Gloss or Satin. Which is the finish for you?

One of the most common questions I get asked is "What's the best, Gloss or a LO-Sheen?" The answer, of course, lies in the sort of look the customer is striving for.

If you are looking for some serious WOW factor it's hard to go past the impact that a properly sanded and well coated gloss floor can have. It can totally lift and transform a floor into becoming one of the most prominent features in any home.

Whereas, with the satin, it can act as a much more subtle backdrop to furnishings and decor. Allowing the kitchens, lounge furniture and tables to stand out with a beautiful floor in the background.

Yeah, I know, tough choices.

So, the next thing to consider is the hardness and durability of both finishes. In a nut-shell the gloss is by far the tougher of the two - no question about it.

The gloss finish I use and recommend is a two pac polyurethane, where part A is mixed in equal parts with part B and once the three coats have been applied over carefully sanded floors it will provide years of hard wearing life, with only the barest of maintenance required.  Regular vacuuming and mopping to remove dust, grit and grease will see your gloss two pac floor last for Donkey's years.

Hardwood floor finish in Gloss

Hardwood floor finished in LO-Sheen

Hardwood Floor in Gloss

Hardwood floor in LO-Sheen

The LO-Sheen finish is still an extremely durable floor finish in it's own right and again, with some simple care to keep it clean, will stay looking the goods for a long time.

The key to a great satin finish is the sanding. To really gain the benefit of the silky, smooth look and feel, that only a decent satin finish can provide, the floors need to be sanded brilliantly. If the sanding is not up to scratch a satin finish will certainly show that up - very unforgiving.

For me to achieve the best possible results on a satin floor I like to perform that 'Super Fine' sanding finish I've been banging on about above, ensuring the sanding is spot-on. Once sanded, a coat of two pac poyurethane is applied. This is followed by an ultra fine cut back, done with fine mesh screens, then before carefully rolling on the satin we vacuum and tack mop the floor. The results from this procedure are nothing short of outstanding.

Ironbark in Gloss

Ironbark in LO-Sheen

Ironbark in Gloss

Ironbark in LO-Sheen

Now, I do get a few customers ask me about a semi-gloss finish and to be quite frank with you, and them, I do my best to steer them away from it. The reason being? Well, to me - and this is only my opinion - but a semi-gloss simply looks like someone has tried to do a normal gloss floor and buggered it up.

A semi-gloss floor just looks like someone has tried to get away with only doing two coats of gloss and didn't quite pull it off.

So, I encourage my customers to go all the way.  Either go for a proper full-on two pac gloss floor or settle for a beautiful silky satin finish. But, I never encourage them sit on the fence somewhere in the middle.

Spotted Gum in Gloss

Spotted Gum in a LO-Sheen finish

One important consideration when choosing the type of finish for your floor is if you are intending to do the rooms in different stages, which is often the case, you must bear in mind that when different drums of satin finish are used on different days it will never quite look the same initially. Even one day apart will have an affect on the drying times of the satin coating and therefore the final look. 

Over time, it will all blend in and look the same - once it becomes fully cured and hard. But if you have two stages done at, say, six months apart there will be a difference - for awhile.

I hope that helps with your decision making in choosing the best finish for your floor.

Have a great day.

www.clintfudgefloorsanding.com.au