Don't gloss over this

[Glen Blanchard]

Okay, the title is indeed kinda corny....but it got you to look!

I have a question regarding the gloss attributes of a given finish. To be more specific, Waterlox. As many of you know, Waterlox comes in original, satin and high gloss flavors. My intuition tells me that the final gloss is determined by the last coat of finish. IOW, if I place 3 coats of original on my project and then a 4th with Waterlox gloss, the resultant finish will be just as glossy as if I had used gloss for every coat. It is however not much more than intuition.

I have a project that I am in the middle of finishing. I have placed 3 coats of Waterlox original on it, but am now thinking I would prefer a higher gloss. Thus I am thinking about making the last coat in gloss. Will the resultant finish be just as glossy as if I had used gloss on each coat or will it be a hybrid? How many layers of gloss would I need to apply to get it just as glossy as if I had used nothing but the gloss to begin with?

[Udi Sarfati]

I read today their pdf that says:

HARDWOODS
• Medium sheen (semi-gloss) appearance = 4 coats of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish applied @ 125 square
feet per quart per coat.
• Satin sheen appearance = 3 coats of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish, followed by 1 coat of Waterlox
Original Satin Finish applied @ 125 square feet per quart per coat.
• High gloss appearance = 3 coats of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish, followed by 1 coat of Waterlox Original
High Gloss Finish applied @ 125 square feet per quart per coat.

SOFTWOODS
white pine, yellow pine, red pine, fir, spruce, cherry, etc.
• Medium sheen (semi-gloss) appearance = 5 coats of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish applied @ 125 square
feet per quart per coat.
• Satin sheen appearance = 4 coats of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish, followed by 1 coat of Waterlox
Original Satin Finish applied @ 125 square feet per quart per coat.
• High gloss appearance = 4 coats of Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish, followed by 1 coat of Waterlox Original
High Gloss Finish applied @ 125 square feet per quart per coat.

[Scott Holmes]

Marketing guys wrote those directions; most likely not finishers. The Original sealer is essentially a wipe-on version of the Original High Gloss. It does dry a bit less than High gloss. Either can be buffed to high gloss after full cure (30 days).

Original Gloss is not thinned. The marketing guys are wanting to sell two cans of finish.

[Jerry Thompson]

Cna High Gloss be rubbed back to satin? The Waterlox site says it is not designed for that.

[Scott Holmes]

Yes gloss can be buffed with steel wool to get a satin finish.

[Chris Hedges]

WHat do you use to do the buffing?

Chris

Marketing guys wrote those directions; most likely not finishers. The Original sealer is essentially a wipe-on version of the Original High Gloss. It does dry a bit less than High gloss. Either can be buffed to high gloss after full cure (30 days).

Original Gloss is not thinned. The marketing guys are wanting to sell two cans of finish.

[Scott Holmes]

Really depends on what finish and project I'm rubbing-out or buffing.

Samll projects I'll buff out to satin from gloss large projects I probably use a satin if that's the final sheen needed. As for what I use? A multitude of things again depending on the project. 0000# Steelwool for satin and for a full rub-out it will be progressively finer grits of wet/dry sandpaper and MicroMesh, then buffing with 3M Finesse-It II (FYI Finesse 2 is shampoo) or Menzerna Polishing compounds. (#1 #2 #3)

FYI - Wet sanding with a power sander is MUCH safer for a first timer using mineral oil, instead of mineral spirits or water; it slows the cutting speed. I personally don't use water or soapy water but many finishes do.

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> My intuition tells me that the final gloss is determined by the last coat of finish.

It's easy to answer this yourself. Just try it on a scrap piece of wood. You will find that applying the gloss over one or multiple coats of a satin Sealer/Finish will result in a gloss finish that is indistinguishable from the Waterlox Original Gloss.

Keep in mind also, that Waterlox claims that their finishes become somewhat less glossy in the first month or so.

[Alan Lightstone]

FYI - Wet sanding with a power sander is MUCH safer for a first timer using mineral oil, instead of mineral spirits or water; it slows the cutting speed. I personally don't use water or soapy water but many finishes do.

I won't jump in here and be Debbie Downer regarding rubbing out Waterlox. But I will say that while mineral oil is safer with a power sander, boy is it messy. That mineral oil gets everywhere. You heard it here first.

[Scott Holmes]

That is a good point Alan... If you think mineral oil is messy you should see what rottenstone mixed with mineral oil does. Power "sanding" is probalbly not a good plan on your first full rub-out; you can burn through in a heartbeat.

Pumice and rottenstone are "old school" for sure. They didn't have micromesh or wet/dry sandpapers back then.