Matt varnish or gloss varnish - safe or risky choice

About matt furniture and the shiny one we've talked before. We have said which is easier to maintain, which is harder, what are the advantages and disadvantages of choosing one or the other. But there is another point of view from which the choice can be viewed. It is that of the producer, the passionate carpenter who works the wood with love and dedication and who hopes that, after the varnish has been applied, the beauty of the wood will not be lost and its value will even increase. So, for these wood lovers, which is the best choice, matt varnish or gloss varnish?

First of all it must be said that it is very important what the client wants and it is good to respect this, especially if the client comes with a project made by an architect or designer. They have certainly placed the furniture in a context and it must be executed in such a way that, in the end, everything is coherent.

However, there are also situations where the customer leaves it up to the manufacturer, or where the craftsman works on something for which he also chooses the finish. The title suggests that there is a safe choice and a risky one. While the application of a matt lacquer is not too much of a problem, the application of a gloss finish, especially a mirror gloss, is difficult and several conditions have to be met to get a quality result.

The shine of furniture is often equated with the existence of a lake. Some people think that furniture has not been lacquered when it does not shine. This is not so. The degree of gloss of a varnish is given by its ability to reflect light and ranges from 0 to 100% and can be measured with a device called a glossmeter. Within this range there are several levels. From 0 to 7 we speak of deep matte (or natural effect), 10-40 is matte, 45-65 semi-matte (or satin as it is sometimes called in production), 70-90 gloss, 90-100 high gloss or mirror gloss.

For a furniture manufacturer it is much simpler to produce matt furniture. The higher the gloss level, the more difficult it becomes to achieve a beautiful surface, the most difficult being to achieve a mirror gloss. If you want to achieve glossy surfaces, from 70 upwards, it is not enough for the lacquer to have that gloss. Several other conditions must also be met:

• The working environment must be very clean. Any traces of dust trapped in the film are more visible the glossier the lacquer. As it is difficult to maintain a dust-free environment in the absence of pressurized spray booths or stapled finishing lines, polishing is needed to remove impurities

• Gloss lacquer must be applied on a very well laid and sanded primer. The film must not have the appearance of orange peel, not to be very thin, not to have dust or air bubbles included. That is why hard primers with a large body are used, which can be well sanded to provide the necessary base for the varnish. To give you an idea of what the primer should look like before the gloss varnish is applied, I can tell you that gloss determinations are made by applying the varnish to a piece of glass.
• The varnish should not dry too quickly to give the film time to set and spread as well as possible. If it is not well spread it does not reflect light well and polishing is needed to remove surface imperfections.

In order to see the difference between a mat varnish and a gloss varnish, an experiment can be carried out. Apply matt varnish and gloss varnish to the same room, on 2 different pieces of wood. After drying you will have the impression that the dust has been attracted by the gloss finish. In fact the dust has deposited the same on both samples, but it is only visible on the gloss lacquer.

Gloss finishing is also difficult because it highlights any defects. If the woodwork has not been well done, the slightest scratch will be highlighted and magnified.

The gloss level of the varnish is also chosen according to what you want to achieve and the resulting furniture must be in keeping with the space where it will be placed. If you want a table top with look as natural as possible, then a deep matt varnish will be chosen and the finish will be as thin as possible (2 thin coats, one of primer and one of varnish) so as not to have a noticeable film.

Also, if you're working with rustic or reclaimed woodEverything looks more natural if you apply matt lacquers.

When you are looking for a luxurious piece of furniture, you can choose a gloss lacquer in addition to an elegant design. Gloss has always been associated with luxury, with wealth. After all, gold and precious stones shine, right? And to keep it simple, you don't necessarily need a mirror sheen, you can also use lacquers with a gloss level above 70. In addition, gloss varnishes, because of their high transparency (due to the lack of a matting agent), bring out the natural beauty of the wood.

The easiest and most "covering" is to use varnishes with 30-40 gloss. These are also the best-selling varnishes. I say "covering" because they will gloss just enough to show that the furniture is varnished, but without the problems of higher gloss varnishes.

And from a maintenance point of view, the matt furniture is also the winner. Fingerprints are less visible, dust is also less noticeable, you don't need to polish it, just wipe it clean, no fine scratches from dust particles.

When it comes to furniture polish, it's not a question of beautiful or ugly. We are very different and what is very beautiful for one may be impossible to look at for another. There are fashions and styles that can influence our choices, but in the end it's all about what we like. But it is important for a manufacturer to choose the finish they can make and to tell the customer what they may be faced with when choosing a particular finish for their furniture.