Trouble with sheen level with USL

[Russell Tribby]

I had to build a new door for an entertainment center and am trying to match the finish. I ended up spraying a tinted vinyl sealer for the base color. I then put some black glaze on top of the that and then sprayed a light coat of vinyl sealer on top of the glaze. All of this was done at the recommendation of the guys at the paint supply store I go to. I then topped it off with a coat of satin USL. The problem is that the satin looks more like a gloss finish. It's not even close to being satin. I only sprayed one coat. Will the sheen level change with a second coat? If not what options do I have? I rubbed it to down with some 0000 steel wool but all that did was really dull it.

[Jamie Buxton]

Did you stir the can thoroughly? The flatting agent drops to the bottom, so you need to stir it up before spraying.

[Russell Tribby]

I have a 2qt. pressure pot and the finish was in a 1 qt. can. If anything it would've pulled the finish from the bottom of the. I'll remix the finish and try again tomorrow.

[Jamie Buxton]

After you dump the quart can of finish into the pressure pot, look in the bottom of the can. If you see a layer of whitish or almost-transparent mud in the bottom, that's the flatting compound you don't want to leave in the can.

[Rob Cunningham]

I agree with Jamie, make sure you stir well. The flattening agents can get pretty thick on the bottom of the can if it has sat for a while.
I would be careful about using steel wool between coat. If you don't get all the little bits cleaned off you could end up with rust spots in your finish. Depending on where you got the steel wool, there could also be oil residue which will cause contamination.

[Joe Chritz]

You can rub out USL like you would NC lacquer after it has cured completely.

My guess is that when you pulled off the gallon (or 5) can the flattening agent didn't get stirred in well enough. It really settles and it takes a lot less time that I would have thought to do so.

Don't use steel wool between coats at all. Maybe after is fine but the synthetic abrasives are much better to use all around.

Go to the Target website and check the finishing forum, it is specific to Target products and most questions are answered by the President.

Joe