Can I mix sheens of polyurethane?


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Old 07-29-14, 05:42 AM
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Can I mix sheens of polyurethane?

Hello,

I have some big wood shelves that I need to finish with polyurethane. I want to finish them with a Gloss sheen. However, I have half a can of Satin sheen that i want to finish up. Can I simply use the Satin sheen polyurethane as my base coats and then apply Gloss as the top coat? Will this approach compromise the finish?

Thanks,

Gianni
 
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Old 07-29-14, 05:51 AM
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Nope, you will not have a gloss finish when you're done this way.
 
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Old 07-29-14, 06:40 AM
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I disagree. The finish may not be AS glossy, but it's really the final coat or two that will give the final gloss. I suppose if you finished 2 products- one using ONLY gloss and one with gloss as the final coat, and you set them side by side, you would be able to tell a little difference between the two.

What I'd probably do is thin the satin poly down with a bit of Naphtha and use it as a sort of sanding sealer. Apply several thin coats, sanding with 220 grit between coats. Then apply your gloss poly. I would suspect that you would want at least 2 coats of gloss, since if your first coat is the least bit thin or streaky, it won't cover and will look bad.
 
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Old 07-29-14, 06:45 AM
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Re-reading, I think I was overly brief and X is right - this will be mostly glossy but my biggest concern is it will be tougher to match this down the road compared to having only used gloss poly.

Personally, I would not use the satin but it's up to you.
 
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Old 07-29-14, 07:24 AM
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Thanks Guys!

I am planning on at least 4 coats. My shelves are big; 48 X 30. Given the advice (much appreciated) I will use the satin as a base on the bottom side of my shelves and the top side/top coats will be all gloss.

I just hate keeping stains/varnishes lying around and try to use whatever I can.

Thanks again!
 
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Old 07-29-14, 08:58 AM
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If the finish coat is heavy enough and the underlying coats have adequately sealed the wood, the finish coat will be whatever sheen you apply. The only time the underlying coating affects the sheen of the top coat is when the substrate isn't adequately sealed.
 
 

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