Matte vs. Satin finishes

[David Pascoe]

I've been using satin Minwax Polycrylic for the inside of my boxes for many years. Even tho its five bucks/qt more expensive than EM6000 satin ( I use the gloss for the exterior due to superior hardness) which is more like semi gloss than satin.

Recently I was in Walmart and noticed something new: Polycrylic labeled as "matte" that is $5/qt. cheaper than satin, So I tried it and I did not detect any difference between the two. The flatness of each is the same, as is viscosity and dry time, very fast. Just wondering if anyone else has tried these comparisons and whether you've found any differences.

Just trying to avoid making a big mistake before I order several gallons of "matte" and discover the hard way that my experience was an anomaly.

[Prashun Patel]

I haven't tried Polycrylic in both sheens, but I have tried other topcoats in matte vs satin, and there has always been a visible difference. Satin looks as you'd expect: visible, just not glossy. Matte can look as if there's nothing on the wood at all.

[Steve Jenkins]

Did you stir the matte really well? There is a lot of flattener that settles out

[Evan Stewart]

David,

A couple of years ago I was doing a decent size project and i was using satin polycrylic as a top coat. Toward the end of the project i realized I needed one more can and accidentally grabbed matte finish. I applied it to several pieces without knowing I had made the mistake and realized before it was even dry that something wasn't right. Sure enough I checked the can closely and saw it was matte. I was pretty mad because the store had never carried it previously and 2 days earlier I had grabbed a can of satin from the same exact spot.

[Wayne Lomman]

Matte, satin, semi gloss etc are only subjective descriptions. You need to look at the percent gloss rating and even this is only valid within a single product line. Durability is more a factor of product type than gloss level. If the stuff works and saves your wallet, use it. Cheers

[Rob Young]

Matte, satin, semi gloss etc are only subjective descriptions. You need to look at the percent gloss rating and even this is only valid within a single product line. Durability is more a factor of product type than gloss level. If the stuff works and saves your wallet, use it. Cheers

From the PDS,
SATIN 25 ±5, SEMI-GLOS 57±5, GLOSS 90±5

The matte version isn't listed on the PDS and doesn't seem to have its own PDS, at least not on the Sherwin-williams site or the Minwax site.
https://www.sherwin-williams.com/doc.../027426655553/

[Wayne Lomman]

The different gloss levels are all covered by the same pds. Matte is no different to the others. Grab the discount while it is available. Cheers