Replies

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 08, 2008 08:07pm | #1

   • Gloss- 90% sheen
   • Semi-gloss, between about 60% and 70% sheen
   • Satin- 50% sheen
   • Low satin- 30% to 40% sheen
   • Matte or flat- 10% sheen

   Slainte.

   Richard Jones Furniture

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Nov 09, 2008 12:10am | #2

   Those numbers look about right, except when they aren't.  It seems to me that the variation among consumer brands can be fairly signmificant.  If it is at all critical I suspect you will have to make your own comparison  tests of the consumer brands. 

1. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 09, 2008 01:47am | #3

   Or you can just go with the flow and accept whatever sheen the manufacturer says it is and adjust as required, eg, mix a bit of matte finish with gloss to achieve the sheen desired. This of course assumes you mix the products properly before doing the additional blending. I've done precisely that many a time where gloss varnish was too glossy and matte was , well, too matte, and I wanted a semi-gloss. About 10% to 20% of matte varnish added to gloss varnish makes something in the semi-gloss spectrum. Slainte.  Richard Jones Furniture

2. 
   oldusty | Nov 09, 2008 03:39am | #4

      sneezy ,

                They used to rate sheen in degrees , now percentages . They will vary from brand to brand and pre cat to post cat and any others .

        Each brands 40 % sheen may not be the same , when you know you want flat or satin the % that maker rates it really won't matter as long as it is what you want , just buy the sheen you want .

       Rudd lacquer makes a 25% sheen satin and 40 % semi gloss so as you can see the numbers can be misleading .

              dusty,a satin sort of guy

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Nov 09, 2008 08:13am | #5

   The numbers ought to be fairly consistent since there is an ASTM standard (or ISO or DIN all of which are relatively consistent with each other) for the numerical measurement, but the names mean whatever the manufacturer says they mean, so I'd bet it is the names that are more misleading than the numbers.  The standardized test equipment is only a few grand so there isn't any reason to just make up numbers.  The degree number you see is a description of what test method is used--ie. 60° measurements are more accurate for some ranges of gloss, while 20° or 85° are more accurate for others.  The gloss measure itself is in rather arbitrary Gloss Units, relative to a standard surface not exactly percentages. 

   It's unfortunately also true that some aspects of gloss (haziness for example) aren't really picked up well by the standard tests so that subjective gloss and standard measured gloss aren't always 100% correlated, but that's a subtle point not much relevant for coatings measurements as near as I can tell. 

    

3. 
   furndr | Nov 09, 2008 04:17pm | #6

   Your lacquer supplier probably sells flattening agent separately. When I can't get the sheen I want I buy  gloss lacquer and add flattening agent to get the desired results. Instead of contaminating the  whole can I usually pour off a quart or two of the gloss into a separate container. Add a little bit of flattener (maybe two ounces) and spray a sample board that is sanded and stained like the item you'll be finishing. Wait until it has a chance to dry for an hour or so and see what you have. Keep in mind that the finish will always look a little glossier until it has a chance to dry overnight.

   By pouring off a couple of quarts in a separate container you have a lot of flexibility. If you happen to add too much flattener you can always add a little more gloss from your original can.

   Good luck. 

1. 
   sneezy | Nov 10, 2008 06:19am | #7

   Wow-Thanks for the great info.