best way to get a matte finish without steel wool

[Nick Sorenson]

I'm looking to de gloss a finish (lacquer or polyurethane). Is there a good way to do this without steel wool?

I should add, this is a piano top style (leveled and glossy) finish.

[Scott Conners]

(Wet) Sand. I like the look of 800-1000 grit on hard finishes like lacquer. Coarser grit is more matte, finer more glossy, infinitely variable. Keep the paper very clean, use high quality paper. Wet sanding helps a lot with controlling removed material, helping to avoid scratches in the finish, but you need work that is well sealed and can tolerate the water. If you're sanding a flat surface, use a flat tool - a sanding block of some type, not just hand. Be careful of corners. Sand until ou get a uniform white, then clean and check the surface by wiping with a cloth after blowing with air if you have it.

[Nick Sorenson]

I agree. That can be a great look!

The one thing I'm looking for also is that it doesn't look scratchy. I'd like it to look like it's just dull but not scratchy... if that's possible.

[Scott Holmes]

Wet sand with mineral spirits (cuts faster) or mineral oil (cuts slower). I would use a 1000 or 1200 grit to start, if it's not dull enough you can go to an 800 or 600. Easier to to start too high, than to start too coarse; you could cut throught the finish.

If it's a piano it is highly unlikely that it's poly; poly is tough, not hard; and high gloss that's been buff out is a hard finish.

Go slowly and as noted be very careful near the edges.

[Nick Sorenson]

Thank you Scott H., would that be any different than what Scott Conners had said above (he mentioned nearly the same grits but I think he was implying using water as the lubricant)?

I'd like it to not look scratched (or swirled if I use the DA), just matte.

[Keith Outten]

I use Scotch 3M pads on my random orbital sander for just about all finishing and repair work. You can get any level of finish you want easy and quick, it depends on which pad you select and whether you use a paste wax or not. No scratches or swirls and you can get a perfect finish from matte to high gloss real quick.
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[Howard Acheson]

Why are you against steel wool? Using a non-woven abrasive pad like Scotchbrite is equivalent to using steel wool.

Did you put on the finish? How long has the finish been on the item?

Poly varnish does not rub out well. Urethane is added to a finish to resist scratching. Rubbing out is scratching. It's very difficult to end up with an even sheen when rubbing out. To have any chance at all, the poly must be thoroughly cured. Four to six weeks in minimal.

If the finish is a mystery, go to the first item in the first posting in this forum titled "What is this finish".

[Scott Conners]

I tend to avoid mineral spirits or other solvents on unknown finishes, I've had enough mistakes where I thought a solvent would be safe and it wasn't to be gunshy. Test your finish and your lubricant before using it on large areas!
I learned from experience that there are HUGE differences in the quality of steel wool. The junk at home depot marked "0000" is nothing like the quality of Liberon. 0000 by Liberon rubs out hard finishes really well, leaving a soft smooth haze, no scratches. I find it one of the easiest things to work with, especially on anything that isn't flat. Flat work is much easier to use scotch pads or sandpaper. I equate it to somewhere in 800-1000 grit, except it doesn't load up the way fine grit paper does, especially on oily wood like cocobolo. It leaves a beautiful polish on woods like that, very nice. Steel wool doesn't flattena fninsh very well though, so if I'm trying to level a thick finish prior to polishing to gloss, I use paper or micromesh.

However, if you want to preserve the flatness of a finish, I definitely think a sanding pad and paper is the way to go. A random orbit also can work wonders with 800 or 1000 grit on it. When I say grit, I mean CAMI grit, not P grit (like P1000). 800 grit CAMI is the equivalent of P1500 grit. Typically I use black automotive wet sanding paper for this. It works well, but clogs easily and so works best wet with some water/solvent/oil lubricant.

I use micromesh a lot for this too, it can be rinsed out if it loads up, and lasts virtually forever. You can adjust the finish shine in really small steps by working up or down the grits.