A Practical Guide to Understanding and Adjusting Sheens Definition Sheen (Shn) 1

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Sheens - A Practical Guide To Understanding and Adjusting Sheens Definition sheen (shn) 1. Glistening brightness; luster: the sheen of old satin in candlelight. 2. A glossy surface given to materials. Noun, sheen - the visual property of something that shines with reflected light, shininess, luster, lustre, radiancy, refulgence, reflectance, shine, effulgence, radiance - the quality of being bright and sending out rays of light

Now you know the definition of sheen; why are sheens important? Sheens play a huge role in any finishing project. You can take identical pieces of furniture, spray one with a glossy finish and apply a flat sheen finish to the other, and you will have two completely different looks. Sheens also can have a profound effect on the perceived quality of furniture.

So how are sheens measured? There are as many names for sheens as there are for stain colors. Every manufacturer uses different names to describe what they think a particular sheen should look like. I'm sure you have heard many of them; flat, dead flat, satin, egg shell, matte, gloss, hi-gloss, and the list grows every year as companies try to differentiate their products. While there is a general understanding of what these names may mean, there is absolutely no guarantee that every product called satin will be the same sheen! If you are purchasing a new coating that you have no experience with, you don't have to make a sheen choice on name alone.

To ensure consistent sheens from batch to batch, manufactures use gloss meters. Gloss meters measure the angles that a light beam bounces back from a dry coating sample. Thus providing us with a standardized gloss measurement that can be used between brands and different types of coatings!

Flattening paste reduces the gloss by reflecting light at different angles. The more particles added to your finish from a flattening paste, the less light reflection you will have. The particles absorb the light and bounce it back at different angles. In a full gloss surface, you can see your reflection, but in lower sheens you cannot. Flattening paste is the reason.

• 5-10 degree angle is dead flat to flat • 25-35 degree bounce is a satin Typical Sheen Degrees by Name • 50-60 degree bounce is semi-gloss • 80-90 degree bounce is full gloss

Unfortunately, everyone doesn't provide the technical degree measurements on the label, but it is almost always available if you ask for it! You can usually find the degree of sheens from the manufacture, most often located on the technical data sheet (TDS). You know, the one with all the technical information about the product that most of us don't bother to read!

A Practical Guide To Sheens Copyright 2019 Wood Finishers Depot. Originally written by Terry Parrish, updated by Andy Davis third generation finisher This article may not be used in whole or part without specific written permission.

How about Flattening Paste? It is often necessary to reduce, or lower the sheen of coatings used for top coats. Our VSP0121 Universal Flattening Paste will reduce the sheen on most lacquer, precatalyzed lacquer and conversion varnish finishes.

Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when using this product:

When using in a lacquer based product thin the flattening paste with lacquer thinner to make it easier to go into suspension. Remember that flattening paste is often made from silica, a form of sand, so by reducing the paste with lacquer thinner you are also helping to disperse the silica grains into a liquid suspension.

Always use a mechanical stir paddle or paint shaker when using flattening paste. Flattening paste is often difficult to get into a liquid suspension. Manually stirring by hand will not provide the shear necessary to cut the solids into a liquid suspension. By first thinning the paste, and then adding while mechanical stirring or shaking on a machine afterwards you will have less problems with your flattening paste.

Always strain your coatings into your spray gun, this will catch any particulate or other trash left in the coating before it enters your spray gun. It is always a good idea to strain all of your coatings, but after adding flattening paste it is mandatory.

You understand how flattening paste works, you know how to mix, now how much do I add? While different types of products (varnishes, vs. lacquers, etc) all hold the flattening paste differently, the chart provided below is a simple guideline for lowering sheens in our Amarium Professional Precatalyzed lacquer. As always follow the directions and do a spot test before spraying the entire piece.

Sheen Reduction Charts Using Axalta Flattening Paste (VSP0121)

AMARUIM Professional Precatalyzed Lacquer Base Product 60 Sheen 40 Sheen 20 Sheen 10 Sheen Semi-Gloss Soft gloss Satin Matte 90 Sheen Gloss add 1.3 oz. add 3.7 oz. add 6.7 oz. Not Recommended (Stock # NUF4009) 60 Sheen Gloss add 2.4 oz. add 5.4 oz. Not Recommended (Stock # NUF4006) 40 Sheen Gloss add 2.9 oz. add 8.1 oz. (Stock # NUF4004) 20 Sheen Gloss add 5.2 oz. (Stock # NUF4002)

ULTRAGUARD Conversion Varnish Base Product 60 Sheen 40 Sheen 20 Sheen 10 Sheen Semi-Gloss Soft gloss Satin Matte 90 Sheen Gloss add 8.1 oz. add 13.8 oz. Not Recommended Not Recommended (Stock # AUC5809) 60 Sheen Gloss add 5.7 oz. add 22.1 oz. Not Recommended (Stock # AUF5806) 40 Sheen Gloss add 16.3 oz. add 32.3 oz. (Stock # AUF5804) 20 Sheen Gloss add 16.0 oz. (Stock # AUF5802)

LUSTER LAC Lacquer Base Product 60 Sheen 40 Sheen 20 Sheen 10 Sheen Semi-Gloss Soft gloss Satin Matte 90 Sheen Gloss add 1.6 oz. add 3.2 oz. Add 6.4 oz. Not Recommended (Stock # NAC1119) 60 Sheen Gloss add 1.6 oz. add 4.8 oz. Not Recommended (Stock # NAF1116) 40 Sheen Gloss add 3.2 oz. add 7.7 oz. (Stock # NAF1114) 20 Sheen Gloss add 4.5 oz. (Stock # NAF1112)

A final note: Why would I want to use a flattening paste when I can just buy the sheen I want from my supplier? You wouldn't, however once in a while you get into a situation where reducing the sheen on a product becomes necessary. When that time comes hopefully this information will be helpful.

Also keep in mind that the only difference between sheens of the same product, are the flattening paste. Yes, manufactures use the same process described here, but in large batches, to produce different sheens. So, by inter-mixing different sheens of the same product, you can achieve the same results as by manually adding flattening pastes. If you start knowing the precise degree of sheen that each product has you can mix with predictable results. Example: If I have a gallon of "off the shelf" gloss that measures 90 degree, and I mix it with another gallon of "off the shelf" matte that measures 10 degrees, the adjusted result will be around a 40 degree sheen, what I consider to be a soft-gloss. The advantage is that we have manipulated the sheen with "off the shelf" finish, without having to manually add any flattening paste.