Can I varnish over a solvent based paint?

[Michelle78]

Hello, I was wondering if you might be able to offer me some advice?
I have recently painted my kitchen cabinets. I prepared the cabinets by sugar soaping and sanding them and then i used primer and undercoat before applying 2 coats of a hard wearing exterior paint for wood and metal. The paint doesn't seem as hardy as I would like and I'm wondering if I can apply a spray varnish over the top? I have been considering something like Plasti-kote Polyurethane Varnish Spray; would this be suitable? It's taken me weeks of hard work to get this far and I'm worried about ruining it, so would really appreciate some advice! Thank you in advance.

 

[njdeco]

Hi. Oil based paints don't harden up this quickly. They will only get to their max hardiness after about 3-4 weeks depending on temperature. And forget about using varnish over the top of oil, it will just ruin it. Varnish will start cracking and peeling after a while if not applied to correct surface.

 

[Michelle78]

Thank you, I'll reconsider the varnish then and wait a while to see if it toughens up a bit. I am a little impatient and just wanted to get the new handles on so I can see the finished result.