This acrylic medium serves both as a gloss finishing varnish and as a glossy additive to the paint. Mixed with Matisse Colours, it increases gloss and flow characteristics. Used as a finishing varnish, it produces a strong, protective, tack-free, clear film. Pictures treated with MM7 Polymer Gloss Varnish will look like work done with oil paints or shiny enamel. MM7 Polymer Gloss Varnish and MM6 Polymer Matt Varnish are freely intermixable to achieve a semi-gloss or satin finish.

Polymer water-based varnishes may appear to be slightly hazy whilst in solution. This is an optical effect produced by light refraction of acrylic particles suspended within the water-based medium. The effect disappears when the film is dry. As acrylics dry very rapidly, care should be taken to apply varnish pre-diluted with water. Polymer Varnish, applied in very thick layers on a hot day, could trap moisture, resulting in a cloudy film which would be very difficult to correct.

All Matisse painting mediums are freely intermixable, e.g. Polymer Gloss Varnish will intermix with MM6 Matt Varnish to give a subdued gloss effect; MM8 Spreader Medium will intermix with the above to offer various degrees of water resistance and flow.

Nevertheless, painters are advised to use some discretion in pre-determining their selection of mediums to avoid accidentally eliminating their intrinsic qualities or beneficial effects, e.g. artists using MM5 Matt Medium would be ill-advised to finish their painting with a Polymer Gloss Varnish.