Carol Ann

I usually varnish and lightly sand and varnish again when I finish an item. When I varnished this time, I used semi gloss, water clean up. It turned out too shiney. I'm wondering if I lightly sand....can I use satin on the second coat with no ill repercussions?

Thanks for your input,
Carol Ann

Tony B

Actually, that is the preferred method.
You should always build up all of your layers/coats with a clear gloss and only use the satin finish on your last coat. This way, you keep the grain and stain clear and 'soften' it with only the last coat.
Satin and semi-gloss finishes have 'flattening' agents added to them.
These flattening agents are usually microscopic plastic beads of sorts and their purpose is to diffuse the light. This scattered reflection gives it a softer look. However, this can be overdone with too many layers of the flattening agent giving the wood a 'dead' look. Cheap antique shops use nothing but satin finish on all their coats. This coupled with poor lighting hides a lot of sins.
Another thing you might want to try first is to put a little soapy water on the surface and use #0000 steel wool to rub along the grain. The soapy water will lubricate the surface so the steel wool will not cut too deep. Dont forget to wash the surface real good and wipe off all of the water and any microscopic particles of the steel wool. The steel wool will creat microscopic scratches to diffuse light instead of the flattening agents in the finish itself.
If you like the look, great. If you dont, go ahead with a light sanding of 220 grit and coat with the satin finish. Be sure to wash and clean up all of the soapy water first so as not to sand it into the finish.
There are actually much more sophicated techniques to do this, but this is the simplest.

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Tony B

http://www.thetexaswoodworks.com

Carol Ann

Thanks, Tony, for the great info.

Carol Ann