As a liquid, lacquer must be spread onto some solid material. This solid material is called the base, and may be made of wood, bamboo, cloth, copper, paper, or other materials. In its original state the lacquer is highly viscous and must be thinned with camphor oil.
漆本是流體，須塗抹在其他固體物質上才能展現漆藝之美，所謂的固體物質稱為「胎體」，材料上分為木胎、竹胎（籃胎）、布胎（亦稱脫胎、夾苧、乾漆）、銅胎與紙胎。