Waterlox vs Arm-R-Seal

[Tim Johnson]

I am looking for a low gloss finish on a Arts & Crafts style dresser, my issue is the inability to find a quart of satin Waterlox. Does anyone have experience with General finishes Arm-R-Seal satin finish and how might it compare to satin Waterlox? I need to get this project out and have applied one coat of Waterlox original, but am now looking to tone down the sheen with a final satin coat of finish. I can get the Arm-R-Seal locally, but it will take about one week for the Waterlox. Are the two similar, or should I bite the bullet and wait to get some more Waterlox?
Thanks,

[Roy Wall]

Tim,

Give the folks at GeneralFinishes dot com a call in the morning....they will be happy to assist you...

I've only used the Arm R Seal with Semi Gloss ( used Seal a cell first) a few times... After 3-4 coats, I knocked down the shine with a final coat of the Satin Arm R Seal.....very pleased with the outcome...

Good luck!

[Steve Schoene]

Both are wipe-on varnishes, with the Waterlox Satin containing a traditional resin (phenolic) and the General containing urethane (probably alkyd modified with urethane). I like the look of the Waterlox, and generally dislike poly but haven't tested the General version specifically.

[Carl Eyman]

Jeff Jewitt at homesteadfinishes.com carries it in quarts.

[Corey Hallagan]

How about just a hitting it with some 0000 steel wool over the high gloss surface. That is usually how I knock down any high gloss surface whether it is lacquer, poly etc. which I like to build up for durability when I can then knock the gloss down a bit when I want a satin look.

Corey