Lacquer

Lacquer is a solvent-based film finish that dries by rapid solvent evaporation rather than a chemical curing reaction, which is why it dries so much faster than varnish or polyurethane -- often ready for a recoat within an hour. That speed, combined with the way each new coat partially re-melts and fuses into the one beneath it, makes lacquer easy to build up in thin, glossy layers and easy to repair or blend a fresh coat into later, unlike polyurethane's harder, more isolated film layers.

It's the traditional finish behind most factory and production furniture, applied by spray for a smooth, fast, even coat -- brushing lacquer is possible but fights against the same fast evaporation that makes it convenient to spray. The tradeoff is durability: lacquer generally offers less resistance to heat, water, and solvents than a cured polyurethane film, which is part of why it's more common on furniture than on tabletops or floors that take real daily abuse.