How to use the the HV’ART Advanced Lacquer Paint System™- Preparation and Base Coating

Created by artisans, for artisans.

Our aim was to create a professional waterborne lacquer system specifically for decorative artists, skilled decorators and specialist finishers: a user-friendly system designed to work with the artisan, rather than against them. Each material works as part of a complete system, from preparation and base coating through to glazing and the final protective lacquer.

The materials are designed to be user-friendly for skilled artisans, decorators and specialist finishers who understand preparation, sanding, layering and careful application. When used with patience and judgement, they allow the artisan to build depth, control sheen, refine surfaces and create beautiful decorative finishes.

However, user-friendly does not mean skill-free.

The finest materials will always reward the person who knows how to use them. In the same way that the best ingredients do not automatically make someone a great chef, the best materials do not automatically create a beautiful design or finish.

The result depends on understanding:

• Site conditions 
• Preparation
• Drying times
• Sanding behaviour
• Application control
• Glaze movement and paternation
• Sheen selection
• Lacquer build
• Polishing and refinement

It is a specialist system designed for those who understand that decorative finishes requires control, patience and discipline. Therefore, this 4 part blog has been created for the artisan who wants to understand the process and the application, and thus unlock the opportunity of controlling the quality materials needed to work at a higher level. 

This blog includes the first two steps in a four part process. You can view the details of the third and fourth steps here.

The HV’ART Advanced Lacquer Paint System: First 2 Key Steps

Step One: Choose the Correct Sealers and Primers

Once the substrate has been identified and assessed, select the appropriate HV’ART sealers and primers. These products prepare, stabilise and refine the surface, creating the correct foundation for the coatings that follow.

Step Two: Apply the Decorative Canvas or Finishing Paint

HV’ART Decorative Canvas™ provides the ideal coloured base coat and working surface for decorative glaze finishes.

Where a decorative glaze is not required, this stage may instead become the finishing-coat stage. For furniture painting, use the appropriate HV’ART Advanced Furnitura paint; for architectural joinery, use the appropriate HV’ART Advanced Architectura paint.

What HV’ART products do I need for decorative finishes and lacquer designs?

We are often asked which HV’ART paints and lacquers are needed to create a decorative finish and lacquer design.

It all starts with the substrate. A decorative finish is not created by one product alone, and the correct system will depend on both the surface and its condition. The HV’ART preparation system can be specified for a wide range of suitable substrates, including plaster, fibrous plaster, timber, MDF, joinery, furniture, metal, glass, plastic and previously painted or already coated surfaces, whether new, bare, factory-primed or existing.

Each surface must first be assessed so that the correct sealer, primer and preparation method can be selected. Hard, smooth or difficult-to-adhere-to substrates may require the appropriate HV’ART primer with the HV’ART ADV Adhesion Crosslinker added to provide enhanced adhesion before the decorative layers are applied.

The first question should always be: What is the surface beneath?

Before choosing the decorative colour, glaze or final lacquer sheen, the substrate must be properly assessed, prepared and primed.

Step One: Priming

Bare plaster, new plaster, Fibrous plaster 

For bare plaster, new plaster and fibrous plaster, we would normally begin by sealing and stabilising the surface as required, including by using the HV’ART Shellac SealCoat™.

Where a higher-value lacquered wall, ceiling or flat decorative area is being created, we would usually advocate the use of the flexible HV850 FibreScreed™ crack suppressant fibreglass in mineral screed system.

Before applying the mineral screed, we use a quartz primer to create a fine mechanical key. This helps the mineral screed stay in position while the crack suppressant fibreglass is embedded and flushed into the surface.

The HV850 FibreScreed™ system then helps create our SabiBase: a reinforced, stable, sandable and highly refined preparation layer beneath the HV’ART Advanced Lacquer Paint System™. We cover this in more detail in our dedicated guide on the HV850 FibreScreed™ System.

This is particularly valuable because a decorative finish involves multiple coats, repeated sanding and a very high level of surface refinement. Any cracking, instability or movement from the substrate beneath can spoil the finished lacquer design.

New woodwork, joinery, furniture

For new woodwork joinery, furniture and high-quality woodwork, we would always advocate factory or workshop priming before the item arrives on site. Good quality furniture and joinery should arrive to site already spray-primed, smooth, sound and ready for the next stages of the finish.

For the HV’ART Advanced Lacquer Paint System™, we recommend using HV’ART Gesso Style Factory Primer™ in the relevant colourway for the intended finished design. This is important because the colour should begin working with the finish as early as possible in the system.

For example, if the final decorative finish is intended to be in a deep green, we would generally specify the GSF in that deep green direction, even if lighter greens, glazes or broken colour layers are later used to build movement and atmosphere in this finish.

This helps the whole system work together.

It is particularly useful on edges, mouldings, corners and detailed joinery, where sanding and handling between coats may reveal underlying layers. When the foundation colour is sympathetic to the final finish, the system works with the artisan rather than fighting against them.

The same principle applies to filler. Wherever possible, filler should be tinted towards the colour of the finished lacquer design. This helps with opacity, reduces visual interruption and gives greater forgiveness during sanding and refinement between layers.

The aim is not simply to cover the surface. The aim is to build a coherent colour system from the substrate upwards.

Previously Painted, Already Coated and Difficult-to-Adhere-to Surfaces

Previously painted or already coated surfaces must first be assessed to establish the condition, compatibility and adhesion of the existing finish. Any loose, unstable or poorly adhered coating should be removed, and the remaining surface thoroughly cleaned, degreased and prepared before priming.

The correct HV’ART primer should then be selected according to the substrate and the coating already present. This may include painted timber, MDF, joinery, furniture, metal, glass, plastic or other smooth and non-porous surfaces.

For hard, smooth or difficult-to-adhere-to substrates, the appropriate HV’ART primer may be crosslinked using the HV’ART ADV Adhesion Crosslinker. This provides enhanced adhesion and creates the correct foundation for the base coat, decorative glaze and lacquer layers that follow.

As with every part of the system, adhesion should be tested on a small sample area before proceeding with the full surface.

Step Two: Base Coating (or finish coats)

Once the surface has been correctly sealed and primed, the next stage in the HV’ART Advanced Lacquer Paint System is the application of HV’ART Decorative Canvas™ base coat, often referred to as DC.

Decorative Canvas is the refined base coat for our decorative glaze finishes. It creates the smooth, consistent surface and controlled “slip” needed to move, manipulate and soften glaze during application. This working time and movement are essential when producing specialist decorative finishes such as patinas, faux finishes, strié, glaze washes and other layered decorative effects.

Our HV’ART Lacquer Glazes™ have been specifically formulated to work in harmony with the Decorative Canvas basecoat. Used together, they allow the artisan to move the glaze evenly across the surface, creating subtle tonal variation and developing depth without the glaze grabbing, dragging or drying unpredictably. 

If woodwork, joinery, or furniture finishing at this point use the appropriate HV’ART Advanced Furnitura paint; for architectural joinery, use the appropriate HV’ART Advanced Architectura paint in your chosen colour.

Choosing the Correct Base Colour

The Decorative Canvas base coat should normally be tinted to a colour that supports the intended final finish.

As with traditional decorative painting, the underlying colour plays an important role in the finished appearance. The base coat should not be treated simply as something to cover over; it forms part of the overall colour structure of the finish.

For example, a warm red or brown base may be selected beneath a rich red or orange colour base coat, while a muted ochre, stone or neutral tone may be used beneath aged, glazed or mineral-inspired effects. The correct base colour helps to create depth, warmth and visual consistency, particularly where the glaze is deliberately translucent.

A well-chosen Decorative Canvas base coat colour can:

• support the final colour of the decorative finish
• increase the apparent depth and richness of the glaze
• prevent the finish from appearing flat or disconnected
• create greater consistency across large areas
• provide a refined, even surface on which the glaze can be worked

Creating the Ultimate Surface for Decorative Glazing

Decorative Canvas base coat should be applied evenly and allowed to dry fully before glazing begins. The surface is then carefully refined in accordance with the required specification.

The objective is to produce a smooth, uniform “canvas” with no visible roller texture, brush or application marks, uneven absorption or surface contamination. Any irregularity in the base coat may affect how the decorative glaze moves and settles.

The quality of a decorative finish is therefore determined long before the final lacquer is applied. Correct preparation, priming and base coating provide the foundation upon which the depth, movement and character of the finished surface are created.

HV’ART Decorative Canvas™ base coat is not simply a coloured undercoat. It is the essential working surface that connects the preparation system to the decorative glaze, helping both materials and artisan’s technique perform as intended.

A Typical HV’ART Shopping List for the first two steps

A typical HV’ART shopping list will always begin with the substrate and the decorative finish being created. The products required will vary according to whether the surface is plaster, timber, joinery, furniture, metal, glass, plastic, previously painted or already coated.

A typical system may include:

1. Sealer and Primer

Where porous areas, bare plaster, MDF edges, fillers or other absorbent surfaces require sealing, use:

• HV’ART Shellac SealCoat™

Then select the appropriate primer:

• HV’ART Gesso Style Factory Primer™, for factory or workshop spray-priming
• HV’ART Gesso Style Primer/Undercoat™, for hand-applied priming and undercoating

The primer should normally be tinted towards the intended finished colour.

For hard, smooth or difficult-to-adhere-to surfaces, the appropriate HV’ART primer may be used with HV’ART ADV Adhesion Crosslinker to provide enhanced adhesion.

2. Base Coat or Finishing Paint

For decorative glaze and lacquer finishes, use:

• HV’ART Decorative Canvas™, creating the coloured base coat and working surface for the glaze

Where no decorative glaze is required, this may instead become the finishing-paint stage:

• HV’ART Advanced Furnitura Paint, for furniture
• HV’ART Advanced Architectura Paint, for architectural joinery

Application Tools and Accessories

The correct tools form an essential part of the system and may include:

• suitable rollers
• laying-off and gliding brushes
• softening, stippling and dragging brushes
• floggers, combs and specialist graining tools
• cloths and sponges
• sanding and surface-refinement materials
• polishing accessories

The final shopping list will depend on the substrate, surface condition, decorative design, application method and intended level of protection. Sample boards are always recommended before committing to the main surface, allowing the complete system—from primer and base colour through to glaze, lacquer and final sheen—to be tested together.

How much HV’ART paint or lacquer will I need for the first two steps?

We are also often asked how much paint or lacquer is required.

This depends on the substrate, application method, porosity, design, number of coats, level of sanding, glaze depth, chosen sheen and the skill of the person using the materials. For this reason, we cannot calculate exact quantities for every project.

However, as a broad guide based on our site experience:

• HV’ART Gesso Style Primer™: approximately 12 to 15 square metres per litre, per coat. We would usually advocate two coats.
• HV’ART Decorative Canvas™: approximately 18 to 20 square metres per litre, per coat. We would usually advocate two coats.

These figures are approximate and should be treated as guidance only.

A deeper broken colour finish may require more glaze work. A higher lacquer build may require more Crystal Lacquer. More sanding between coats may also affect usage. The artisan using the system must make allowance for the project, the surface and the intended finish.

Roll, tip and glide: the importance of application tools

HV’ART products can be sprayed where appropriate, and spray application can be useful in certain settings, particularly for factory-prepared joinery or specific project requirements. However, for most of our finishes including our signature Contemporary Japanning Lacquer™ finishes, we generally favour hand application.

We often use a method known as roll and tip. The material is applied by roller and then very gently laid off using a specialist soft brush. In our own lacquer language, we often think of this and refer to this as gliding. The brush glides across the surface after rolling evenly, helping to calm, refine and settle the material.

This relatively modern method is particularly suited to contemporary, quicker-drying waterborne materials and relies on using the correct specialist brushes. We explore the technique in more detail in our dedicated guide to rolling, tipping and gliding.

The brushes, rollers and accessories we use are chosen to help the artisan succeed, and we have highlighted them under Accessories in our online store. They allow the material to be applied, laid down and refined with the greatest possible control.

FAQs about Using the HV’ART Advanced Lacquer Paint System