First, this is not about a fine woodworking project. I have an old Ikea dresser in a spare bedroom that has fallen victim to various abuses over the years. I decided on a whim to lightly sand the top and apply some new finish just to make it a little less ugly.
I had some minwax poly laying around and it was semi-gloss. Really wanted to go with less sheen than semi, but it was sitting there and it was "free". Figured I could just buy some less glossy and do a second coat with that if it was too shiny.
Well, you guessed it. The semi turned out to produce a very glossy result, and I bought a can of satin and put a coat of that on it…doesn't seem like it knocked down the sheet AT ALL.
So, I'm wondering…is the notion that a lower sheen poly over a shiny poly will knock down the sheen just broken? Does that not work in general? Or does it take a bunch of coats?
Should I just forget about "building up a lower sheen" with a few more coats and go ahead and sand the sheen off and start over? (being very careful not to sand through the paper-thin veneer)
note: both the semi-gloss and the satin are "fast drying" oil-based minwax poly from Lowes.
I had some minwax poly laying around and it was semi-gloss. Really wanted to go with less sheen than semi, but it was sitting there and it was "free". Figured I could just buy some less glossy and do a second coat with that if it was too shiny.
Well, you guessed it. The semi turned out to produce a very glossy result, and I bought a can of satin and put a coat of that on it…doesn't seem like it knocked down the sheet AT ALL.
So, I'm wondering…is the notion that a lower sheen poly over a shiny poly will knock down the sheen just broken? Does that not work in general? Or does it take a bunch of coats?
Should I just forget about "building up a lower sheen" with a few more coats and go ahead and sand the sheen off and start over? (being very careful not to sand through the paper-thin veneer)
note: both the semi-gloss and the satin are "fast drying" oil-based minwax poly from Lowes.