Intermediate coat for stencilling/masking

[Laurence]

I'm sure I read somewhere about using a clear layer on your existing paint in situations where you wish to use adhesive stencils or masking tape so as to preserve the paint you have already laid on.
In another forum I keep getting told to use Pledge floor polish, which is fine if you live in the US but I can't find an equivalent in the UK.

Can anyone shed any light on this please?

 

[Wishbone]

I think you mean intercoat clear it's basically paint without the colour , you use the same when spraying a petrol tank car panel etc I use it before I overlay graphics before 2k clear I'm sure if I'm wrong someone will correct me but that's my understanding hope this helps

 

[Leakyvalve]

This is fascinating as I never heard of using floor polish. I did a quick search and there is quite a bit of info. One thing that is weird.. the bottle says it's a WAX. But I'm seeing people using it referring to it as a varnish. Like its an actual clear coat painting product. A WAX is NOT a clearcoat. WAX is traditionally a major PIA for people doing any paint spraying, Try airbrushing on wax paper. That's why you use a WAX remover before doing any serious paint work.

 

[Wishbone]

This is fascinating as I never heard of using floor polish. I did a quick search and there is quite a bit of info. One thing that is weird.. the bottle says it's a WAX. But I'm seeing people using it referring to it as a varnish. Like its an actual clear coat painting product. A WAX is NOT a clearcoat. WAX is traditionally a major PIA for people doing any paint spraying, Try airbrushing on wax paper. That's why you use a WAX remover before doing any serious paint work.

Yeah can't comment on using furniture polish but doesn't seem like it would work but hay who knows

 

[jord001]

I wouldn't use pledge on anything apart from the furniture its meant for. Use a proper intercoat clear be it water based or solvent.

 

[JackEb]

A protection coat is merely a clear coat applied over your existing work. It can be a ‘transparent base’ ‘intercoat clear’ or an actual ‘clear coat’
It’s not bomb proof ! If your tape is super adhesive or your artwork or protection coat aren’t sufficiently cured (cured is different from dry) it can still damage what it’s stuck to when you lift it.
Using anything other than a proper clear coat leaves your artwork at risk of damage down the track and potentially ruining your reputation if you are doing it for someone else.
Leave the ‘pledge’ ‘windex’ ‘simple green’ for what they were designed for!

 

[Laurence]

Ah I couldn't remember the correct term. So, do the major brands do an intermediate coat then, are they all interchangeable?

 

[JackEb]

I don’t know about other brands but Createx you can lay down a coat of the UVLS - or a transbase or even the autobourne transparent sealer.
Candy2.0 are a different beast and that does have a different intercoat (name escapes me)
I would keep in brand rather than mix and match between brands only because I don’t know enough about other brands