The right kind of varnish?

[Nigel Watts]

I have been refurbishing a pair a small free-standing bookcases which I made over twenty years ago. They are made largely of blockboard and were originally painted white.

After making some minor alterations I have painted them to look like macassar ebony (using chocolate brown egshell, applying a black glaze then dragging a dry brush through it). I am toying with the idea of painting on some decoration in imitation of Regency brass inlay work, but in the meantime I need to varnish over the galze to protect it.

I have tried matt and eggshell varnish and both look terrible. Becasue the underlying paint colour is so dark all you get is a nasty sheen which obscures most of the detail. A high gloss is certainly out because the defects will show too much (the blockboard has over the years formed wave like undulations in the surface, which I dont want to draw attention to) .

Any ideas?

 

[Moo]

Just a thought -
What if you were to wait until you've done the 'inlay' and then use a wax finish rather than varnish?

 

[Penners]

the blockboard has over the years formed wave like undulations in the surface, which I dont want to draw attention to)

It's a general rule-of-thumb that the higher the sheen, the more visible imperfections become. So I can only suggest that you search out the mattest varnish you can find. There seem to be some pretty good matt acrylic varnishes, and in my experience acrylic varnish has very little tendency to change the colour of what's beneath it.