The best Clear varnishes for wood, compared.
Top pick: Johnstone's indoor satin clear 750 ml Best value: Johnstone's gloss floor clear 750 ml – 750 ml at about £11.25 against a 4.5 star line from 172 reviews, if you check whether the tin is for floors or joinery. Updated October 2026.
Clear varnish for wood is a transparent film that shows the grain on interior joinery and furniture. It is not paint, not a coloured woodstain, and not a wax. In a UK home you buy it so doors, skirting, stair parts, cupboards and tables keep a visible timber grain under a clear coat. Water-based tins are the usual choice in a lived-in room because they smell less, clean up in water, and are sold as non-yellowing. Solvent-based tins, often called oil-based, stay wet longer, clean up in white spirit, and are the traditional route when the maker specifies exterior wood or a heavy interior floor. You tell a sound tin from a poor one by the job on the label, whether that is doors, furniture or floors, and by whether that line agrees with the shop title. Sheen is matt, satin or gloss. Extra coats can raise the sheen, and sheen is not a hardness test. Published coverage runs about 9–20 square metres per litre per coat, and the sheets disagree, so the pack has to match the area. A small tin suits a shelf or a test patch. A floor needs a larger pack and a product the maker rates for floors. The first coat on bare wood covers less. That last point is a rule of thumb. How to read job, base, sheen and pack is in the [clear varnish for wood buying guide](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/clear-varnish-wood/sub/clear-varnish-wood-buying-guide).
Clear varnish for wood is a transparent film that shows the grain on interior joinery and furniture. It is not paint, not a coloured woodstain, and not a wax.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you coating?
Johnstone’s indoor wood varnish satin clear 750 ml, model 309301, is £11.25, with 4.7 from 47 reviews. The title says satin and indoor. The highlight says gloss and interior timber floors. The material field says solvent based, while reviews describe water clean-up and a low odour. Coverage is printed as 10.76 square feet per 750 ml. Reviews say oak does not darken much and that an untreated table needed extra coats, up to five in one account, for the shine they wanted. Same cash price as the 750 ml gloss-floor ASIN, with a smaller review set and more field conflicts.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An indoor satin 750 ml tin at £11.25 if you accept a small review set and check base and sheen on the tin.
Less suitable: You need the page, the material field, and the clean-up method to agree before you open the tin.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this satin varnish solvent based or water based?
The material field says solvent based. Reviews say it is easy to apply and that brushes clean with water. The file does not resolve that conflict.
Does the page agree on satin or gloss?
The title and finish field say satin. The item highlight says gloss finish.
Can it be used on outdoor wood?
The listing question has no answer. The item type and the title say indoor.
Ronseal interior varnish matt clear, model 36877, is £16.65 on the amazon.co.uk page in this file, with 4.5 from 1,099 reviews. The material line says polyurethane. UK reviews describe water clean-up and a milky liquid that dries clear, with little colour change on oak, beech, and stripped wood. The highlight says touch dry in about 20 minutes and protection against heat, scratches, and water. Reviews also say a tabletop stayed tacky after three coats, and that the sheen is higher than a dead matt. Recommended uses include floors, while one UK review says the tin forbids floors. It is the top pick in this set for a named interior matt tin with the largest UK review count, if you follow the tin on floors.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Interior furniture and joinery where you want a clear matt tin with a large UK review sample and will check the tin before any floor.
Less suitable: You need a dead matt, a labelled floor varnish, or a film that reviewers found non-tacky on a tabletop after three coats.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the Ronseal listing say this matt varnish is for floors?
Recommended uses include floors. One UK review says the side of the tin states it cannot be used on floors, and that the seller blamed the Amazon page.
How fast does the listing say it dries?
The highlight says touch dry in about 20 minutes. Several UK reviews cite about 20 minutes. The file does not give a full-cure hour.
Is the dry film a dead matt?
The finish field says matte. UK reviews say it is not a dead matt and can look satin or show a slight gleam.
Johnstone’s gloss floor varnish clear 750 ml, model 309298, is £11.25, with 4.5 from 172 reviews. The material field says acrylic, water based. The title and highlight say interior timber floors, while the bullets name doors, windows, staircases, and skirting. The finish field says gloss or satin. The unit-count field says 1.0 millilitre beside a 750 ml volume. UK reviews in this file, the same set as the 250 ml ASIN B0742PMLLY, say the liquid looks white or milky and dries clear, and that it is thin. It is the best value 750 ml row here on price against that star line, if you treat the floor wording and the joinery bullets as a conflict to check on the tin.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A 750 ml clear tin at £11.25 when you will read the tin to see whether the job is floors or doors and skirting.
Less suitable: You need one document that agrees on floors, sheen, and pack size before you buy.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this 750 ml tin listed for floors or for joinery?
The title says gloss floor varnish and the highlight says interior timber floors. Recommended uses and the bullets list doors, windows, staircases, and skirting boards.
Can it be used on outdoor wood?
The listing question has no answer. The item type says indoor wood varnish.
Does the listing give a dry time?
The highlight says quick drying. The question about whether it dries quickly has no numeric answer in the file.
Johnstone’s gloss floor varnish clear 250 ml, model 309296, is £10.37, with 4.5 from 172 reviews. The usage field says interior. No material base is named. Coverage is 9 square metres per litre. The title says floor varnish and the bullets name doors, windows, staircases, and skirting. Reviews, the same text as the 750 ml gloss ASIN, say the tin looks white or milky and dries clear, and that the film is thin. One reviewer still had about three quarters of a 250 ml tin after three coats. It is a small pack at a higher price per litre than the 750 ml Johnstone’s rows.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A small clear gloss tin for a shelf, a rail, or a test area, with the floor-versus-joinery line checked on the tin.
Less suitable: You need a named water-based or solvent base, or enough volume for several doors.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the 250 ml gloss listed for outdoor wood?
The outdoor question has no answer. The usage field says interior. One review used it outdoors in December only while finishing a piece for an indoor project.
Does the title match the bullets?
The title says gloss floor varnish. The bullets list interior doors, windows, staircases, and skirting boards, not floors.
What base is named?
No base is named in this file. Special features listed are non-yellowing, scratch resistant, and low odour.
Painthan water-based interior varnish, clear matt, 750 ml, model Varnish1, is £19.99, with 4.2 from 38 reviews. The origin field says Turkey. Bullets say it does not alter colour, is very low odour, touch dry in about 20–25 minutes, and recoatable in 1 hour, for furniture, doors, cupboards, and panels. Floors are not named. Coverage is absent. UK reviews praise a natural matt look and water clean-up, and they report an unscrewed outer lid with the inner seal holding the liquid. Over-brushing lifted chalk paint in one review. It is the dearest 750 ml tin in the set.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Interior furniture and doors where you want a water-based matt tin and will check the lid seal on arrival.
Less suitable: You need a floor varnish, an exterior tin, a stated coverage rate, or a lower price than the Ronseal 750 ml row.
Specifications
Common questions
Can this matt varnish be used on outdoor furniture?
The listing question has no answer. Bullets and recommended use say interior. A reviewer flagged that it is not an exterior product.
Does the listing say it has a strong smell?
The smell question has no answer. A bullet says very low odour. Reviews praise low odour indoors.
Is it listed as safe for children's toys?
The toy question has no answer in the file. Do not treat low odour as that answer.
Johnstone’s gloss floor varnish clear 250 ml, model 309306, is £6.81, with 4.2 from 24 reviews. Only two UK review blocks are in the file. The paint-type field says oil. Indoor/outdoor says indoor. Full cure is listed as 2 hours and dry time as 19.2 hours. Coverage is 2.5 square metres for 250 ml. The size field says 1 ml. Waterproof is false and water repellent is also listed. One review describes an opened tin with the lid taped. It is the lowest cash price here and the thinnest evidence.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A low cash price only if the tin in your hand matches 250 ml, oil, and the job you are doing.
Less suitable: You want a consistent pack size, one dry time, and more than two UK review texts.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this 250 ml tin waterproof?
Is Waterproof is false. Water resistance level says water repellent. The listing question is not otherwise answered.
Which dry time is on the listing?
Full cure time is 2 hours and dry time is 19.2 hours. Both figures are on the listing. No review confirms either one.
What did the two UK reviews say?
One called it a good product. One called it a little expensive and said it arrived in a battered box, previously opened, with the lid taped back on.
Six amazon.co.uk clear varnish listings for wood were read from the stored product files. There is no lab test and no cure test. The score on each card is the amazon.co.uk star average times 20, so 4.5 becomes 90 and 4.7 becomes 94. The criteria below are the buying order in the digest. They sum to 100. They are not a second score. The top pick and the best value follow the display awards: the named interior matt tin with the largest UK review count, and the 750 ml row at the lower cash price against a 4.5 star line. Two listings that share the same review text are not two independent samples.
End use
30%Interior joinery, an interior floor and exterior wood are different products. A maker sheet for an interior range can exclude floors and exterior use. The job on the tin outranks the shop title.
Base
25%Water-based for low odour and water clean-up indoors. Solvent-based, often called oil-based, only when the tin specifies that wear or outside use. A material field and a review can disagree.
Sheen
20%Matt, satin or gloss changes the look. Extra coats can raise the sheen. Sheen is not a hardness test.
Pack and coverage
15%Published coverage runs about 9–20 square metres per litre per coat and the sheets disagree. A 750 ml tin is one door or a piece of furniture. A floor needs a larger pack. The first coat on bare wood covers less. That last point is a rule of thumb.
Listing agreement
10%In this amazon.co.uk set, titles contradict highlights on floors, sheen and base. The tin and the maker’s data sheet win. Two listings that share the same review text are not two samples.
Start with the job on the tin, then the base, then the sheen, then the pack against the area, then whether the shop title agrees with the label. Interior joinery, an interior floor and exterior wood are different products. Water-based is the low-odour choice indoors. Solvent-based only when the tin specifies that wear or outside use. Sheen is not a hardness test. None of these six listings was cured in a lab. A 2.5 litre trade tin is not in this set.
Clear varnish for wood, in UK shops, is a transparent film that shows the grain on interior joinery and furniture. It is not paint, not a coloured woodstain, and not a wax. Water-based tins are the usual choice in a lived-in room because they smell less, clean up in water, and are sold as non-yellowing. Solvent-based tins, often called oil-based, stay wet longer, clean up in white spirit, and are the traditional route when the maker specifies exterior wood or a heavy interior floor.
Interior joinery, an interior floor and exterior wood are different products. In this set, titles contradict highlights on floors. One UK review says the side of a tin forbids floors while the shop uses include them. The label wins.
Use thin coats. A tabletop in the reviews stayed tacky after three coats, and bare wood can need three to five coats. The first coat on bare wood covers less. That last point is a rule of thumb. Do not shake water-based varnish.
Touch-dry is not cured. The liquid often looks milky and dries clear, so do not judge the colour in the tin. Do not put crockery on at the touch-dry line, do not varnish over wax, and do not take an interior clear tin outside.
The first split is the job. Interior joinery, an interior floor and exterior wood are different products. A maker’s interior sheet can exclude floors and exterior use even when a shop title says floor. People with a wooden floor or stair treads need a floor varnish in a large pack, and they should ignore a shop floor line that the maker’s sheet excludes. None of these listings is a two-pack commercial floor system. Base is the next split.
Sheen is matt, satin or gloss. It changes the look. Extra coats can raise the sheen. It is not a hardness test. Reviews of a matt tin can still describe a satin gleam, and a title can say gloss while the finish field says gloss or satin, or satin while the highlight says gloss. Pack has to match the area. Published coverage runs about 9–20 square metres per litre per coat and the sheets disagree, so those figures are not one test. A 750 ml tin is one door or a piece of furniture.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are refreshing internal doors, skirting or stair joinery in an occupied house and you want a clear coat with a large UK review sample. Ronseal interior matt clear, 750 ml, is the top pick at about £16.65, 4.5 from 1,099 reviews. Reviews describe water clean-up. Recommended uses include floors, and one UK review says the tin forbids floors, so read the tin before any floor.
You are refinishing a table or cupboard and you must wait for cure before crockery. The liquid often looks milky and dries clear, so test the dry colour. Johnstone’s indoor satin clear, 750 ml, is about £11.25, 4.7 from 47 reviews. Reviews say oak does not darken much. The title says satin and the highlight says gloss, and the material field says solvent based beside water clean-up in a review.
You have a wooden floor or stair treads and you need a floor varnish in a larger pack. Ignore a shop floor line that the tin excludes. Johnstone’s gloss floor clear, 750 ml, is the best value at about £11.25, 4.5 from 172 reviews, with an acrylic, water-based material field. The title says floors and the bullets name doors, windows, staircases and skirting. None of these listings is a two-pack commercial floor system.
The top pick is Ronseal interior matt clear, 750 ml, model 36877, at about £16.65. The card score is 90, the amazon.co.uk line of 4.5 from 1,099 reviews, the largest review count in this set. It is a named interior matt tin if you follow the tin on floors: recommended uses include floors, and one UK review says the tin forbids them. Reviews also say the film is not a dead matt. The best value is Johnstone’s gloss floor clear, 750 ml, model 309298, at about £11.25, 4.5 from 172 reviews. The material field says acrylic, water based. The title says floors and the bullets name doors, windows, staircases and skirting, so read the tin. The satin 750 ml scores 94 because 4.7 times 20 is 94, from 47 reviews, and that higher star multiple is not the display award. There is no lab test. The two Johnstone’s listings that share review text are not two independent samples.
Johnstone's gloss floor clear 750 ml
750 ml at about £11.25 against a 4.5 star line from 172 reviews, if you check whether the tin is for floors or joinery.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the product files. There is no lab cure test. Last updated October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk figures, not a live crawl. We did not run a lab cure test.
