daeman said:
In reply to Curtis73 :
Given I was initially leaning in the direction of a satin finish water based poly, that's some really handy info. I'll be keeping it in mind
Sure. It's not unlike automotive finishes. Usually the primer and base coats are matte or satin but the clear is gloss, or vice versa you could put a matte clear on top of gloss paint... although in that case you would be scuffing the gloss first.
The difference with polyurethane is that as it cures, you're re-coating during a time when the new coat "keys in" to the old coat and doesn't require scuffing.
Many enamels are that way too. Ever notice a can of spray paint says something like "recoat after 30 minutes but before 12 hours?" That's your window where a new coat will still key into the old coat. If you wait more than 12 hours it has cured far enough that the instructions say to scuff.
Curtis73 said:
daeman said:
In reply to Curtis73 :
Given I was initially leaning in the direction of a satin finish water based poly, that's some really handy info. I'll be keeping it in mind
Sure. It's not unlike automotive finishes. Usually the primer and base coats are matte or satin but the clear is gloss, or vice versa you could put a matte clear on top of gloss paint... although in that case you would be scuffing the gloss first.
The difference with polyurethane is that as it cures, you're re-coating during a time when the new coat "keys in" to the old coat and doesn't require scuffing.
Many enamels are that way too. Ever notice a can of spray paint says something like "recoat after 30 minutes but before 12 hours?" That's your window where a new coat will still key into the old coat. If you wait more than 12 hours it has cured far enough that the instructions say to scuff.
It makes plenty of sense when you put it like that. Having not used poly before I hadn't really given it much thought.
I'm looking forward to experimenting with different finishes, it'll be really interesting to see how they change the look of the wood. I'm also looking forward to seeing how you decide to proceed with your floor and what treatment you end up using, good luck mate.
In reply to Curtis73 :
Try a coat of shellac first. It really brings out the beauty of wood. This is a board of live edge walnut fresh off the planner 
In reply to frenchyd :
Here's the same piece of wood with one wash coat of shellac Sanding the wood would smooth it out and not have it so rough looking. 
In reply to frenchyd :
I typically start with 150 grit, go to 220 for flooring and 320 for furniture. If you want deep gloss once you have the coats of shellac you want you sand it with 320 , 400, 600 & 1000 grit using a random orbit sander. It takes me less than 10 minutes per grit to do about 500 sq ft. It's really light sanding. After each grit wipe off the resulting white dust with a cotton towel.
You can further bring out the gloss with fine polishing grit and then buffing. Just like a car paint job.
Oh with regard a "window" and shellac. Anything less than 200 years and new will still melt into old. Probably older too but I haven't tested it.
