go over Gold Leaf or Silver Leaf  ******* Lacquer is NOT like paint.  Make sure to read our instructions so you use it correctly the FIRST time and do not waste your product, time or money, OK?! 

It is a strong penetrating Lacquer meant to be used over wood or concrete floors painted with Chalk Paint®. This is a hard-wearing varnish for both interiors and exteriors!  Since this is a "penetrating" sealer- it could have the ability to pull up tannin or stain from the substrate thru your paint. So, if using a "white"- you may want to consider making the investment in extra- and apply a coat of Lacquer BEFORE painting. We would call this a "Sealer Sandwich." This will seal the floor (the substrate) - so nothing can get pulled up.

One container of this GLOSS Lacquer will cover 204 sq. ft. Keep in mind, you should apply two coats. Personally- I water the first coat down with about 10% water, but never thin the second coat!. ALWAYS and roll on in super thin coats but watch your lap lines.

**If you have Lacquer in the 1000 mL container that is being retired- It's fine to use the 750 mL Lacquer over the Lacquer that was packaged in the 1000 mL container - and the other way round would be fine as well.  *****

Whether the paint is applied as a wash or applied solidly with a foam roller, this robust Lacquer will seal it perfectly.

Lacquer can be used over stained or raw wood.  If the floor has stain on it, - since Lacquer is water based- I recommend that you test what is on the floor to determine if it is oil-based or water-based. Just rub a small area with a rag and a bit of mineral spirits. If the finish softens and a bit of color comes off, it's oil-based." If it is oil based- Lacquer should NOT be used.

DIRECTIONS:

Add about 10% water into the first coat.

Let dry 2 hours and recoat with full strength Lacquer (still a thin coat).

It is critical that before and DURING use of Lacquer, you mix it using a stir stick and REALLY scrape the bottom.  There are flattening agents in the Lacquer and they like to settle at the bottom of the container, .......so this is critical!   You need to stir it every few minutes to keep the flattening agent evenly distributed OR you will have areas on the floor once dried that have uneven shine and cloudiness.  You cannot just stir it once and then use it for your whole floor.

Let dry overnight.

It dries quickly - but again, allow your floor or furniture piece to cure overnight. It will slightly darken the color beneath it with a gloss finish that has a slight sheen to give it strength.

Often customers will state after the first coat they see some slight lines in the Lacquer if using a roller, but after the second coat is applied- it looks wonderful. (just sharing this so you do not panic) No need to sand in between either!

Something to understand when using Lacquer is that it does not want to be back stroked.

Confident strokes in one direction for an even sheen is extremely important because varnishes do not like to be back brushed. This can cause flashing...meaning an uneven finish.

The Lacquer will slightly darken the paint beneath it. Something to keep in mind...is that Graphite (and dark Chalk Paint® colors) are notorious tattle talers! Meaning if the Lacquer is too thick- it will appear to be streaky or cloudy. The flattening agents in the Lacquer that give it its matte sheen create a cloudy or milky effect when the Lacquer is applied too thickly and this is more noticeable over darker colors. I hate to write this- but often repainting and then thinner layers of Lacquer applied with a sponge roller or brush is the correction. So, since you are reading this- I would hope that you would not apply it too thick!

Some people will sometimes take a wide sponge brush or bristle brush to even out the rolled out Lacquer immediately after rolling it - as so to make sure it is thinned enough. Keep in mind the comment above about stroking it too much! Also- it is important - to make sure that the Lacquer was incorporated well before using it. Again- this is done either by stirring- or- tipping it upside down and rolling the container in your hands.

The varnish is quick drying, non-toxic, low odor, and non-yellowing. The Lacquer will give you a very durable scuff resistant finish. Note though, it is not recommended in areas where there will be a lot of water. Annie's Lacquer is ring resistant- meaning it can tolerate hot cups. It is also resistant to alcohol spills, which if using wax as a top coat- is not.

If the floors are oak or some other sort of open grain wood- note that in the drying action of the Lacquer- it could pull up tannins through the new paint layers. Annie Sloan Lacquer is a penetrating varnish, meaning that it gets its strength by penetrating through the paint layers and attaching itself to the substrate. As it dries, the water in the varnish evaporates and the remaining materials shrink or pull tight to the surface, again another reason for its great strength.

However, the varnish pulls from both directions (think about how clothes shrink- in all directions) and this action can pull the tannins up if they have not been sealed with shellac prior to painting.

The same problem would occur if the floors had been previously stained with a non-colorfast stain. The only solution is to shellac, repaint, and reseal.

NOTE- Lacquer does NOT adhere over oil-based products.

Annie Sloan Lacquer dries to a gloss sheen with just a hint of shine for durability ... it is not glossy.  NOTE however- the sheen can vary slightly from quart to quart- so always batch your Lacquer when purchasing multiple quarts and mix well- so the sheen will be uniformed throughout your entire project.   

Annie Sloan Lacquer can also be sprayed, but most apply with a sponge roller or a "bouncy" bristle brush- like Annie SLoan's 2 inch FLAT Brush with blue bristles sold on this website.

Again, with most spray systems it will most likely need to be diluted with some water. My experience with working with the Lacquer has shown that the sheen level diminishes a bit with the addition of water ... the more water added the more matte it becomes. With either product, try not to exceed adding more than 20% water. If you brush it on - have confident strokes- since Lacquer does not like being over played with.

The darker the color of the paint- the more following these directions is important because they reveal or show imperfections more.

The liter will cover approximately 204 square feet (depending on how porous the surface and how thickly the Lacquer is applied.) Two coats are recommended for areas of high traffic (never substitute one thick coat if in a hurry- it will not dry uniformly and you will just have issues- this rule applies to paint and for that matter - ANY product on the market!) I applied it on the top of a heavily used dresser and it was dry to the touch within minutes!

How to Use:

Before use, turn the container upside down for about 1 to 2 hours since all the "good materials" that may have sunk to the bottom get well incorporated again to the top and is well dispersed.

DO NOT SHAKE since this will cause bubbles to form in the varnish which you do not want to happen! It is best to gently mix the Lacquer by rolling the containers around in your hands or pouring the contents into a bucket to stir.

Apply the Lacquer with a high quality sponge/foam roller and using a sponge brush to cut in at the edges. 

Apply two THIN coats for areas of high traffic such as a hallway, stairs, or sitting room but only one for a bedroom for instance. Again- it is best to apply two thin coats rather than one thicker one. You never get a head taking shortcuts!

An average coating needs to dry 1- 2 hours before another coat can be applied. BUT if you live where it has been rainy or damp- this will effect dry time!!!!   Leave it overnight to "cure" before walking on it.  And initially- only walk on it in socks- NOT stilettos or hard soled shoes.  Give a couple of days before the kids ride the big wheel across it to and DO NOT DRAG furniture.  Carry and place it in position!!!!!

CLEAN UP OF BRUSHES:   Wash brushes/sponge rollers thoroughly in water.

Note that Annie Lacquer is NEVER applied over waxes! However, you can apply Annie Sloan's soft waxes over the Lacquer.

IF YOU have a LARGE SURFACE- and need to use more than one quart of Lacquer- ALWAYS BATCH multiple quarts and mix well to ensure the sheen will be the same- since Lacquer can vary slightly from quart to quart!!!!

HOW DO I CLEAN MY FLOOR THAT HAS ANNIE'S LACQUER ON IT?:

We recommend a product called Fabuloso. You mix it water and you do not let it pool on the Lacquer.  WalMart and other "fine" stores retail this cleaning product.  It is also great to pour down a drain or even in your toilet bowl- and leave it for an hour.  It will make your room smell like you cleaned it for hours.

STORAGE: Store your Lacquer in a cool, dry place (but not cold.)  If you have used more than half, Annie suggests decanting into a smaller container where there is less air trapped with the product.

SHELF LIFE: Lacquer is different than paint.  It does have a shelf life and Annie suggests using it within one year of purchase.  

ADDITIONAL NOTES (like you haven't read enough already though!)  

Firstly, I will come straight out and say this - it takes a bit of extra effort to get a good finish with matt top coats over dark colour paints like Athenian Black, Graphite, Napoleonic Blue or Amsterdam Green.    Lacquer does not behave in the same way as paint!

The reason why I say 'matt top coats' and not specifically Annie Sloan Matt Lacquer is that it's important to note that this is the case with any of these types of product (matt finish polyacrylic). During our product development we found that most existing matt topcoats on the market include a caveat in their technical data sheets to this effect.

However, we believe that the finish and results that are possible with Matt Lacquer mean that it is still a product that is worthy of a place in the Annie Sloan inventory. So here's some great tips you should really follow.

Annie Sloan Matt Lacquer gives a very flat finish. To create this effect, it contains a flattening agent to disperse reflected light and cut out the sheen. When applied over dark colours, this flattening agent becomes visible, giving a milky or cloudy effect. The more coats that are applied, the more pronounced this effect becomes.

The effect is also more obvious if the Matt Lacquer is applied to textured surfaces, as it can gather more thickly in the texture and brush strokes of the finish. There's a couple of tips to get around this.

TIP 1 - FOR WORKING WITH MATT OVER DARK COLOURS: Sand your paint back to a super smooth finish before you apply the first coat of Lacquer. Eliminating brush marks and texture will prevent a build up of flattening agents. This is a good tip if you are only intending to apply ONE coat of Lacquer, for items that do not require the additional protection of a second coat. Dilute your Lacquer coat with 10% water and apply with a light hand.

TIP 2 - FOR WORKING WITH MATT OVER DARK COLOURS: Apply a coat of Gloss Lacquer as your first coat. This is a good tip for items that require extra protection or where you don't want to take the extra step of sanding the paint smooth. The Gloss Lacquer will fill in any texture and brush marks in the paint, giving a smoother finish to work on. Dilute this first gloss coat with 10% water. Once dry, finish with a carefully applied coat of Matt.

TIP 3 - FOR WORKING WITH ANY LACQUER: Always test for bleed through by applying paint and Lacquer in an inconspicuous (if possible) area. Don't skip this step! Always test! It's the only way you can be sure of what the finished results will be. It's much easier and less frustrating to solve potential problems at this stage. Bleed through can manifest in lots of different ways, and can even affect dark colours.

Edited to add - TIP 4 - Experiment with spraying, which is another application option. If you're interested in this, there's a lot of info out there if you research spraying polyacrylic. We use a HVLP sprayer and thin slightly with water.

I hope this helps! It's important to understand that this product is not necessarily the 'easy option' over wax, so bear this in mind when consulting with your customers over their choice of finish.

CAN I RETURN OR EXCHANGE THIS PRODUCT?

Photos, displays and work designed and created by Annie Sloan. We are sorry – there are NO RETURNs when it comes to paint/ paint products/ top coats/ waxes. You will find this for every stockist. Think about it- would you ever want a quart of paint sent to you - that was shipped to someone else prior? We eliminate any potential issues with this policy.

With that said- we apologize for any issues this may cause. Choose wisely and do not spontaneously purchase a color if unsure. OK? In fact- if you need help in deciding- ask us. We are here to help you! : )