If you have a great love of woodworking and want to try something new then you might consider building a wooden model truck and then adding a finish to it. While you might have built a wooden one before you might have noticed that they look great for a while but soon discolor. A finish will give your model truck a look that everyone will love. There are two main types of varnish but the only one we will be discussing is water based polyurethane varnish.

Traditional varnish is extremely difficult to work with. It is hard to clean up and very slow drying. The water based polyurethane is actually very easy to use. It cleans up well with water and dries very quickly as well. One thing to remember is that varnish has to be handled very carefully. It must be carefully brushed in. Once it is dry then it must be sanded down and then the process must be repeated. This will give you a uniform coating on your model truck.

There are a few things that you need to gather up before you start. Make sure to have your varnish on hand in the shade that you are looking for. You will also need some sandpaper that is 220 grit or finer. If you don't know how to tell the grit you can just ask a salesperson. You will also need a tack cloth to help clean the parts as well as to prevent spills. A synthetic bristle brush is also needed to apply the varnish. Just make sure that it is the right size for the truck you will be painting. You will also need a small disposable container.

One thing to think about is that varnish is like paint. It can come in a wide variety of different finishes. You can choose from high-gloss all the way to flat. What you will want just depends on what sort of look you are going for with your model. Flat will have absolutely no shine and will leave your model truck looking just that, flat. It also does not hold up well over time. On the other end of the spectrum is high-gloss. It is a very bright finish and can fair very well over time. Before you actually begin to paint you should make sure that you are doing so in an area that is extremely well ventilated and is as dust free as possible. If you have dust present it can cause your finish to be ruined as it allows the particles to show through no matter how many coats you apply.

You should pour some of you varnish into the disposable container that you have brought along. It will keep you from getting foreign materials into the bucket of varnish. It can also keep down the chance of spills. Make sure that you have stirred your varnish well. If you do not it can leave your paint job full of streaks and it will look horrible when it is finished. Also you will want to make sure that you are painting it on correctly. Paint slowly with smooth and even strokes. Do not paint against the grain either as this can cause it to look poor as well.

After each coat make sure that it has time to dry and then sand it well. Also make sure that you clean it very well to remove all sawdust. Keep doing this until you achieve the look you are wanting. Another tip to keep it looking great you can apply a paste wax which will allow it to keep a very nice shine.