Q: Can I put a satin polyurethane over semi-gloss finish, on a hardwood floor?
A: Yes. As with all coatings, the finish will need to be thoroughly buffed to gain adhesion.
Can I put a coat of semi-gloss over satin?
Related Q: Several months ago I refinished the hardwood floors in my bedroom with a polyurethane. I recently refinished the adjoining hallway, but could not remember what finish I used in the bedroom, so I went with semi-gloss for the hallway. After seeing the 2 finishes side by side I now realize I used satin for my bedroom and the difference is obvious. I like the semi-gloss look and was wondering if I can just put a coat of semi-gloss over the satin in my bedroom to get them to match? What should I do?
A: Sure you can coat the other finish with any shine level you like. You will need to thoroughly abrade the previous coating first to make sure you get good adhesion. That means “scratching” the coating with a fine abrasive in the direction of the grain if you are going to rub it down by hand.
Can I put a satin over semi-gloss?
Related Q: I sanded a pre-finished birch floor. The previous finish did not come off entirely where the ends of the boards joined as they were ever so slightly offset. To remove the remaining finish in those areas, I used a random orbital palm sander. It looked fine until I applied 2 coats of clear water-based semi-gloss polyurethane. Now that the floor shines, the spots at the ends of boards now look like little dents when the light is reflected. I was so disappointed when I noticed this. I very much doubt there is anything I can do to fix this except to sand the entire floor again. I was thinking about using a satin over semi-gloss polyurethane for the remaining coats to reduce the sheen. Is it alright to apply satin poly over the semi-gloss?
A: You can apply any sheen over another as long as your fully abrade, scuff, scratch up the previous coat of finish. The problem with pre-finished floors is the bevel. These have to be done manually.
Can I change to a more matte sheen?
Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: We’ve just had new hardwood floors put in and chose a dark color stain with a shiny finish – I can’t get them clean, let alone keep them clean. There always seems to be a film on the floor and they show all the dirt. Can I remove the shiny top coat and redo with something more matte? What other options do I have?
A: Shiny and dark. This is the combo that will reveal every imperfection. Dark shows all dust. Shiny shows all imperfections. Have the floor buffed with a polisher and very fine screen, at least 180 grit, and have a satin or semi-gloss applied.
Original / moved link https://faceliftfloors.com/q-and-a/matte.php