Transfer an Image With Varathane Water-based Polyurethane
2 Materials
$1
1 Hour
Easy
Using a water-based poly to transfer an image??? I am in love with this method for transferring an image. I have tried many different ways with several degrees of success. This is by far the easiest and quickest and the best results I’ve found. I used Varathane Crystal Clear Water-based Polyurethane Satin Finish as it is my go-to poly for all my furniture, but any water-based poly should work just fine.
Practice make Perfect – I thought it would be a good thing to practice first. Please do not mind my ugly practice board. Just focus on the transferred script, which literally took only minutes to do.
I’m not sure why I haven’t run across it before, but when I saw a video tutorial by The Craftsman and how he transferred the images using water-based poly I knew I had to try this. The video is linked from The Graphics Fairy site and found under "Transfer Methods" . The Graphics Fairy also has an amazing selection of files free to use. I found a French Handwriting Script that worked perfectly. I chose the reverse image as I would be transferring text. Click on the link to my blog below for more detailed links.
Note on changes I made from what is suggested in the video:
- In the video, The Craftsman used a product called Poly-Finish (which is a poly acrylic). In another tutorial I read, Minwax Polycrylic was used. I used Varathane water-based crystal clear polyurethane in satin finish as that is what I use on all my furniture. It worked perfectly. So, your favorite water-based poly should work also.
- The video transfers onto raw wood. I had already painted a chair with chalk-based paint and had put one coat of poly on before I ran across this technique. The results were amazing, so this works not only over a painted surface, but one that has had a poly coating already added.
- I wet the edges and tore them (a trick I learned on another site). This helps hide a straight edge that might be more noticeable. Even with removing the paper, there will still be a thin layer of paper that remains.
A client wanted her ladder back chair to have a French Handwriting Script across the ladder backs. I thought of several different ways I could accomplish that, including using a stencil, but I really wanted to do a transfer. I am extremely happy with the final result. The whole process literally took less than an hour.
I printed out several reverse copies of the French Handwriting Script from The Graphics Fairy. I decided how I wanted them to look on the ladder backs, then trimmed them. I also wet down the edges and tore them so they wouldn’t be straight as mentioned above. Notice in the photo I tore 3 sides on the first one That was before I realized the top and bottom wouldn’t show anyway as I wanted it to go off the wood, but the sides would end, so I really only needed to wet and tear the sides of each.
I put the chair on its back to make it easier to work with. Each ladder back will have a liberal coat of poly painted on. I did one ladder back at a time, putting on the poly, then adding the image with the script facing down.
Each time I added the image, I made sure to smooth it down well, including around the edges. I used a credit card to burnish it into the wood and make sure there were no wrinkles. I literally let this dry only about 15 minutes (poly dries quickly). I won’t lie….I’m impatient. I even used a hair dryer to make sure it was really nice and dry. 
It was then time to saturate the paper with water. In the photo below, you can see I am painting water all over the paper. I worked with just one ladder back at a time. After it was thoroughly saturated, I let it sit a minute or two.
This next step was fascinating! Unlike other transfer methods, starting at the corners, the paper almost completely peels away. I peeled as much as possible this way first.
After the first peel, I used a rough texture wet washrag and carefully rubbed away the rest of the paper. I let dry just a bit (ok….maybe used a blast or two from the hair dryer) so I could see if there was any paper left. There was, so I used the wet rag to rub some more.
so I could see if there was any paper left. There was, so I used the wet rag to rub some more.
How about this closeup? I’m so in love with this!!!!
It was now time to let it dry. Yes, I might have used the hair dryer again. LOL. But anyway, once dry, I gave each ladder back several coats of poly, not only for durability, but the coats of poly make the thin layer of paper that remains seem to disappear.
The cost of using this method was next to nothing. The image was free from The Graphics Fairy and I used just a very small amount of my can of Varathane water-based polyurethane.
View of all 3 ladder backs with transferred images.
Completed chair. And would you believe we added a new paper rush seat for this chair? Our client wanted to save her heirloom chair, so we researched and found an awesome step by step video. Click on the link below to see the full tutorial with a link to this video.
P.S. The handwriting script turned out so well, I decided to transfer a fleur de lis image to the drawer pulls on the desk/vanity that goes with the chair. I will definitely be adding this transfer method to my list of favorites!
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