Minwax Polycrylic Gloss Aerosol

Works great. I think some of the reviews about the nozzle sputtering are from folks who might not know that you have to care for the nozzle. First off, NEVER spray any new can of finish on a project without testing it. This stuff dries quickly, so it may have dried in the nozzle, causing sputters. I didn't experience any problems, but here's the proper way to avoid them: 1) shake the can of course... be vigorous and take some time if it's a new can. Do it until your arm starts to feel it. 2) Before you use it on an actual piece, do some tests on similar scrap wood (this is finishing 101 level stuff). If it spittles, then you know you have to do the next step before actually using it. 3) hold the can upside down, and spray until nothing comes out. There's a straw inside the can that draws from the bottom of the can (so turning it upside down leaves a pocket of propellant that the nozzle draws on to clear the nozzle. Doing this clears the entire spray path. 4) your pray pattern should be from near to far, just as an automotive sprayer would do. The logic is that if you spray far to near, your overspray gets caught in semi-dray spray and will show. If you go near to far (without much delay), it will be absorbing/dissolving the overspray as you advance. And yeah, that means you should spray in a continuous three sides... I use something that works like a barbecue stake (but more subtle). The point is to turn it side, top, side, and the reverse the direction of the project and go from the other side. 5) use a wet q-tip to quickly clean the nozzle. Acrylic dries quickly, so have the damp q-tip ready beforehand. 6) test again, and then use it on your final piece. 7) do steps 2-4 with every use., and maybe even soak the nozzle in very hot water if it acts up (like 190º, just shy of boiling). All that said, water-based finishes are some of the hardest to apply because they dry so fast and once dry are very resistant (okay, nearly impossible) to bring back to a liquid state... much more difficult than oil finishes. They have some amazing properties though, and are generally lightweight, which is important in some applications. There is a middle-ground here, which I prefer as a first coat no matter what the final coat may be. That would be shellac, an alcohol-based finish that is friendly to both water and oil finishes. You can thin it and spray it, but please not indoors, or at least without a cartridge-style mask with the proper cartridges *and* an air flow through wherever you may be spraying it ( <— good advice with any finish). If you get into it, you can buy shellac flakes in several grades of purity and color, then mix it with alcohol as needed.

Bought this to use on some diamond art to seal it. Worked great, sprayed well, dried fast and did exactly what I wanted it to do

Good lacquer covers effortlessly, protects projects and looks great. Protects against moisture damage. Great product

Love this stuff dries evenly

The actual spray lacquer seems pretty good. But when spraying the nozzle seems to pool excess lacquer and then it slings it out in rather large droplets onto the work surface along with the fine spray. Not many, but enough to cause issues. The drops then do not auto level out into the surrounding sprayed-on area. The can was well shaken for over two minutes. Ambient temp pretty consistent at about 75deg F. I use Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane a lot and have never had this issue. Not sure what’s happening with the nozzle on this can.