In general I advise caution regarding "improvements", usually the chemist and accountant of a company appear to collaborate here, to "improve" the companies bottom line. Replacing natural ingredients with plastic appears dubious at best.

Pratt and Lambert's 38 has been dependable, now be aware of the fact that the company has been swallowed up by Shermy-Willy.
Fuller O'Brien - is, till further notice a fine brand.

Soon we may, like Leonardo, canvas the meadows for the stuff to ferment our own. Which may not be too far fetched. Just in case, I do collect recipes.

Poly-Urathane?   Having seen it fail  ptui !!  I spit on it.

Finally for accessory items, I insist on between 15 and 25 coats of varnish.

For larger paintings I have panels manufactured. They are made, in any size up to 4' X 8' , like hollow core doors.

Same with the now over advertised, good-for-all (or nothing) Quick-Dry Primer such as Kilz. These are good stain killer, for which they were Invented, but miserable primer or bases for your work.

So called Interior-Exterior Paints and Enamels will not give you the best, but, the worse of both worlds. An exterior paint should be flexible to adjust to changing temperatures. An interior paint should be hard and rigid to withstand abuse and scrubbing.

Any other trans-gender type paint, such as water soluble oil is, to be kind, misguided. Like crossing a cat and a dog.

Heat-set-oils ?   Don't get me going on that.

Painters usually paint, as the name implies. Besides, these trowel and spatula techniques go against, the very core of faux finishing, which is not only the imitation but the illusion of real images and textures.

Actual texture is exactly what prevents us from executing most faux finishes. It is also difficult to reverse and remove. It is my sincere hope that those who install such textures to entire walls or as a stencil are ethical and courageous enough to make their clients aware of this, in time, important fact.

My suspicion however is that many among those who sell such techniques may have difficulty painting, thus have little option but to put mud onto their palettes, their clients walls and furniture.

In Artists Oils we have available a myriad of good products, most from Europe and Japan. Generaly I seek out "reasonable" products, this in relation to price and quality. For most my work I will choose Goya, Martin/F.Weber's Permalba, Winsor and Newton Oil Colour (Not Winton).

My favorite Oil Glaze and Painting Medium recipe (You may find it published in my book "Mastering Faux") is a combination of Boiled Linseed Oil, Japan Drier and Paint Thinner or Mineral Spirit. These ingredients are made among others by Kleen Strip (in your professional paint store) and by Martin/F.Weber ( in your better art supplies store or catalogue ).

Oil and Alkyd based House Paints and Enamels. The best, generally produced as "private label", were produced by smaller regional manufacturers. Most of these have been forced out of the pond or eliminated by the bigger fish. I do have (yet) a preference for Fuller O'Brien products. Some of the products by Hirshfield's, Benjamin Moore, Pratt and Lambert (now part of Sherm Willy) are reasonable.