{"id":292,"date":"2010-04-16T17:16:31","date_gmt":"2010-04-16T16:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wood-finishes-direct.com\/blog\/?p=292"},"modified":"2025-07-29T15:13:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T14:13:31","slug":"no-glossing-over-lacquers-varnishes-unravelled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wood-finishes-direct.com\/blog\/no-glossing-over-lacquers-varnishes-unravelled\/","title":{"rendered":"No Glossing Over – Lacquers & Varnishes Unravelled"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I\u2019ll be trying to unravel what can truly earn the right to be called a \n\nlacquer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first thing to establish is the difference between a lacquer and a varnish. It may be surprising to learn that \n\nlacquer<\/a> and varnish are, in fact, the same thing! <\/strong><\/p>\n

What we\u2019ve noticed is the trade tend to refer to them as ‘lacquers’ and the general public tend to call them ‘varnishes’.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m now left with the dilemma of how to refer to them for the rest of this blog – eeny, meeny, miny, mo\u2026 I\u2019ll go for lacquer<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\"wood-lacquer-being-applied-to-wood\"
Varnishing wood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What Is<\/em> Lacquer?<\/h2>\n

The Origins of Lacquer<\/strong><\/p>\n

The word lacquer derives from the Portuguese word lac<\/strong>, and the word varnish derives from the Latin word vernix<\/strong>. Vernix means odorous resin and lac is the word for a resin that comes from certain insects. Well, whatever their roots both words have simply been integrated into the English language.\u00a0 A bit like the words rapid and swift, same meanings, different roots.<\/p>\n

Facts About Lacquer<\/strong><\/p>\n