Smith & Rodger - Aquacoat SP
£37.70 -5L in Matt, Satin & Gloss

Single pack waterbased floor finish
Domestic use.
3 or 4 coat system
Applied using a brush, cloth or lambswool applicator.

A fourth generation family business, Smith & Rodger has been manufacturing woodfinishes for over 130 years so they should know there stuff.

• Low odour and low flammability
• Rapid dry and overcoating
• Good clarity and flow. Reduced film yellowing (compared to solvent based varnish)
• Good chemical and abrasion resistance. Available in Gloss, Satin & Matt
• Especially useful for retaining the natural appearance of pale coloured woods.

We say:
Smith and Rodgers are a well known manufacturer in Scotland, they also sell online

We was given this varnish by Smith and Rodgers to try, we used it to Varnish 15 m2 of Maple in a bedroom area in a London Apartment using a lambs wool applicator, It was a very warm day, so drying times were very fast, but as with all manufactures recommendations, the times are safe guarded so we waited the 2 hours as recommended, but it seemed plenty dry enough after an hour or was it.

Bona Spectra sprang to mind as soon as i started using this varnish and i never liked Spectra, not for any reason in particular apart from by my own mistakes it had let me down on a couple of occaisions, It always seemed to pull if you made any contact with it before it was fully dry, so with time always being of the essence and my fussiness (hate any hairs in varnish) i stopped using it.

Aqua coat SP also does this if its not left to dry long enough as i found out when trying to pinch out a hair before the floor had dried fully, Ouch.
So no touching for 2 hours right.

I was very happy with the final result and so was the kind people that let us use Aquacoat SP on their floor, The heat was an issue and caused tiny air bubbles which did not disappear because the seal was dryng too quick, we rectified this by lightly sanding with a 120 sandpaper between each coat and applied the final coat the following morning before the temperature got too hot again. Despite the heat which didnt give a fair trial, 'Aquacoat' gave a very good build and a lovely matt finish, with just enough sheen, and everyone was happy ( and yes i sorted out the pull)

the price tag of £37.50 is fair but i'd rather pay that little bit more and have a 100% poly. although i would not turn down more if offered.

Can we see the satin and gloss please!

Quality 9/10
Value 7/10
Ease of Use 9/10