So you find the perfect piece, you followed the ultimate guide to prep, you find your Fusion Mineral Paint in your favourite colour and check out our Ultimate application guide. So do you need a top coat? The ultimate guide – How to choose a topcoat will cover that and if water-based or oil-based is best for your project. Let’s dive in and find out which fusion topcoats are best for your project.
Do I need fusion topcoats?
After applying Fusion on most projects that you complete around your home, you will not need an additional topcoat. There are a few exceptions, for high traffic areas such as kitchen or dining tables, dressing table tops and coffee tables too. Anywhere you think will get extra wear and tear adding a top coat will give your paint finish longevity. Jennylyn, from Fusion Mineral Paint, uses the analogy of when you get your nails painted. The polish will last just a little longer and give your manicure some added protection when you apply a topcoat.
Fusion topcoats
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when choosing your topcoat. What the projects will be used for and what sort of look do you want? Answering these questions will give you a much better idea of the topcoat best suited to your project. Your paint colour will also have to be taken into consideration when choosing. Below is a graph showing you the different types of topcoats we have and their properties.
Tough Coat Topcoat over Light Colours
The best fusion topcoats for lighter colours are our water-based non-yellowing Tough Coat in Matte or Glossy. Our formulation will not yellow your whites. It is not recommended to use Fusion Stain & Finishing Oil over whites as they will slightly yellow over time. Our Furniture Waxes are also an option over lighter colours and are perfect for antiquing our lighter paint colours.
See this video on the best way to apply Tough Coat.
SFO Top Coat over Dark Colours
Stain & Finishing Oil All in One Wood Finish is Eco Friendly and easy to use. It is the perfect finish over medium to dark colours. We recommend avoiding using this over light paint colours as it may slightly yellow. This oil-based stain & topcoat combo offers exceptional durability in high-traffic areas like table tops, kitchen cabinets, and even flooring. It works wonderfully over wood to refresh and protect.
Watch Jennylyn show you how to apply SFO over paint
SFO can be used on bare wood, or over previously painted surfaces for a faux effect. We recommend the Natural colour over Fusion Mineral Paint darker colours to increase the sheen and offer superior durability. Very easy to use, low odour, and Eco Friendly! Apply it with a brush, or rag, and wipe away the excess.
You can use Stain & Finishing Oil on lots of surfaces including:
- Laminate, Lacquered, previously painted or coated surfaces.
- Damaged or Scratched surfaces
- Almost a no-prep product- just clean and remove any wax or grease. No sanding or de-glossing is required to apply this.
- Extremely durable. Excellent for Flooring and heavy-use kitchen table tops etc.
- Works on Bare Wood surfaces for a beautiful matte/satin finish.
Hemp Oil
A 100% natural wood finish our Hemp Oil has been processed for wood finishing and is not the same as the health food store kind. We recommend using Hemp Oil to hydrate old tired wood as it is a pure drying penetrating oil and it doesn’t leave a film that can be chipped. It also works great over Fusion in a very thin layer almost buffed on and off for added sheen. Just apply let it soak in and remove the excess. Some of the benefits of Hemp oil is that is food safe so perfect for reviving your butcher blocks and wooden utensils. It also has no chemicals and no additives. It is biodegradable and made of sustainable pressed Hemp Seeds.
Hemp Oil can also be used over Fusion as a lubricant to ‘wet’ sand. Apply liberally and use a soft sanding sponge to gently sand. After sanding, remove all the excess Hemp Oil for the smoothest, buttery-feeling paint finish! A little added protection and a little added sheen. It doe not change the colour of your paint even on lighter colours, an exception to the rule as far as oil-based topcoats are concerned.
All about Fusion Topcoats
As you can see depending on your desired outcome, the colour you choose, and the choice of fusion topcoats changes, with this handy information you will be able to choose the right one every time!
