Le Tonkinois Varnish

B & D Murkin

UK main importers for

Le Tonkinois varnish

Flexidisc sander


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What can Le Tonkinois Varnish do for me?

Well, simply put, Le Tonkinois natural oil varnish is the perfect solution for the amateur user

seeking a professional product, and for the professional seeking perfection.

Le Tonkinois Classic


Its attributes include:-

Le Tonkinois Marine No 1


This is further refined to an even higher purity, giving improved performance over Classic. It gives the following advantages.

Faster drying.

Penetrates better in wood and is easy to apply.

Even better UV protection and more resistant to abrasion damage.

Gives a higher gloss.

Less skinning in the can.

Le Tonkinois Marine No1 will be supplied on varnish orders unless Classic or Parquets is specified.


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Le Tonkinois Parquets


Flooring varnish.

Ready to use sealer that ensures effective protection and beautifies wood.

Semi gloss.

Anti-skid.


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Le Tonkinois   Classic,   Marine No1,   Parquet  

What’s the difference?


Le Tonkinois Classic is the original Chinese recipe, which has proved to be a first class resilient and reliable varnish for more than a century. Traditionally used by the French Navy for all their sailing vessels, and widely used by traditional craftsmen for years. It tends to give a thicker coat than Marine No 1.


Le Tonkinois Marine No1 is basically the original recipe which has been further refined by modern techniques.

It is easier to apply. It also returns a slightly higher gloss. Both Classic and No 1 afford a high resistance to all extremes of weather, making them the obvious choice for outside environment. At the same time, low solvent levels and odour makes them ideal for inside application.


Le Tonkinois Parquet is for flooring and employs a strong synthetic Alkyd resin and Ester oil to return a harder-wearing surface for foot traffic. The finish is a little less glossy than the other two, just slightly opaque.


All three can be matted or semi-matted by including Gelomat in the final coat.

Some sites advocate a coat of Le Tonkinois Bio Impression to initially seal the timber, due to its ability to penetrate the wood more effectively, but no-one appears to have proved that this improves the durability in any way. Our own tests have so far proved inconclusive.