Hand Finishing Guide for Gloss, Satin and Matt
Once gloss lacquers have cured they need to be polished, either by machine or with our Hand Polishing Kit. But what about Satin and Matt lacquers? How are these made smooth without making them shiny? What’s the process for getting a high shine on gloss? Full guides below.
Hand Polishing Kit
We offer a complete Hand Polishing Kit which contains all of the materials needed for finishing Gloss, Satin and Matt finishes. The contents of the kit are as follows:
3x Strips Wet/Dry Abrasive, 600 grit
3x Strips Wet/Dry Abrasive, 800 grit
3x Strips Wet/Dry Abrasive, 1000 grit
3x Strips Wet/Dry Abrasive, 1200 grit
3x Strips Wet/Dry Abrasive, 1500 grit
3x Strips Wet/Dry Abrasive, 2000 grit
3x Microfibre Polishing Cloths
1x 100ml Bottle RF3 Liquid Polishing Compound
1x 100ml Bottle RF5 Liquid Polishing Compound
1x 100ml Bottle RF7 Liquid Polishing Compound
General Polishing Guidelines
• It is imperative that no stages of this polishing process are skipped. Each stage will remove the scratch marks introduced by the stage before.
Wet sanding and polishing with the liquid compounds should be done in straight lines, not using a swirl or circular motion.
When wet sanding only a very small amount of water should be used, only enough to lubricate the paper. Do not flood the surface or allow water to get into any open drill holes in the wood.
• The first stage using 600 grit is the most important of all, and great care should be taken here to take out any imperfections or unevenness in the finish. Each subsequent stage has less cutting power, so will not be able to deal with any issues not dealt with by the 600 grit.
• All three microfibre cloths supplied are identical aside from the colour. We supply three cloths so one can be used for each liquid polishing compound. Do not contaminate the cloths with other compounds.
• Each stage of the polishing process should gradually increase the shine and glossiness of the finish. By the end of the RF7 stage you should have a high gloss glassy finish to your item.
Polishing Gloss Lacquer and Paint
1. Wet sand the finish, in straight lines, using the 600 grit abrasive paper until smooth.
2. Repeat this process with the 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and finally the 2000 grit papers in order.
3. Ensure the surface is dry and free from any sanding residue.
4. Dab a small amount of the RF3 polishing compound onto one of the microfibre cloths. Using the same motion as used for the wet sanding, apply the RF3 tothe body.
5. Using a fresh cloth, repeat this process with RF5.
6. Using a fresh cloth, repeat this process with RF7.
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Finishing Satin Lacquer
Our Satin lacquers are around a 60-65% sheen level, which can be likened to the sheen of silk. By comparison, Gloss is 90% and Matt is 5-10%.
The process for Satin is the same as for Gloss, except you stop at 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper:
1. Wet sand the finish, in straight lines, using the 600 grit
abrasive paper until smooth.
2. Repeat this process with the 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and
finally the 2000 grit papers in order.
Finishing Matt Lacquer
Our Matt lacquers are around a 5-10% sheen level, so give a really flat, natural appearance.. By comparison, Gloss is 90% and Satin is 60-65%.
The process for Matt is the same as for Gloss, except you stop at 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper:
1. Wet sand the finish, in straight lines, using the 600 grit
abrasive paper until smooth.
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions about or suggestions for this article please use the contact form. Look out for new articles every week!
Simon Hurley
Founder and Managing Director
dartfords® Wood Finishes, part of Rothko and Frost Limited