We all have our favorite shampoo and conditioner. We have pretty strong opinions about the best brand of mayonnaise (or we hate it entirely). So it should really come as no surprise that many people have chosen a favorite polymer clay sealer, Varathane. I don’t always use a sealer or varnish on my polymer clay, but when I do, Varathane is one of my top picks.
Do You Need to Seal Polymer Clay?
One of the most common questions I am asked is, “Do you need to seal polymer clay?” The short answer is no. Baked polymer clay is a durable plastic and does not need to be sealed against the elements. Polymer clay is so durable that it will hold up to wear, weathering, washing (dishwasher and clothes washer), and use better than any sealer that you can put on it.
But the long answer is that sometimes you do need to seal it. Mica powders (such as Pearl-Ex — Affiliate Link – learn more here — or eye shadow) are perfectly durable on a sculpture that sits on a shelf. But when used in jewelry you’ll want to seal the powder to keep it from rubbing off. The same goes for powders such as metal pulvers or chalk pastels.
Some techniques, such as a variety of crackle techniques, use metal leaf adhered to the surface of the polymer clay, and that does need to be sealed. Most acrylic paint is as durable as varnish so you don’t always need to seal it. But using a sealer or varnish can add an extra layer of durability.
You would also use a sealer on polymer clay when you want to change the look of the surface. If you want the surface to be more glossy or more matte then a sealer is a great way to do that. Adding even a thin layer of a sealer can intensify colors just like when you find a pebble at the beach then wet it to see the colors. Varnish also makes translucent clay more translucent, mica powders more sparkly, and colors much more rich and deep.
What is Varathane?
Varathane is a brand name of polyurethane varnish that’s been around since 1958. It’s used as a wood, furniture, cabinet, and floor finish. Chances are good that there is wood in your home that is finished with polyurethane. It’s been a favorite of polymer clay artists for over 30 years because it just works. It’s currently produced by the Rustoleum Corporation, but previously it was made by a company called Flecto. You might even see it referred to as Flecto from time to time. It’s the same stuff. It’s also undergone many label changes over the years and the can you have may differ from the pictures here.
Varathane does come in an oil based and a water based version. For polymer clay use, you will have much better results if you use the water-based version. If you need to use soap and water to clean up, that’s the right one. You don’t want the one that requires use of paint thinner or mineral spirits to clean it up. Oil-based Varathane can work on polymer clay, but it takes a long time to dry (days) and gives a yellow cast.
Varathane comes in half pint, quart, and gallon cans. It also comes in a spray. I’ve heard that some people have had success with it, but I find that it gives a rough and uneven spray finish. Sprays are always tricky, most of them aren’t polymer clay safe, so stick with the liquid in the can.
Characteristics of Varathane
Varathane is a milky white liquid with a slight bluish tint. It is slightly thicker than water, but not gloopy like many other varnishes that I’ve tried. Varathane has a very mild smell, not a whole lot different from lots of craft paints. It goes on easily with a brush and dries absolutely clear within minutes. You can recoat it again as soon as the first coat dries. But I do like to wait an hour between coats. (Okay, I admit it, sometimes I rush drying a coat by using the heat gun. I’m so impatient.)
You can use a brush, sponge, or even your fingers to apply it. Don’t “scrub” back and forth with the brush, though, or you will get bubbles. Anita’s article on Varathane goes in detail about how she gets a perfectly speck-free finish on her wonderfully fun polymer clay cherries. If you dip coat your beads, give them a quick spin to remove excess Varathane before putting them up to dry. It’s better to use several thin coats than one thick one. I use a very thin coat if all I’m doing is setting mica powders. But I use several coats to build up a thicker layer if I’m going for a glossy, glass-like finish. And yes, you can thin your Varathane with a bit of water to get an even thinner coat. This is sometimes the best way to get a smooth, low shine finish, too.
To keep your can of Varathane clean, don’t apply it directly from the can. Decant a small amount into a small bottle, and apply it from there. Prescription medicine bottles work particularly well for this. I also like to use these nifty containers I found at WalMart, too. I like the wide mouth, perfect for dipping beads.
Varathane comes in gloss, semi-gloss, satin, and matte finishes. (Not sure what that means? See pics to compare here.) I see very little difference between the gloss and satin, though, especially when used as a thin sealer coat. I think if you built up several layers you’d see that satin is less glossy than gloss. But it’s not matte by any means. I wouldn’t spend the money for the satin, by the way. I’d just use a thin coat of the gloss version if I didn’t want a very shiny finish.
How Durable is Varathane on Polymer Clay?
First let me say that I always use Varathane on polymer clay that isn’t waxy or oily. If you’re using Pardo or Kato Polyclay, give the clay a good wipe with alcohol before applying any sealer. (Even then, I do have trouble with any sealer sticking to Kato very well. It tends to peel off like skin after a sunburn.) Varathane will dry to the touch right away, but can take weeks to fully cure. To accelerate that curing process, I usually put sealed items back in the oven for another bake. I have often seen it recommended to use 200°F (93°C) for 10-15 minutes, but that seems to be info that’s “passed down” and I don’t know its source. I usually just bake it again at my clay’s favorite temperature. (Usually with the next batch of beads.)
Once cured, Varathane is water resistant and will easily hold up to washing. The surface is hard enough and durable enough that scratching with your fingernail will not tear through it (once fully cured). Yes, of course, you can scrape it with a knife or something, but don’t do that! Varathane will never fully cure to a rock hard finish on polymer clay because it is softened by the plasticizer in polymer clay. But it is hard and durable enough for jewelry use.
If you ever need to remove Varathane, you can dissolve it with rubbing alcohol. Not that I’ve ever had to soak dried Varathane off a brush or anything. 😉 Okay, I admit it. I’m always forgetting to wash my brush. Sometimes it’s hard to completely remove dried Varathane from polymer clay. It’s really very durable. But alcohol’s fairly safe and fairly effective at removing it, especially before it’s fully cured.
Is Varathane a Sticky Sealer?
There seems to be a fear out there about sticky sealers. And for good reason. If you use nail polish as a sealer or glaze, your project will usually turn sticky with time. If you use the wrong spray sealer, it can get sticky over time. And some acrylic varnishes, such as the green label Liquitex Gloss Medium and Varnish, seem to never fully dry and stay sticky. But I’ve NEVER, NEVER, EVER had Varathane remain or turn sticky. In fact, the feel of dried Varathane is sort of like a smooth plastic. I really, really like it. (How’s that for a scientific term?)
There are lots of articles about varnishes and sealers on this website.
- Confused about all the various types of clear-coats that are used on polymer clay? Read Understanding Glazes, Varnish, and Sealers.
- Learn what happened when I tested 41 sealers on 5 brands of clay in Testing Sealers on Polymer Clay.
- Most sprays will become impossibly sticky on polymer clay, ruining your project.
- Heard that you should use floor wax on your clay? What is that?
- Did you know you don’t have to seal or glaze polymer clay?
- You can use some brands of liquid polymer clay as a coating.
Is Varathane Non-Toxic?
Even though Varathane is a wood varnish that’s commonly used on furniture and floors, that doesn’t mean that it’s a toxic substance. Yes, I know, it’s easy to think of the stinky cans of paint that you’ve used in the past. Well, this isn’t that. Totally different stuff!
If you’ll look at the label of many craft items, such as polymer clay itself, you’ll see that there is a seal that certifies the material is tested to be safe and non-toxic as a craft material. To get that certification, a manufacturer has to have the material tested. Since Varathane is a wood varnish and everyone expects a product used in that capacity to be possibly toxic, there’s no reason to pay to test and get certification for it to labelled as non-toxic. That being said, it is a fairly non-noxious substance as paints go. It is not turpentine or paint thinner based. It is water based and doesn’t have volatile compounds such as any of the aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene and toluene.
The label does warn to keep it out of your eyes and use good ventilation while drying. The only compound the label lists as being worrisome (glycol ethers) are also in sunscreens, and totally evaporate during drying. Don’t drink it. But I wouldn’t hesitate using it to seal jewelry. Dried Varathane is non-toxic and perfectly fine for skin contact.
**UPDATE** Safety rules changed in 2015, and many varnishes contain N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent, in addition to water. This is a fairly low toxicity solvent, but it has been shown in some tests to cause reproductive harm in high concentrations. Wear gloves and be sure to wash your hands if you’re pregnant. The solvent evaporates, so fully dried varnish (as with finished jewelry) has no safety concerns.
Availability of Varathane
In the US and Canada, Varathane can be found in many hardware stores and paint stores. Again, make sure you get the water-based variety that matches the label you see above. I’ve heard that some people have found it at Home Depot and Menards. I couldn’t find it here in my town so I ordered it online. (Affiliate Link – learn more here) But shop around, you’ll find it.
Lately here in the US, all I can find in the hardware stores is Minwax Polycrylic. It’s not the same thing as Varathane. It WILL work as a polymer clay varnish. But it’s going to be subtly different from Varathane. As they say, your mileage may vary.
Varathane is available in North American and also in the UK from Amazon. But if your country doesn’t have Varathane, see if you can find a water based polyurethane wood finish. Chances are that it will be very similar. The key thing to look for are the terms “water-based” or “water clean-up” and “polyurethane”. If you know of another good polyurethane brand, please let me know!
Looking for a Varathane alternative? Check out my article Testing Polymer Clay Sealers to see how 41 different varnishes and sealers performed on five brands of polymer clay.
UPDATES:
- María Eva Ramos of Niná Studio tells me that she has used VITRIO water based polyurethane wood floor finish for several years and has the same good luck that I’ve had with Varathane. She’s in Venezuela, though, but it might give you a brand name to look for in addition to Varathane. Thanks María Eva!
- And Nicola Sutherland says that in Australia she uses Cabothane with great results.
- In Latvia, Tin Liva has been using this polyurethane for 7 years and reports that it’s just like Varthane (which she has also used). Look for Synteko Pro – one-component polyurethane water based wood floor finish;Synteko Pro 90 (gloss), Synteko Pro 20 (matte), Synteko Pro 45 – (satin
comes in cans 1l, 5l, 10l - Sofia Tilert reports that in Sweden, you can buy AquaZar that works really well.
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143 thoughts on “Varathane – The Best Polymer Clay Sealer”
Thanks for the great article. Has anybody in the UK tried the craft mill polyurethane mentioned?
Can varathane be used over air dry clays such as Creative paper clay, or DAS? If so, which of these products would you recommend?
You can use any varnish that you have on hand. Varathane works nicely. Air-dry clays don’t have the same chemical interaction issues that we can find with polymer clay.
Hi Ginger,
I just purchased your sanding/buffing tutorial (thank you, absolutely wonderfully put together and informative, by the way), so im not sure how much more I’ll use my Varathane, but I do have a question about it. I read that Varathane can be used on raw clay before baking. According to the article, it protects the colors/somewhat stops the darkening process. Of course, that was just one article and I would have to deep dive into the research pool before trying anything, which means asking you since you are my go-to . Thanks in advance! Laura
Yes, you can use Varathane on unbaked clay and we do use it for specialized techniques and processes. It’s not commonly done, however. If you coat the entire piece before baking, you might get bubbling in the finish during baking as there’s no way for the gases to escape. That being said, it won’t do anything to prevent darkening of the clay. Or paint for that matter. I’m not sure where that comes from. Perhaps the article was referring to wood?
Thank you for all your help! I love your tutorials and spend a lot of time re-reading to get all of the information absorbed (which I still can’t do!). One question I have is whether we should be glazing/sealing the back of the earrings? Is there a protocol for that?
It’s just personal preference. Do what makes sense for your design and looks good to you. You’re the artist!
Great article! I was wondering, can you use this to seal polymer clay pieces that have a crystal baked into them? That way you won’t need to use super glue? I know I can pop out the crystal and glue it back in, but I find this process quiet messy and time intensive (I use a lot of crystals in my projects). Would I be able to forgo the glue and simply use this varnish instead? I make jewellery pieces so the crystal needs to stay put when handling.
Sure, it should work just fine. But it won’t give as good of a hold as real glue. But depending on the application, it might be a valid solution.
Hi would the Varathane Spar Urethane UV water based outdoor gloss https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/varathane/ultimate-spar-urethane-water-based
be an appropriate alternative. I can’t get the one recommended in Australia. I have Cobots Carbothane as an option https://cabots.com.au/product/cabots-cabothane-clear-water-based/. Would that be suitable gloss alternative to Varathane. Only reviews i can find say it is good but can yellow “over time” on lighter pieces.
thanks for any help
kapalau@iprimus.com.au
From what others tell me, Cabothane works great. 🙂 Each country will have different availability and there will be different brands locally. I can’t test them all because I can’t get them here. 🙂 But give them a try!
Thank you for posting this. I have been using varathane with success. I did love to learn that it could/should be baked. So many times, I want to add something to my piece after coating. This is great news.
Hello!
I just wanted to say thank you a million times over for the amazingly thorough and thoughtful information you so generously share. I’ve been sculpting for years now and so many methods and products I have come to use have been from your painstaking research, trial and error and comparison analyses. Every time I come across a new, highly specific question or problem to research I’m inevitably brought to your amazing articles and all of the possible answers and alternatives are of course there!
Thanks so much again for all of your work, time and effort that you share – it’s not taken for granted!
Best,
Nicole
Thank you!
Ginger,
Thank you for such a “labor of love.” Every time I have a question, thought, or anything to do with polymer clay, you are where I turn. I am new to all of this and your site is such a wealth of knowledge that you make me feel like a pro. I can’t thank you enough for all of your research and your incredible generosity to share all of it. Thanks, Sandy
Aw, what a lovely thing to say. Thank you Sandy.
Ginger, I can’t thank you enough all of the in depth valuable information you share.
Question for you: is it unsafe to bake pieces that already have dried polyurethane? Or could it then release toxic fumes?
I know you said you re-bake your pieces but I just want to make sure I understood you right and I’m being safe.
Thank you!
I spoke with the folks that make Varathane, and yes, it’s safe to bake dried Varathane at clay-baking temperatures.
I made some polymer clay coasters. They needed to be coated because I used a silver leaf crackle technique on them. I used Varathane. I wouldn’t say it is sticky to the touch, unfortunately mugs and cups that are left on the coaster for a few minutes do say it is sticky. The coasters come up with the cup. I am going to try coating with liquid Sculpey to see if I get a better result, which I expect to.
Hello,
i live in the Netherlands and i have been looking in Holland en France for Varathane or something similar… Alas! in vain.
Do you have more information perhaps? Thank you.
There are some nice polyurethane or varnish brands that are made by crafting and art companies. You can see a list of the products I’ve tried on my article here: https://thebluebottletree.com/testing-polymer-clay-sealers/
Should you sand between layers of varathane and/or after the final layer. Also, what happens if you apply Renaissance Wax over a varathane sealed bead?
No, unlike varnishing with wood, there’s no need to varnish between coats of Varathane with polymer clay. As for Varathane over ren wax, it will likely not stick.
Could you tell me if the packaging is the same as in the photo? The blue/white can?
I can not for the life of me find this. Even on the Rustoleum website.
They only seem to have one called Varathane Diamond Finish when I search water based Varathanes on their website. Is this their new packaging?
Thank you!
In the article above, I do show a photo with the older and the most recent can. The last time I ordered Varathane, it was the can on the right (about a year ago). The Rustoleum website is not behaving, so I can’t find their Varathane labels. Here’s where you can order the correct version.
Great articles!
I have sealed the top of some pendants with the Varathane. But now I have decided to add more clay and put an edge around them and a pc bail. Can you rebake them if they have the Varathane coating? It is 2 or 3 thin layers applied a week ago. AND can you put epoxy resin over it? Or should I just remove the Varathane altogether?
Premo clay… Thanks!
You can rebake Varathane, yes. I don’t know of any why coating with epoxy resin would be a problem. I do know that Varathane can inhibit the cure of some UV resin, though.
Hello! I love this page, thank you for sharing all your experiments! It is a great help 🙂
I was desperate with the subject of varnish .. at first I tried several but they were all sticky, until I found Fimo’s that seemed to fit. I have used it for a year, until now that I have seen that it is definitely not resistant at all! with the humidity or scratching a little, it goes away … and the problem is that in some parts of the pieces I put acrylic paint and that’s why it does not work for me, I need a very strong protection. I make realistic animal jewelry and I would like it to be preserved over time!
Now that I have found this information I am more relaxed, I found the Varathane on Amazon and it’s coming tomorrow 🙂 I really want to try it, but I have some doubts about how to do it.
With three layers for example is it suitable for good protection?
And how much time / temperature do you put in the oven? (after each layer or only at the end?) I have no idea how to do it .. I use Fimo clay. Thanks!
Varathane is a good varnish, and it works well to protect against wear (such as for jewelry). But it won’t protect against abrasion or actual damage such as would happen for a dog’s tag or a keyring. Nothing will work for that. If you find that Varathane doesn’t work for you, I would recommend using liquid polymer clay and curing it with a heat gun. Another option is to brush on UV cure resin.
You don’t need to put your items in the oven after coating with Varathane, but doing so will make the varnish cure more completely faster than by air. Most people do about 250°F for about 30 minutes, but there is no standard.
Great! Thank you for your advice with these materials, I will do the first tests 🙂
A hug!
I tried this at 250 for 20 minutesand it smoked a bit and some of them discolored. The only thing I can think I may have done wrong is I didn’t tent them and I preheated the oven, I normally put them in cold. I’m going to keep experimenting because it does give a harder set cure.
That’s odd. It sounds like your oven isn’t accurate. You might want to check on that using an oven thermometer.
Does this work just like Varathane Polyeurathane Gloss glaze?
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-260354-Ultimate-Polyurethane-Gloss/dp/B00714M1U0/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1508983091&sr=1-3&keywords=rustoleum+ultimate+polyurethane
No, this one has a slight amber tint, and it will make your whites look ecru.
I make dog type buttons for crochet items for animal rescue fundraisers. I just started making them and would like to clarify that I should bake again after applying Varathane. Also, I live in a rural area of Michigan and searched for the Rust-Oleum varathrine polyurethene in gloss on line and True Value will ship free to your local True Value hardware. The price is reasonable and it comes in multiple sizes.
You don’t have to bake again after applying the Varathane. It just makes the varnish cure faster, that’s all. And it’s great news about the hardware store. Thanks!
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