How Not to Ruin Your Mosaic’s Adhesive Layer on the Very First Evening, And Should You Varnish It?

Justina Kazlauskaitė, Quality Control Specialist at Varvikas

The most common fear among beginners is that drills will start falling off the painting after a month. The adhesive on Varvikas canvases is a specialised acrylic compound rated to last for decades - but it’s easy to destroy it in a single evening if you don’t know the three main rules.

The Three Biggest Enemies of the Adhesive

1. Air and Dust

The adhesive works as long as it’s fresh and clean. The moment you peel the protective film off the entire canvas at once, it becomes one giant trap for dust and invisible fibres floating in the air.

❌ Mistake: Uncovering the whole picture to get a look at the design.

✅ Right way: Fold back or cut away the film only over the section you plan to complete in one sitting. Everything else must stay sealed.

2. Skin Oil

If you rest your palm on the exposed adhesive surface for too long, oil from your skin transfers to the canvas. The adhesive loses its tackiness, and rhinestones in that area won’t hold for long.

✅ Right way: Always keep your hand on the protective film, never on the exposed adhesive.

3. Foreign Objects (Paper, Pet Hair)

If the edge of your clothing, cat hair, or (worst case) a piece of paper gets stuck to the canvas, don’t try to pull it off dry. You’ll lift the adhesive right down to the base.

✅ What to do: Lightly dampen the stuck paper with water (a cotton swab works perfectly). Once it softens, gently roll it away with your fingers. After drying, the adhesive will regain its tackiness in most cases.

Should You Varnish the Finished Mosaic?

The short answer: No - the adhesive in Varvikas kits is high quality. Many people varnish their paintings “just to be safe,” but varnish can seep between the facets of the rhinestones and dull their sparkle. Varvikas mosaics hold for decades without any additional coatings, provided the proper technique is used.

Instead of Varnish, Use the “Rolling” Method

When you finish placing all the rhinestones, cover the entire painting with the protective film and firmly roll it with an ordinary rolling pin or a heavy glass bottle. This drives out micro air bubbles and presses the rhinestones into the adhesive so firmly they won’t budge even with a fingernail.

Checklist: How to Know Your Rhinestones Won’t Fall Off

• ✅ You didn’t leave the canvas uncovered overnight.

• ✅ You rolled the finished work with a rolling pin.

• ✅ When you press on a drill you hear a faint soft “click” - the adhesive has filled the space beneath the stone.

Bottom Line: The adhesive fears dirt, not time. If you kept the canvas covered while you worked, your mosaic won’t go bald in a month or in ten years.