Hardwood Floors June/July 2019

Adjusting sheen – The sheen of the final coat of finish will likely differ slightly from the surrounding flooring, even if the same products were used. It is important that the final coat of finish being used is properly mixed and applied as recommended by the finish manufacturer. To trick the eyes into accepting the repair area, you can tape off individual boards or entire sections of the floor, carefully aligning the tape along board seams or grain.This may work with slight variations in sheen level. Unlike “workable” finishes such as shellac and lacquer that can be rubbed out and sheen-adjusted using super-

A real wood floor can easily last hundreds of years. Due to its longevity within the home, every wood floor will, at some point, earn a scratch, a dent, a gouge, or some other sort of blemish during its service life. It’s just a part of the memory the floor has. The beauty of living on a wood floor is that most of these damages are repairable. Brett Miller is VP of Education & Certification at the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. He can be reached at brett.miller@nwfa.org.

fine (0000) steel wool, most wood floor finishes are not capable of being adjusted in this manner. The automotive paint industry often uses flattening pastes (made from silica grains) to decrease gloss levels or polishing compounds to increase gloss levels. People in the wood flooring industry with an automotive painting background have seen great success in bringing these techniques to the finishing side of our industry to adjust sheen levels. It is essential to be aware of how any of these compounds or polishes may affect future maintenance coats from adhering.

THE CHOICE IS CLEAR. AND TOUGH. AND INCREDIBLY EASY TO USE. Glitsa Elite 1k ™ is a durable, 100% urethane waterborne finish that dries crystal clear. Apply non-yellowing Elite 1k over light colored stains or woods and never worry about compromising the color. Elite 1k flows out nicely, leaving a consistently even and level sheen and no struggling with lift or lap marks. As a single-component there’s never any wasted finish since it doesn’t require a crosslinker. Whether you use this versatile finish on its own, over a sealer, or under other fine Glitsa waterborne finishes, Glitsa Elite 1k is always the clear choice.

EASY DURABLE VERSATILE

See Glitsa Elite 1k at your local Glitsa distributor.

Available in Gloss, Semi-Gloss, Satin and Matte

NEVER COMPROMISE www.glitsa.com

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the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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