hgiljr

Hello all. So I finished this weekend staining my outdoor tables using Olympic Semi stain on my outdoor tables and the finish has a bit more shine then what we wanted. We wanted more of a matte finish like the furniture originally had... Can I do anything to drop the shine a bit? For future how can I achieve the matte finish? Should I go with a toner instead of a semi transparent sealer? Go with water based instead of oil based? Any info appreciated. Thanks again all...

jerry

Rub the finish with one of the synthetic steel wools (scotchbright).

Jerry

hgiljr

OK, will give that a try, but won't that scratch the finish?

Gerry KIERNAN

You can get various grades of Scotchbrite. I think grey is the finest grade. Try it out on a sample board first to see if you get the desired effect. Grey should dull the finish a bit without leaving visible scratches.
Of course, if you leave the furniture out in the sun and rain for awhile that will also dull it.

Gerry

hgiljr

I just googled the gray one and it is the finest. I mainly recall seeing locally the green or blue one. What stores can I target locally that would carry this? Home improvement store? Thanks again for all help.

Gerry KIERNAN

Home improvement stores would be a good bet, but if you can't find the grey Scotchbrite at one of them you may have to look for an indutrial supply house, or possibly an aircraft supply house. We used to use Scotch brite a lot in the aircraft industry.

This may be a silly idea, but try the google site again and see if they'll send you a sample. You will likely only need one sheet for what you want to do.

Gerry

cabinetman

Other than Scotch Brite pads (light grey), you could use a synthetic wool, that some are equal to 0000 steel wool and smoother. Here is one example.

There are many types of "wools" other than steel wool (which shards left can rust) made from a variety of minereal and synthetic based material.