• Four ounce bottle of Natural Varnish
  • A four ounce and an eight ounce bottle of Natural Varnish
  • Natural Varnish
    Natural Varnish
  • brushing varnish over painting of woman on canvas
  • Natural Varnish
    Natural Varnish
  • A hand applying varnish with a paint brush to finished paintings next to the four ounce bottle and a glass bowl
  • A man applying Natural Varnish to the backside of a violin
  • Thirty-two ounce container of Natural Varnish
1 8

Natural Varnish

Natural and 100% plant-based varnish enhances depth of color and richness with a fast-drying, water-clear, glossy finish. It provides superior, durable final protection against dirt and grease.

$22.95
$22.95
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Natural Earth Paint
Size
Natural Earth Paint
Description
  • 100% natural and eco-friendly 
  • Made with a proprietary blend of natural and plant-based, archival ingredients using time-tested recipes from the Renaissance
  • Hand-crafted in small batches
  • Free from heavy metal driers, additives, petroleum based ingredients, harsh fumes, and toxic additives 
  • Won’t bloom or crack like some other conventional varnishes. 
  • Perfect for “re-touching” or giving a unified sheen to your project! 
  • Seals most surfaces including paintings, wood, stone, metal, plastics, crafts and more.
For more information check out the PRODUCT FAQs below or visit our Natural Varnish Blog Post.
Technical Data

Directions:
Apply with a soft brush, spray (cut with alcohol if needed), or (for woodworking) apply using the French Polish method with a pad onto a completely dry surface. Let dry. Clean brushes and tools with any type of alcohol.

For Matte Finishes:
Our varnish has a natural gloss luster that can be brought to a matte finish with fine abrasives such as 4/0 grade steel wool, 800 grit sandpaper or Pumice stones.

Formula:
Our varnish is made from food-grade ingredients, including grain alcohol, natural resins, oils, and other all-natural ingredients, which makes it a 100% natural and non-toxic spirit varnish.

Applications:
Our varnish is well-suited for all paintings, musical instruments, fine furniture, and sculpture, as well as a variety of craft projects. It has a high alcohol content so it penetrates deeply on the first coat and provides a beautiful film finish.

Woodworking:
For woodworking this varnish can be described as a spirit varnish with a high oil content. It works extremely well with the French Polish technique and can be brushed on or sprayed. It is flexible, hard to the fingernail, and rubs out when cured.

Coverage:
The 4 oz. bottle of Natural Varnish - On a painting or any sealed or painted wood surface - approximately 80 sq. ft. (7.5 sq. meters). Raw, hard wood - 50 sq. ft. Raw, soft wood or plywood - 12 sq. ft. 8 oz. bottle covers approximately 160 sq.

Packaging:
This product is packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled glass bottles. Glass is infinitely recyclable, meaning it can be recycled repeatedly to create new products without losing quality. The quart container is made from 100% recycled plastic.

Safety & Quality:
Made in the USA. Free of nuts, dairy, and gluten. Cruelty-free. Not intended for consumption.

Staining Wood:
To turn your varnish into a wood stain varnish, watch or read this tutorial ... https://naturalearthpaint.com/blogrecipe-natural-wood-stains/
Shipping & returns

Eco-Friendly Practices

We are a small, woman-owned and run business operating out of a solar-powered facility in Southern Oregon. We also double as a used packaging drop-off site for local residents and businesses. Our products are packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled packaging, home compostable pouches and recyclable glass and aluminum bottles.

We give back by donating to "One Tree Planted" and "Rogue Climate" every month and continue to donate to various humanitarian and environmental causes throughout the year.

Generally, all orders are shipped using zero-waste packaging and materials. Our shipping department uses paper stuffing and biodegradable paper tape, with the exception of shipping glass, as noted in the product descriptions for products made of glass.

 

Shipping Policies and Information

We offer free standard shipping on orders above $150 for U.S. customers. If you qualify for free shipping, we will not honor requests for Priority or Expedited shipping unless a request is submitted through email and additional postage is paid. If you need expedited shipping, email us.

Our shipping room runs Monday through Friday, and is closed on federal holidays. With the exception of orders placed on Friday and Saturday, we typically pack and ship orders within 24 hours. During peak/high volume periods it may take us 1-3 days to pack and ship an order.

If you email us over the weekend with a shipping need, we will respond to you on Monday morning, Pacific time. The best way to reach us is by filling out our contact form on this website.

Please double check your shipping address. We are not responsible for issues caused by incorrect addresses. 

Shipping rates and available services are calculated at checkout based on your order’s weight and destination. Delivery estimates are estimates provided by the carrier and are not guaranteed. You are always welcome to email us if you need extra help with shipping or delivery.

 

How We Handle Shipping Issues

Once an order leaves our facility, delivery is handled by the selected shipping carrier. Any delivery issues must be addressed directly with the carrier, as they are responsible for transporting the package to its destination. For USPS shipments, we’ve found that contacting your local post office is often the most effective first step.

You may track your shipment or submit a missing mail claim through the carrier used for your order—either the U.S. Postal Service or UPS.

While we make every effort to process and ship orders promptly, we are not able to retrieve or locate packages once they are in transit. In the event of a delay or loss, we ask for your patience while the carrier completes its investigation. Replacement items or refunds can only be issued after the carrier has made a formal determination.

After an order leaves our facility, responsibility transfers to the carrier, but we’re glad to offer support and direction should any delivery issues occur.

If your order arrives damaged, please contact us within 10 days of delivery. Include your order number and photos of the damaged product and packaging. 

If an order is marked “delivered” by the carrier but you have not received it, please let us know, but do note that we will insist you make every effort to find the package on your end, including checking with neighbors and waiting at least 2 more days for delivery. If the package does not show up, we will assist you in starting a trace with the carrier or make another determination about how to handle the issue.

 

Return Policies

We offer full refunds on any defective or damaged products. We also offer full refunds (less shipping costs) on elective returns if the product is in re-sellable condition (including the packaging) and the return has been made within 3 months of the purchase.

Please send all returns to us at:

Natural Earth Paint

℅ Returns

330 E Hersey St. Ste 7

Ashland, OR 97520


International Shipping

If you’re ordering from Europe, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, please click the appropriate link to visit the international website for your region - these are operated by third parties but all products were made in the USA . We normally ship with either FedEx or UPS for international orders, and the order typically takes 2-3 weeks for delivery. Due to global constraints, shipping times may vary, and additional delays can occur due to customs inspections. Since we never know if a package will be held at customs, any import fees or taxes applied to the delivery must be paid by the recipient.
PRODUCT FAQs

How is it different from normal varnish? 
The main difference between our varnish and all other varnishes on the market is that we don't include any toxic solvents - mineral spirits, turpentine, etc.

Can I seal an Acrylic painting with the Natural Varnish? 
It was designed primarily for oil paintings and although many artists do use it for sealing acrylic paintings, it may cause slight smearing due to the alcohol content (depending on how long the painting has cured). We recommend the Natural Acrylic Medium for varnishing an acrylic painting, if needed.

What are the ingredients in the varnish?
The varnish is a proprietary blend and we are currently working to patent the recipe, so we can't give the detailed ingredient list at this time.

Does it contain shellac? 
We do include a natural shellac in this varnish, but it is completely bug cruelty free. There are two types of shellac - one that involves the killing of lac bugs and one that is the collection of resin that the lac bugs leave - no lac bugs are killed in the process. We use this type of shellac and don't use anything that endangers animals or insects.       

Can I thicken the varnish?
Yes, any alcohol soluble resin such as shellac will thicken the varnish. 

Can I thin the varnish? 
You can use a high proof alcohol - 190 proof - to thin the varnish if desired. The varnish is already quite thin, but you can add a little bit of high proof alcohol to make it go further to spray or get more coats. Be careful not to add too much or you will lose the varnish's protective qualities.

Is it waterproof? Water spots / exterior use
It's not designed to be 100% waterproof, but it will hold up for a while on wood outside but will need to be re-applied periodically. The varnish does a nice job of protecting against wear, however, less well against water. Shellac based varnishes are prone to water spots. A treatment of paste wax over the varnish helps prevent this. I recommend Ashland Oregon made Axe wax. It is only pure nonpetroleum non-toxic ingredients. 

Can it be used on materials that will be heated? 
No. The varnish is not suitable to be used on materials that will be heated.

Is it flammable? 
We use pure grain alcohol so it is flammable - care should be taken around heat sources.

How does it dry / what is the finish? 
Glossy

How long does it take to dry? 
5-10 minutes

How can I achieve a matte finish? 
Once the varnish is completely dry, gently rub the finish with 4000 steel wool, 800 grit sandpaper, or a pumice stone in order to provide a matte finish.

Is it removable? 
Yes, the varnish is removable by gently rubbing with alcohol on a soft cloth. 

Can it be used for the French Polish technique?
Yes, our varnish has been formulated and used for years by violin makers and it makes a wonderful French polish for instruments.

Note: For added strength on French polishing, it is best to use a pumice bag with 000000 pumice and rub that in with your first coat to fill the pores with both the varnish, sawdust, and pumice (that's your pore filler). The pumice retains the same refraction as the shellac (becomes transparent), and this offers a lot of strength to the finish against sweat and everything else. 

You could strengthen it by putting a coating of emulsified carnauba wax after it is cured. It works just fine for the Rosewood family. and you don't need to pretreat it with anything. 

How does it compare to Damar varnish?
It is completely different from our varnish - it is an oil-based varnish and ours is a "spirit varnish" or alcohol-based varnish.

Can it be applied to glass or steel? 
In the limited testing we have done, the varnish does adhere to glass and steel. We recommend using caution to protect the surface from scratches after it is applied (especially the glass) as it may still scrape off. We recommend you test it on a small area before applying to the entire area. 

Do I need to use it on my paintings?
The varnish will add a gloss layer of protection, bringing a luminous depth to colors and even out matte and glossy areas if needed. 

You don't need any varnish on the oil paint because oil paint is in itself very archival, durable and UV resistant. However some people add varnishes to increase the gloss shine, to bring out the radiance of the colors and make it "pop" more, to give it an extra layer of protection or even out the painting if there are some areas that are glossy and some matte.

How long should I wait for my painting to dry before applying? 
You should wait until the painting is completely dry. As for drying time, that varies widely depending on pigments used, the thickness of paints, the number of layers and the surrounding environment. NOTE: There isn’t any water in oil paint to evaporate (unlike acrylics which dry by evaporation) so traditional oil paints dry by oxidation, which occurs when the oil reacts with oxygen in the air and hardens. This is why you shouldn’t varnish an oil painting until it is fully cured, as putting varnish on a partially dry (to the touch) painting won’t allow air through the varnish layer and will stop the painting from drying properly and fully.

Can I use it on paper?
We are finding from our watercolor artist customers that the varnish works great on some types of papers and not others - it depends on the fibers of the paper and the sizing in the paper. We have not done a test of all types of watercolor paper unfortunately so aren't able to tell you which ones work well. You can try first spraying with a fixative first - Spectrafix is an eco-friendly one made of casein (milk). I can't guarantee this though as we've never tested it. You can also try brushing our Natural Acrylic Medium over your watercolors although again, we have not tested it so can't say for sure it will give you the results you're looking for.

What is the coverage of the varnish? 
Amount of coverage for a 4 oz. bottle of varnish:
Paintings (all types) or sealed or stained wood surfaces - 80 sq. feet
Raw hardwood - 50 sq. ft.
Raw soft wood or plywood - 12 sq. ft.

What about clean-up? 
Do not rinse with water. Instead, use isopropyl alcohol to rinse tools and brushes. Once all varnish has been removed, then rinse with soap and water. 


Four ounce bottle of Natural Varnish
A four ounce and an eight ounce bottle of Natural Varnish
Natural Varnish
brushing varnish over painting of woman on canvas
Natural Varnish
A hand applying varnish with a paint brush to finished paintings next to the four ounce bottle and a glass bowl
A man applying Natural Varnish to the backside of a violin
Thirty-two ounce container of Natural Varnish

Why Natural Earth Paint

  • SAFE
    &
    SUSTAINABLE

    Free of heavy metals, solvents, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, additives, petroleum-based dyes and nano-particles.

  • ZERO WASTE
    &
    ZERO WORRY

    100% solar powered facility, 100% recycled and biodegradable packaging, and zero-waste shipping option available.

  • INNOVATIVE
    &
    UNMATCHED

    Proud to be the most innovative eco-business in art supplies. We have a whole line of products that you can’t find anywhere else.

  • PROFESSIONAL
    &
    HIGH QUALITY

    The highest quality pigments, organic ingredients, and hand-crafted in small batches. Pure earth pigments make the most luminous paint available anywhere.