dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc., on something not yet certain; conditional (often followed by on or upon): Our plans are contingent on the weather. 2. liable to happen or not; uncertain; possible: They had to plan for contingent expenses.
But they don't do a worse job, either. Sure, expensive bristle brushes allow you to spread the varnish out smoothly, but so does a forty nine cent foam brush. So it makes sense to use the lowest-tech, least expensive tool to do the job.
Varnish is a general name, like paint, for a transparent, protective finish or film mostly used on wood.raditional Varnishes contained a resin, a drying oil, and a solvent. The finish is usually shiny but can be modified by adding flatting agents or by rubbing the hardened varnish with abrasives. Varnish is transparent, but often has a yellowish tone.