What kind of finish should i use

[Joe Mcclaran]

I am finishing a project with semi-gloss white paint. Can I use a shellac or polly on paint for a hard finish? The paint is a water base paint. Thank You.

[John TenEyck]

If your WB paint is 100% acrylic it's as hard as any clear topcoat, so there's no benefit in terms of added durability. However, a clear topcoat will increase the depth, just like clearcoats do on a car. If your WB is latex wall paint, putting a hard topcoat on top won't protect it like you'd hope it would. The soft latex paint will flex when hit by something hard causing the topcoat to chip.

[Scott Holmes]

Poly is NOT hard, it's tough! It will also cast a yellow color on your white paint and the yellowing will continue.

Shellac also has a slight color to it but it is colorfast.. Shellac is harder than the acrylic paints and much harder than poly.

If you want to top coat or "clear coat" your acrlylic paint for depth use a clear acrylic from the same manufacturer as the paint you used. If you used wall paint strip it off and start over.