Over
the last few years we have seen an ever increasing demand for very low sheen
lacquers.
Whereas
a few years ago most clients chose 30% satin as the lowest sheen level we are
now commonly asked to spray joinery in 10%, 5% and even 0% matt sheen levels.
These
low matt sheen levels have become increasingly popular as they are marketed as
giving a more natural feel and look, as they almost resemble unpolished timber.
Unfortunately using
such low sheen lacquers is not always practical, due to the inherent
manufacturing limitations.
Very
low sheen lacquers are produced by using gloss lacquer and adding a matting
agent. This matting agent is basically millions of tiny particles that suspend
within the lacquer and produce a rough finish on the surface of the lacquer.
The lower the sheen level required the more matting agent is added to the lacquer.
When
the clear lacquer is reduced down to a very matt finish (such as 10%) the
lacquer is combined with so much matting agent that it actually changes the colour
of the lacquer. The lacquer turns from clear to a light milky colour, due to
the huge volume of tiny particles suspended within the lacquer.
When
we spray the matt lacquer over timber joinery it alters the colour and gives
the surface coating a light foggy appearance.
Using very low sheen
lacquer takes away the crisp clean look of stained timber and makes natural
timber look different to what most customers expect.
This
foggy appearance becomes more pronounced on dark timbers and also dark stained
timbers.
As
the matt lacquer is quite milky in appearance and alters the finished colour
and look of the timber it creates a production problem. If each individual item
of joinery is not sprayed perfectly evenly you will have uneven colours
throughout the joinery. If an individual panel or door requires an extra coat
of lacquer it can end up looking a different colour or gloss level to all other items. Therefore
it is almost impossible to undertake repairs for you at a later date unless we
respray an entire section of joinery.
Again
this problem is more pronounced on darker joinery.
See below a wall of
grain matched walnut veneer where one panel was given an extra coat of lacquer
to repair a small scratch. The panel appeared perfect from the right hand side
and from the front but looked shinier and a different colour when viewed from the
left hand side. The finish was in fact not shinier but being slightly thicker
the light from the window reflected differently on that one panel.
The other concern we
have with Matt lacquers is the rough surface of the finished product.
Just like using very flat paint on a wall at
home, Matt lacquer marks a lot easier than satin and semi gloss lacquers and
can be very difficult to clean. If you rub too vigorously, then just like the
wall painted with flat paint you will start to create shiny spots. This is
caused by a slight removal of some of the matting agent as you rub the surface.
Oily marks and dirt will get caught in the rough surface and can prove very
difficult to remove. Even cleaning the joinery with slightly dirty water can
leave streaks. Just like that flat paint wall at home, many clients have
reported having to clean the entire joinery surface with an even wipe over and
dry the surface evenly so that the entire panel looks even.
The
use of very low sheen lacquers are being specified on many projects by
designers and architects. There is an assumption being made that matt lacquer
will just be the same as any other lacquer that may have been used in the past.
Unfortunately this is not always the case.
We
are happy to discuss individual projects with you or your clients at any time
to clarify the limitations of using very low sheen lacquers.
