What is glow in the dark varnish?
Glow in the dark varnish is a ready-to-use, almost transparent acrylic-based coloured varnish with phosphorescent pigments. By day, depending on the shade, it shows only a light sheen, similar to dried liquid glue. The thicker you apply it, the more visible and opaque it becomes. Unlike the bottled glow in the dark paint, the varnish is meant for thin coats on larger surfaces, such as a starry sky or markings on doors and steps.
Which varnish shade should you choose?
For a long, strong afterglow choose Green or Blue-Green; Orange and White are chosen for their daylight colour.
| Shade | By day | In the dark | Afterglow duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | whitish with a slight green tint | green | up to 12 hours |
| Blue-Green | whitish with a slight green tint | blue-green | up to 12 hours |
| Orange | orange | light orange to salmon | up to 2 hours |
| White | white | whitish | up to 2 hours |
The values apply after a full charge, in complete darkness. The glow is most intense in the first few minutes and turns into a faint glimmer after 1–2 hours. As a tinted shade and a white shade, Orange and White glow more weakly and for a shorter time for technical reasons.
How much glow varnish do you need?
One 250 ml tin covers more than 2.5 m² with three coats. Each coat is approx. 40 µm thick, well under a tenth of a millimetre. You get the strongest afterglow with 3–4 coats, so plan the quantity for larger surfaces accordingly. For 5 m² with three coats you therefore need two tins.
How to paint with glow varnish
Apply glow varnish with a brush or roller in several thin coats, with a break of about an hour between each.
- Clean the surface and let it dry. Paint absorbent surfaces such as wallpaper, paper or wood directly; prime smooth surfaces such as glass or painted metal first.
- Prime dark surfaces white – the lighter the surface, the more strongly the varnish glows.
- Stir the varnish thoroughly, especially at the bottom of the tin – the glow pigments settle over time.
- Apply approx. 40 µm with a brush or roller. After approx. 1 hour the coat is dry and the next one can follow.
- Apply 3–4 coats. Outdoors, additionally seal the dried coat with clear varnish.
Good to know
The glow varnish is intended for indoor use and is not weatherproof. It adheres to paper, cardboard, wallpaper, canvas, wood, stone, rubber and glass. It charges with daylight or lamp light, fastest with UV light or sunlight. Afterglow is an aid for orientation, not a light source; read more under afterglow explained. You will find the safety data sheet and the technical data sheet with application notes on the product page and under safety data sheets. All other paints are shown in the overview glow paints & varnishes.