The best Gold lacquers, compared.
Top pick: Nicpro Sahara Gold 250 ml Best value: Rustins gold paint 250 ml – Score 80 at about £12.35. The badge follows the written method and that tin, not the highest score. Updated October 2026.
Gold lacquer is a decorative metallic coating for frames, door furniture, mouldings, craft and the occasional plastic model. On UK shelves it is not one finish. Most listings are a water-based metallic acrylic in a jar or bottle. A few are aerosols sold as lacquer. You tell a useful pack from a poor one by the shade words, the pack size, whether the indoor and outdoor lines agree, and what UK reviews say about hiding and a thin film. The job decides the container. A small accent pot, a mid-size trim tin, a litre bottle, a model lacquer and a paint-plus-varnish kit are different purchases. Read the indoor/outdoor field and the waterproof pair together. Where they conflict, ignore the friendlier line. A coverage figure with no unit, or a rate far below a working area, is not a planning figure. Those checks sit in the [gold lacquer buying guide](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/gold-lacquer/sub/gold-lacquer-buying-guide). Stirring, thin coats and ventilation are covered in [how to apply gold lacquer](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/gold-lacquer/sub/gold-lacquer-how-to-apply). A metallic paint is still paint. For an aerosol metallic, see [gold spray](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/gold-spray).
Gold lacquer is a decorative metallic coating for frames, door furniture, mouldings, craft and the occasional plastic model. On UK shelves it is not one finish.
38 products checked · 64 hrs invested · +22,100 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you painting?
Nicpro Sahara Gold is a 250 ml bottle at £12.99, rated 4.7 from 2,890 reviews, the highest star line in this set. The first 50 UK texts describe a thick metallic on mirror surrounds, drawer knobs, picture frames and, in one case, MDF lettering in a single coat. The bullet calls the shade a warm golden-brown antique rather than a bright shine, so the stars do not make this the bright gold. Heavy coats drip, including on a bedroom wall in one review, and air-dry clay stayed sticky for another. Waterproof is false while water resistance says water resistant, and the place field says Outdoor while a bullet says indoor and outdoor. One text mentions three colours, which may be a different Nicpro pack. A headstone touch-up is left as something only time will tell. Buy it for a warm antique on frames and knobs, not for door numbers that must read as bright leaf.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a warm antique gold for frames, knobs or craft and a 250 ml bottle is the right pack.
Less suitable: You need a bright gold for door numbers, or a documented outdoor waterproof film.
Specifications
Common questions
Is Sahara Gold a bright gold?
The bullet calls it a warm golden-brown and an antique effect rather than a bright shine.
Does the listing say waterproof?
Waterproof is false. Water resistance says water resistant. The bullet also says water-resistant.
What dry time is printed?
0.5 hours. There is no full-cure field.
Jacquard Lumiere True Gold is £8.87, listed as 70 ml and as 2.25 fl oz, at 4.6 from 8,118 reviews. The first 50 UK texts praise a pearlescent craft colour you can build, and a small jar that goes a long way for decoupage, though several texts are about other Lumiere colours, so the count is not a True Gold-only sample. Drying shifts greener for a number of buyers, including a scarab note, and one person said a new jar did not match an older one against the picture. In a side-by-side, one reviewer found it less tough on metal than Rustins and called the result dull brown, while primer helped a rusted candlestick in a separate text. Item weight is printed as 9.07 g, which is not a credible weight for a filled jar. The surface field names wood, the place field says Indoor, waterproof is false and water resistance says water resistant. It is a craft gold if a greener dry colour is acceptable, and it is not a match for a bright furniture gold.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are doing indoor decoupage or craft detail and a shift toward green is acceptable.
Less suitable: You need a bright furniture gold, or bare metal you do not plan to prime.
Specifications
Common questions
Which surfaces does the field name?
Wood. Specific uses say Interior. The indoor/outdoor field says Indoor.
Why are there two sizes?
The size field says 70 ml. The item volume says 2.25 fluid ounces. The item weight says 9.07 g.
Is it waterproof on the listing?
Waterproof is false. Water resistance says water resistant.
Tamiya TS-21 is a 100 ml synthetic lacquer aerosol at £10.90, with gold and the code #FFD700 on the colour field, while the Amazon title does not say gold. It rates 4.6 from 556 reviews, and seven UK texts call it typical Tamiya, easy and not too shiny, including gold wheels on a Subaru Impreza model. None of those texts discusses furniture or outdoor use, and the rank sits in Toys & Games, with specific uses listed as car. The fields print a 2-hour dry, an 8-hour full cure and 10 m²/L, which the seven texts do not test. The container field says bottle while the form is an aerosol, and the page is indoor and not waterproof. Buy it for a plastic kit that calls for TS-21. Leave it in the kit box if the job is a chair.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are painting a plastic kit or model part and TS-21 is the gold you meant.
Less suitable: You are finishing a chair, a frame, or any room you cannot ventilate for a solvent lacquer.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the Amazon title say gold?
The title is Tamiya TS-21 - Painting. The colour field says gold and the colour code is #FFD700.
What is it listed for?
Specific uses say car. The rank is in Toys & Games and model kits. Indoor only.
What cure time is on the fields?
Dry time 2 hours. Full cure 8 hours. Coverage field 10 m²/L.
VGSEBA’s 125 ml gold acrylic is £9.99 and 4.5 from 2,184 reviews, many of them a single line in the first 50 texts. The longer notes use it thick on card, clay and raised dots, and individuals mention a mirror, lettering and a metal lion. One reviewer treated it as a stand-in for leaf on illuminated letters and still said it was not leaf, and another needed a few coats before the gold looked solid. One text says the gold looks too green. Waterproof is false and water resistance says not water resistant, so those two lines at least agree. The coverage field of 1.69 square feet per 125 ml is far too small to plan a piece of furniture, and a bullet says deposits are normal so you should mix before use. Wear is barely described. It suits stirred craft and lettering, not a wet outdoor sill and not a coverage sum you can take to a table top.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are lettering, decorating card or painting a small ornament and you will stir the bottle.
Less suitable: You need a waterproof outdoor finish, or a square-metre figure you can trust for a table.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the 1.69 square feet line a coverage you can plan with?
That is the printed coverage field for 125 ml. It is far below a normal decorative rate, so treat it as a catalogue line, not a working area.
Does the listing say it is waterproof?
No. Waterproof is false and water resistance is not water resistant.
Does it say to stir?
A bullet says deposits are normal in this water-based paint and to mix before use.
Across the first 50 of 343 amazon.co.uk reviews, Guild Lane Super GILD is the 60 ml UK acrylic people use when they want a bright, leaf-like gold on frames, slate, plastics and door furniture. One reviewer put two coats on a large bed and still had paint left, and another said the film was thick enough not to look like nail polish. The listing agrees with itself on place and water: indoor and outdoor, waterproof and water resistant, about 2 m² from the jar, dry in 1 hour and a 24-hour cure. The shelf price is £37.48, and reviewers call the pot tester-sized. Guild Lane’s own page showed £17.99 on 21 October 2026, which does not replace the Amazon price. Shade complaints run both ways, too bright for a soft gold or darker than a yellow gold someone wanted, and one soft brush dripped on a first coat that then needed sanding. On this comparison it is the top pick for that bright accent, and it is the wrong jar if you need a litre or an antique tone.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a small, bright gold accent on a frame, door numbers or a moulding and can accept a 60 ml jar at £37.48.
Less suitable: You need an antique gold, a litre for a whole piece of furniture, or a plastic-model lacquer.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say it works on metal?
The metal question is unanswered. Specific uses and the bullets name metal. UK reviews describe door numbers, a knocker and a letterbox.
How much is in the jar?
60 ml. The coverage line says about 2 m². Item weight is 159 g. The shelf price is £37.48.
Is a topcoat required on the listing?
A bullet says no topcoat is needed for most indoor decorative projects. That is the seller’s sentence, not a wear test.
This Nicpro bottle is 60 ml, model MG1138, at £8.99, and it is not the 250 ml Sahara. It rates 4.5 from 221 reviews, and the 22 UK texts are mostly one line: a satin or shiny gold on ceramic or a hat, laid in thin coats. Those texts do not pile up one defect, which also means they do not show how the film wears. The colour code printed beside Gold is #CD7F32, a bronze hex the buyers in this sample do not discuss. Indoor and Interior agree, both water lines say waterproof, a brush is listed, and the fields say dry in 0.5 hours with a 2-hour cure. Origin is China. It is a small indoor touch-up if the bronze code does not worry you, and it is easy to confuse with Sahara if you only search the brand.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a small indoor touch-up and a brush in the pack is useful.
Less suitable: You are painting outdoor furniture, or you want the bright gold described in the Guild Lane reviews.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this the 250 ml Sahara bottle?
No. This is 60 ml, model MG1138, indoor only, with a brush in the included line.
What does the colour code say?
#CD7F32, next to the colour name Gold.
Is it listed for outdoors?
The indoor/outdoor field says Indoor and specific uses say Interior.
Rustins GOLE250 is 250 ml at £12.35, rated 4.4 from 895 reviews, and it is the only tin in this set with a full manufacturer method. The label is a water-borne acrylic, about 3–3.5 m² per coat from this tin, category A/i, maximum 74 g/l VOC, about 105°C, and not for oil-filled radiators or for work below 10°C. Amazon’s paint-type field says Watercolour, and the coverage field says about 12 m² per coat per litre, which is the same order as the label’s figure for 250 ml. Reviewers put it on mirrors, a ceramic pot, an iron gate, a lamp and metalwork, and they also call the film thin: three or four coats before the old colour goes, sometimes bronzy, with streaks still on a radiator at coat four. Waterproof is true while water resistance says not water resistant. At this price, with a written clock and a mid-size tin, it is the best value here if you will live with that thinner, sometimes bronzer film.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are painting wood or metal trim, you will follow the Rustins clock, and a thinner film is acceptable.
Less suitable: You need one-coat hiding, a bright leaf look, or a finish for an oil-filled radiator.
Specifications
Common questions
What paint type does Amazon print?
Watercolour. Surfaces are wood and metal. Indoor and outdoor are both on the field.
What coverage is on the listing?
Approximately 12 square metres per coat per litre. Dry time and full cure are both 2 hours.
Do the water fields agree?
Waterproof is true. Water resistance says not water resistant.
ARTFLY’s 100 ml metallic gold is £8.99 and rates 4.4 from 318 reviews, with 35 UK texts in the file. Reviewers use it for craft, resin and fabric, and several say a little goes a long way once the shimmer shows. Hiding is the complaint that repeats: two, three or four coats before the colour looks solid, and one reviewer called it watery and would not buy again. Another said it behaved like PVA and dried sticky, and a smell while it dries is in the texts. The indoor/outdoor field says Indoor while specific uses say Interior/Exterior, so an outdoor plan is not settled by the page. A bullet says non-toxic and acid-free and cites ASTM D-4236 and EU EN71, which is a seller sentence, not a test of the dried film in a child’s mouth. Origin on the listing is China. It is a small craft bottle if you will build the colour, and a poor bet if you need one-coat cover on furniture.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are doing small craft or fabric work and you will build the gold in thin coats.
Less suitable: You want one-coat furniture cover, or you plan to leave it outside because one bullet says outdoor.
Specifications
Common questions
Is it listed as non-toxic?
The question is unanswered. A bullet says non-toxic and acid-free and cites ASTM D-4236 and EU EN71.
Can you use it outside?
The indoor/outdoor field says Indoor. Specific uses say Interior/Exterior and a bullet says outdoor.
Do the reviews say it covers in one coat?
Some like the colour. Others call it transparent or watery and say two to four coats.
Meuvcol is the 1 litre pack at £24.99, rated 4.2 from 264 reviews, but the saved listing holds only six UK texts. One liked the colour on stair posts, while two say the gold never became solid, with three coats still not enough and the paint going on like water. One reviewer will not buy it again. The coverage field is the number 56 with no unit, the included line says 1 kg against a 1 litre size, and the container type says Box. Indoor and outdoor are both on the place field, both water lines say waterproof, and a brush and gloves are in the box. Six texts against 264 ratings are too thin to treat the stars as a description of hiding. Test a scrap before you commit a large area, and do not treat the litre as best value on price per millilitre alone.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have a large indoor area, you will test hiding on scrap, and you are ready for many coats.
Less suitable: You want the best value in this set, or you plan to treat 56 as a square-metre rate.
Specifications
Common questions
Will one litre cover in a coat?
The coverage field is 56 with no unit. A bullet says two to three thin coats. Two of the six UK texts say it stayed translucent or watery.
Does the listing include plastic?
The plastic question is unanswered. Plastic is not on the surface list. Walls are named in a bullet, and that question is also unanswered.
What is in the box?
Brush and gloves, plus the paint. The included line says 1 kg. The size field says 1 litre.
Limino is a kit at £7.59. The title says 100 g of gold acrylic and 100 g of varnish, while the size field says 100 ml pack of 2 and the volume field says 200 ml. It rates 3.9 from 40 reviews, and 33 UK texts are in the file. Some craft jobs worked in three coats, dried quickly, and looked acceptable on a candelabra seen from a distance. Paint and varnish are both called thin, metal needed several coats, and the built-in cap brush is awkward to hold. Waterproof is false and water resistance says water resistant, so a buyer who asked whether it is waterproof did not get an answer from the fields either. The place field says Indoor and specific uses say Interior/Exterior. Gloves and a brush are listed. It is a convenient small décor kit when you will not inspect the film up close, and a weak choice for furniture at arm’s length.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a small décor craft, a varnish in the same order, and you will view the piece from a distance.
Less suitable: You will inspect furniture at arm’s length, or you need a clear waterproof outdoor film.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this only paint?
No. The title is 100 g of gold and 100 g of varnish. Included components are a brush and gloves.
Does the listing say waterproof?
Waterproof is false. Water resistance says water resistant. One review asks and had not tried it.
Do the units agree?
The title uses grams. The size field says 100 ml pack of 2 and the volume is 200 ml.
This £5.99 listing is a 150 ml indoor decorative lacquer spray, with Crowders on the brand line, Premier as the manufacturer, and Premier in the title. It rates 3.4 from eight reviews, and the file holds four UK texts. One of them says only that the item was good. The written theme besides that is disappointment: the colour is called bronze and dull matt, and two texts say a different metallic spray arrived, including a buyer who wanted to finish a previous Premier job. Waterproof false and not water resistant do agree, a bullet says ventilated rooms, and there is no dry-time field. Four texts cannot survey the can, and inside that sample the substitution complaint is the main point. It is only worth opening if you already know which can this ASIN will ship.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already know which can this ASIN ships, and you only need a small indoor spray you can ventilate.
Less suitable: You are trying to match an old Premier can, or you want a bright gold for furniture.
Specifications
Common questions
Who makes the can on the listing?
Brand name is Crowders. Manufacturer is Premier. The title says Premier.
Where can you use it?
Indoor. A bullet says ventilated rooms. Waterproof is false.
What do the UK reviews say arrived?
Two of the four texts say a different metallic spray was substituted. One calls the colour dull bronze.
Eleven amazon.co.uk gold lacquer listings were scored from the stored listing files on 21 October 2026 and the UK review texts captured for each ASIN. This was not a lab test. The score starts from the amazon.co.uk star line times 20. Each deduction is applied once: an antique, bronze or green shade on the bullet or repeated in reviews, or a bronze hex beside the colour name Gold; review texts that describe other shades, or a can that was substituted; indoor and outdoor lines that disagree, or a waterproof pair that disagrees; fewer than ten written texts; a plastic-model lacquer rather than a decorative gold for frames or furniture; a coverage figure with no unit, or far below a working rate. The top pick is Guild Lane Super GILD, score 90, with no deduction. The best value is Rustins GOLE250, score 80. That badge follows the written method and the £12.35 tin, not the highest score. Two other listings score 86.
Stars on amazon.co.uk
40%The score starts from the amazon.co.uk star line times 20. Stars are the listing average, not a lab test of the dried film.
Shade evidence
20%An antique, bronze or green shade on the bullet or in the reviews is deducted, as is a bronze hex beside the colour name Gold. A single green comment is not enough.
Review sample
20%Texts that describe other shades, or a substituted can, are deducted. Fewer than ten written texts in the file is deducted as well.
Place and water
10%Indoor and outdoor lines that disagree, or a waterproof pair that disagrees, are deducted. The friendlier of the two lines is not the one that scores.
Job and coverage
10%A plastic-model lacquer is deducted against a decorative gold for frames or furniture. A coverage figure with no unit, or far below a working rate, is deducted.
Start with the job, then the shade words, then hiding, then whether the indoor, outdoor and water lines agree. The notes below follow that order. None of these listings was lab-tested.
Gold lacquer on amazon.co.uk is not one coating. UK shoppers use it for frames, door furniture, mouldings, craft, and the occasional model. In the listings kept for this comparison it is mostly water-based metallic acrylic in a jar or bottle, plus Rustins Quick Dry Gold Paint and two aerosols sold as lacquer. Tamiya TS-21 is a 100 ml synthetic lacquer for plastic kits. The Amazon title does not say gold. The colour field does. It is not a furniture finish.
A jar or bottle sold as gold leaf paint is still a brush-on film. It is not loose leaf and not a sheet you lay with size. Genuine gilding on a listed interior is a different trade.
A 60 ml bright jar, a 250 ml trim tin, a litre, a model lacquer and a paint-plus-varnish kit are different purchases. The largest pack is not the one that hides. Several reviews needed three or more coats.
Read the indoor/outdoor field and the waterproof pair together. Waterproof true beside not water resistant, or indoor in one field and exterior in another, is a clash. Do not pick the friendlier line.
Decide the job before the tin. A 60–125 ml accent pot, a 250 ml trim paint, a 1 litre bottle, a model lacquer and a paint-plus-varnish kit are different purchases. Tamiya TS-21 is for plastic kits. It is not a furniture finish. Rustins GOLE250 is the 250 ml tin with a written clock. Guild Lane Super GILD is the 60 ml bright jar. Shade is the second check. Bright, leaf-like reviews are a different gold from a warm antique bullet.
Several UK reviews needed three or more coats before the old colour went. One heavy coat, and skipping the stir when pigment settles, are the usual misses. A coverage field of 1.69 square feet per 125 ml, or 56 with no unit, is not a planning figure. A named label rate belongs to that tin only. Rustins states about 3–3.5 m² per coat from the 250 ml tin, about 105°C, not for oil-filled radiators, not below 10°C, and not if rain is imminent.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a bright, leaf-like gold on a frame, door numbers or a moulding, and a small jar is enough. Guild Lane Super GILD 60 ml is the top pick, at about £37.48 with 4.5 from 343 reviews. Indoor, outdoor and water fields agree. Reviewers call the pot tester-sized, and the shade can be too bright.
You want a 250 ml tin with a written prep and recoat time, and you will accept a thinner film. Rustins gold paint 250 ml, model GOLE250, is the best value, at about £12.35 with 4.4 from 895 reviews. The label says about 3–3.5 m² per coat. Reviews often need three or four coats, and the shade can read bronze.
You need TS-21 on plastic, not a furniture bottle. Tamiya TS-21 100 ml is about £10.90 with 4.6 from 556 reviews. The colour field says gold. The Amazon title does not. Seven UK texts describe models, not chairs. The container field says bottle for an aerosol.
The top pick is Guild Lane Super GILD 60 ml at about £37.48. It scores 90, with 4.5 from 343 reviews and no deduction: bright-gold reviews, agreeing water and place fields, and 50 texts. It is a small jar for a bright accent, and the wrong pack for a litre or an antique tone. The best value is Rustins gold paint 250 ml, model GOLE250, at about £12.35, score 80, with 4.4 from 895 reviews. The value badge follows the written method and that tin, not the highest score. Reviews often need three or four coats, and the shade can read bronze. Amazon’s paint-type field says Watercolour. This was not a lab test.
Rustins gold paint 250 ml
Score 80 at about £12.35. The badge follows the written method and that tin, not the highest score.
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 named below, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures stored that day. The price band is this set, not a market average. No listing was lab-tested.
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 lab-test these coatings.
