# How to Take Gloss out of Waterlox Finish - Satin or Steel Wool



## orlandodave (May 20, 2014)

So I am getting to the end of my first real furniture project. I am pretty stoked and when I put on the first coat of waterlox I was amazed at how the colors came out. After putting on the fourth coat it is a little glossier than I would like. After the research I have done I have concluded that I would either add one more coat of Waterlox Satin or buff with 000 steel wool (whatever that is).

However, I thought I would run it by everyone on here to get some advice.

Thanks in advance.

Dave


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Steel wool can be found at Home Depot by the sandpaper. It comes in a bag. I don't use gloss sheen, but with semi-gloss, I usually use 0000 steel wool, rub it in some Johnson's paste wax (comes in a yellow can, and you can just rub more in when the wool seems empty), then rub out the surface with it, then buff off the wax with a rag. It gives a nice satin sheen, and is really easy. Hard to tell from the photo, but if your surface has ridges and such, you'll need to make sure you get in all of the nooks with it to get an even sheen. I give my finish a couple days of curing before I do this, and have not had any issues.


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## orlandodave (May 20, 2014)

So I bought a quart can of Waterlox Satin. It was expensive but I figured I wouldn't use that much and if I stored it properly I would be able to use it on multiple projects. When I got home I dropped the can on the garage floor and the lid popped off and nearly all of it spilled out. After I stopped crying, I thought about slurping it up and spitting it back in the can but was afraid of that the reaction with my saliva my ruin the product. So I mopped it up with a rag and put what I had remaining in the can on the table top. It has had a few hours to dry and I am very pleased with the look. It knocked the glossy look right out of it but still shows the character of the wood. I'll post some pics of it in project when I am done with it.


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## orlandodave (May 20, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback Ed. Do you ever get to Kelly Ingram Park? It was named after my great uncle who received a metal of honor from WWI. I thought it was worth a shout out to good ol' uncle Kelly today especially.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmond_Ingram


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Dave, I'm from Binghamton, NY, not Birmingham, AL. Would be a heck of a drive!


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Glad that you saved some of that Waterlox. Save some (a lot) of $ in the future and do as Ed suggests. 0000 steel wool and Johnson's Paste Wax will do the trick easier,quicker and cheaper.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

The other nice thing about using the steel wool is that, if you have any dust nibs that landed on the surface, it will knock everything down to nice and silky smooth.


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## orlandodave (May 20, 2014)

I guess that would be a long drive. Sorry I misread that. They say that the eyes are the second thing to go. I can't remember what the first is.

I've got some areas on the table base that I didn't have enough of the Satin to cover so I'm gonna try the steel wood method. Thanks guys.

Dave


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