No matter what project you are painting, the final coat is the one that receives all the wear and tear, so what can you do to protect it? After all your hard work, you don’t want it to become chipped or worn. Mostly the topcoat you’ve just painted on will be sufficiently durable, but in some cases a transparent finish over the topcoat is advisable. You may also want to use a transparent topcoat not because it is needed for durability, but because you want that particular area to look shiny.

Living areas that have lots of hard use such as informal eating areas or even a child’s bedroom or play area may need a transparent finish for protection of the painted surfaces. Faux marble or wood grain finishes always require a transparent coat over them to enhance their visual appeal and give depth and realism to the grain.

Clear topcoats come in a range of gloss, semi-gloss, or non-gloss finishes. They can be water or oil/alkyd based. Your choice will be determined on how much shine you want on the area to be painted. Remember that gloss will reveal imperfections, so if your wall has been painted to hide some kind of flaw, think twice about using a transparent finish on it.

There is one major problem with using a transparent finish over your painted item. Most of the finishes will go yellow with age. Therefore, if your project is white or some other light color, the yellowing will be quite obvious. Strangely enough, it’s the alkyd based finishes that are more prone to yellowing than the water-based ones, but they all do it to some extent. The amount of yellowing varies considerable between brands and types, so getting advice from your dealer is a good idea.

Varnish is a popular choice for a transparent finish, but it does yellow quite visibly with age. This may not matter if the color underneath is dark or tones in with the yellow, but it will certainly affect it eventually. Marine varnish is the worst culprit, so never use it - except for marine applications.

Polyurethane can be thinned with mineral spirits and can go over all paints except artists’ oils. It yellows less than varnish but will still be visible over your whites and pale colors. Acrylic varnish is one that yellows the least, but cannot be used over oil-based paints. A brush will leave marks so apply with a roller.

Refined white beeswax makes an excellent transparent finish, but is quite labor-intensive to apply. Use a cloth and rub and buff until you drop, then reapply it at regular intervals. Is all that work worth it? Opinions vary, but it does give a lustrous finish.

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