Processing of wood products and elements from this natural material is carried out in different ways. Someone prefers not to hide the natural beauty under an artificial layer of additional coating, while others, on the contrary, want to give the tree additional charm and gloss. One of the most used methods of wood processing is varnishing, but today we are not talking about a conventional coating that only slightly emphasizes the texture and pattern of a given material, but a piano varnish. This type of wood finish attracts the eye thanks to the luxurious, rich appearance of the finished product.
What is glossy varnish?
This type of paints and varnishes, such as piano lacquer, is a special substance that is usually used to cover wooden surfaces. A distinctive feature that distinguishes it from other varnishes is a completely extraordinary appearance on the finished product. The wood coated with it acquires a mirror-glossy surface of a deep black color. Although there are other shades of this coating, still it is black - the main one.
Initially, it was made on an oil basis, but at this time, manufacturers give more preference to modern high-tech synthetic components that allow the varnish surface to be less susceptible to the external environment and, in principle, more durable. In addition, the latest types are easier to use, and coating with a piano lacquer is not such a laborious process as it was several decades ago.
Not the piano one
This paint product got its name for a reason. The piano lacquer was popularly known precisely because the manufacturers of keyboard and string musical instruments covered the wood panels of pianos, pianos and guitars with this coating. The advantages of this choice are quite obvious: the tool turned out beautiful and wear-resistant.
The unusual color and texture over time was noticed by manufacturers of other household items, primarily caskets and decorative crafts. In the future, they took a fancy to themselves for the rich gloss of black lacquer piano and motorists who used it to finish wooden parts inside the car. Music lovers - a category of craftsmen who used black gloss to decorate their speakers. In their skillful hands, the completely trivial columns of factory production turned into real masterpieces, beautifully shining with shiny sidewalls after coating with piano varnish.
Beautiful sound
For some reason, it so happened that it is the stereo equipment that is currently undergoing the most changes in the hands of amateurs and painting masters. She subjected speakers, subbuffers and individual elements of musical instruments. Manufacturers more often emphasize the internal content of their devices, not wanting to spend additional resources and finances on the expensive finishing of consumer goods. However, some of their products still differ in appearance precisely in that they are coated with noble varnish with bright gloss and original color depth.
They try to apply piano lacquer with their own hands on acoustics at home, but not everyone succeeds the first time. The main difficulty is to find a suitable varnish, and subsequently apply it on the surface that was not originally prepared for this. To make the piano lacquer look smooth, the coating does not contain extraneous inclusions and impurities, the material should be applied on a perfectly flat plane, devoid of any roughness.
Car tuning
Car enthusiasts are also significant trendsetters for the use of this type of varnish. Neither self-taught amateurs nor professional workshops providing auto-tuning services disdain this finish.
Moreover, the details of their cars and the venerable giants of the automobile industry cover them. Previously, only elements made of natural wood succumbed to painting, but now there is a more budgetary option - varnished plastic, which is given out as a real noble gloss.
Piano lacquer in cars, no doubt, looks luxurious, and this is one of the hallmarks of executive cars. But, in addition to beauty, there is a significant drawback in varnished surfaces - dust settles on them very quickly, they are easily scratched. Care for parts covered with piano lacquer, you need special microfiber cloths. You can replace them with wipes for cleaning monitors and lenses. With the help of such accessories, the surface can be easily polished to a mirror shine, while there will be no stains and small fibers on it.
Types of varnish
As mentioned earlier, the first gloss was applied using oil-based varnishes. There were many drawbacks of such coatings: the application process itself was time-consuming, the material had a very specific aroma and required long-term drying. He was replaced by more practical polyester, water-polyurethane and nitrocellulose varnishes. The latter are often used for the manufacture of furniture, but for decoration of cars, acoustics and musical instruments they are of little use - they lack either strength or sufficient color depth.
You can use epoxy to solve this problem, the result will be pretty good. Polyesters also look very good on the surface, their color variety is also pleasing. According to user reviews, polyurethane piano lacquer is easy to apply, in addition, it practically does not smell, and this is an additional plus when you need to work in a poorly ventilated room.
Preparation is a top priority
In order for the glossy varnish to lie flat on the surface, it must be pre-treated. The final appearance of the varnished product very much depends on how well the master polished the plane and made the starting layer of its coating.
Experts advise starting the piano lacquer finish with sanding the surface, while cleaning it from the resulting grouting dust (it is best to use a vacuum cleaner). Neglect of this measure is fraught with the fact that microscopic polished particles appear on the surface of the product after filling the varnish, and then it will be completely impossible to get rid of them.
After polishing, the surface must be impregnated with nitro-varnish, and it is most convenient to work with a soft brush. The impregnation layer does not need to be made thick, because before applying the base, the primer must be thoroughly dried. The main task of nitro-lacquer is to create an insurmountable barrier between the tree and the finish.
How to apply varnish on the surface?
The very application of varnish on a quality prepared surface should not cause difficulties. If epoxy is used for work, it is recommended to heat it before pouring, this will help get rid of air bubbles. Another nuance is the proportions in which the resin is diluted with a special hardener. Experts share a secret and advise using eight parts of the resin instead of ten on one part of the diluent.
There are also special imported varnishes with which the product is coated in two layers (for example, Tikkurila), but the high cost is their main drawback. This coating is sprayed, but you can do with a regular foam sponge.
Marketing move
Manufacturers, realizing the increased popularity of piano lacquer, offer customers alternative coatings. It can be special heavy-duty films, which after gluing cannot be distinguished from high-quality varnish, and even plastic linings. In the automotive industry, plastic elements with a glossy surface are gaining more and more popularity. Such elements look presentable, easy to care for and are in demand among buyers.