Nitrocellulose ('nitro') lacquer is the classic vintage guitar and car lacquer.

It gives a very thin, flexible finish which enhances the natural colours of the wood and many claim gives a better sound when compared to other, thicker, less flexible finishes.

Nitrocellulose lacquer cracks and yellows as it ages, an effect that can be seen on many classic vintage guitars from the 50s and 60s. This effect can be recreated by forcing the lacquer to crack once it has set, and by using one of our tinted lacquers (for example the brown or amber) to give an instant aged colour to your finish.

Nitrocellulose lacquer can be used over cellulose paints to bring them to a gloss or satin finish. Our tinted light brown lacquer gives paints an instant relic discolouration, much quicker than waiting 50 years for the lacquer to naturally age!

The listings below are for neat bottled lacquer which can be thinned and used in spray equipment. For AEROSOLS please see this category.

Cellulose sanding sealer should be used on bare wood underneath our clear and tinted lacquers.