Citadel (Games Workshop) · Technical

Ardcoat Paint Guide

Citadel (Games Workshop) Technical #F9F9F9
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Equivalents by Brand
Brand Colour Delta E Match
Citadel (Games Workshop) Lahmian Medium 0.00 Excellent
Citadel (Games Workshop) Contrast Medium 0.00 Excellent
Citadel (Games Workshop) Valhallan Blizzard 5.08 Acceptable
AK Interactive Chipping Fluid 12.28 Distant
AK Interactive Heavy Chipping Effects 14.88 Distant
Citadel (Games Workshop) Astrogranite Debris 22.65 Distant
Citadel (Games Workshop) Agrellan Earth 25.29 Distant
Army Painter Brush-On Primer 1.85 Excellent
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Ardcoat paint guide

Ardcoat Paint: Colour, Type & Equivalents

As a Technical paint, this product delivers a special effect — texture, crackle, gloss, or medium — rather than a standard colour coat. Neutral grey colours bridge the gap between black and white, used for stone, armour, and gradual highlights..
The closest Ardcoat equivalent is Brush-On Primer (Army Painter) (ΔE 1.9).

Ardcoat is a technical from Citadel (Games Workshop), commonly used for armour plates, cloth, and trim work.

Quick Equivalents

  • Closest equivalent: Brush-On Primer (Army Painter) – ΔE 1.9
  • Vallejo equivalent: no close Vallejo equivalent
  • Army Painter equivalent: Brush-On Primer (Army Painter) – ΔE 1.9

How to Use Ardcoat

This paint is typically used for:

  • Gloss varnish
  • Special effect

Apply it over a suitable primer and build layers gradually. Coverage sits around , so two thin coats usually give a more stable finish than one heavy pass, especially over a dark primer.

Paint Behavior and Tips

Consider the following when working with this paint:

  • Coverage: — affects how many coats are needed over primer
  • Dilution: no thinning — keeping the right ratio maintains flow and prevents brushmarks
  • Interaction with washes and highlights: always run a highlight pass to verify the tone does not shift after drying

A good equivalent should remain stable after shading and highlighting. Test this alternative on the same primer and in the same recipe before switching a whole unit.

Miniature Painting Tips

For best results with Ardcoat on Warhammer and other miniature projects:

  • Use the same primer across the project to keep tonal consistency
  • Test on a spare part before applying to a full unit
  • Compare after shading and highlights, not just the base coat

Even small differences can become visible on a finished miniature. This match may behave differently on textured surfaces like cloth, fur, and metal trim once the full recipe is applied.

Conclusion

Choosing the right Ardcoat equivalent ensures consistent results across your painting workflow. Use this page as a paint conversion chart to compare the Vallejo equivalent, the Army Painter equivalent, and other close options before committing to a full army.

A paint guide is most valuable when it connects colour, handling, and recipe context in one place.

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💡 Tip

Use Ardcoat as your main technical colour and build it up with thin, controlled coats. Thin it without thinning. Good companion colours include Soulstone Blue, Spiritstone Red and Waystone Green.

Avoid using it for Over Matte Varnish.

✅ Techniques
Gloss varnish
Direct answer
How should you use Ardcoat on miniatures?

Use Ardcoat as your main technical colour and build it up with thin, controlled coats. Thin it without thinning. Good companion colours include Soulstone Blue, Spiritstone Red and Waystone Green.

  • Citadel (Games Workshop) · Technical
  • Technical · #F9F9F9
  • Best for Gloss varnish
  • Pairs well with Soulstone Blue, Spiritstone Red, Waystone Green

Method

This summary is built from the local usage notes, structured paint detail data, and the same Delta-E matching system used across ChromaStack.

Limits

Avoid using it for Over Matte Varnish.