The Futura Aqua range by Teknos includes various finishes and are labelled according to their sheen levels. These finishes include Futura Aqua 5, 20, 40 and 90.
They all seem like amazing products, but I wanted to focus on the Teknos Futura Aqua 90 for this review, as good quality water-based gloss products are few and far between, whereas there are plenty of acceptable water-based satin and eggshell products out there.
Product Information
Futura Aqua 90 is a durable water-based gloss paint which can be used internally or externally. It has very low VOCs and can be used to coat things such as windows, doors, boards, cladding, any internal trim, furniture, and just about anything else you’re ever likely to want to gloss.
Touch dry in an hour, re-coat time is around the 6-hour mark and you can expect this product to be fully durable after 3 days. Teknos Futura 90 can be tinted into various colours which is another bonus.
As with all water-based products of this type, you must use the specified primer as part of the system. In this case it is Teknos Futura primer (funnily enough), which I’ll go into in the next section of the review.
Teknos Futura Aqua Primer
Right, let’s get on with my review, starting with the primer!! Teknos Futura Aqua Primer is a water-based adhesion primer designed to stick well to problem surfaces such as existing oil-based coatings. It is very much up to the task!! Opacity is absolutely bang on, you’ll find it very easy to apply and the finish is perfect for your topcoats. The only slight gripe is it seems to take a while to cure and toughen up (overnight). It is only a slight gripe when you weigh it up against the positives.
Teknos Futura Aqua 90 Review
Let’s start with a negative, the opacity of Futura Aqua is lacking slightly, but in a similar way to how oil-based gloss lacked opacity 20 years ago. I can live with that, as a lot of the time it’s simply impossible to develop a paint product of this type, which looks as good as it possibly can do AND does the job of the undercoat. Therefore, there are two separate products; Use your primer for adhesion and opacity and the Aqua 90 to make it look pretty. Make sure your primer is solid before using the 90, simple!!
Opacity is the only negative thing I can think of about the Teknos Futura Aqua 90. The sheen level is 90% for a start, which is almost unheard of for a water-based!! The finish is nice and even, brush marks are minimal compared to similar products from competing brands, it is lovely to apply, and it is extremely hard wearing. Teknos Futura Aqua 90 could quite possibly be the holy grail when it comes to water-based gloss. It looks brilliant!!
If you prefer water-based over oil, you will absolutely love this gear. Available from TopDec Decorating Centres
Teknos Futura Aqua 90 Review – By Mike Gregory
Great in depth review. I had been using isomat isolac enamel as my go to paint but have recently started using teknos aqua system and it is by far the best water based paint I’ve used and will be my new go to paint. It is quite pricey for a waterborne paint is my only gripe.
My go to for woodwork recently it’s amazing ! Mainly use futura 20 and 40