Gloss is for durability and how do you prevent gloss from becoming dull in the long run.
When painting outside, a gloss is often used.
You can then choose between a silk gloss paint and a high gloss paint.
The former is often used indoors and the high gloss paint is often used outdoors.
The more it shines, the better for your woodwork.
Which is also an advantage that you get less adhesion of dirt on your outdoor painting when you choose glossy.
You often opt for high gloss because the eye also wants this and it gives a beautiful appearance.
When everything shines beautifully, you get a kick out of it.
On a high gloss you can of course see everything.
The main thing is to do the preliminary work properly so that you get a tight result.
Gloss regularly maintained
Once you have applied the paint and it has cured, the main thing is to clean it regularly.
With some paint brands you immediately get a shiny result and with other paint brands the convex brilliance only starts after a few days or even weeks.
But as I said, the main thing after that is to maintain it properly.
If you clean all wood parts well twice a year, you will retain your high gloss and thus prevent the dirt from sticking less quickly.
Do this twice a year.
In the spring and autumn.
This way you can enjoy a shiny result on your paintwork in the summer.
Glitter what is it actually
Sparkle is the amount of light reflected from a surface.
A surface can include a door, window frame, wind vanes and so on.
Depending on the degree of gloss, measuring angles are used for this.
An 85 degree angle is matt, a 60 degree angle is satin and high gloss has a measuring angle of 20 degrees.
These are methods to measure the degree of gloss.
Today there are gloss meters for sale that can measure this.
This is also known as gloss units.
The appearance is technically good, but visually bad
It is possible that the degree of gloss after measurement is good, but can be bad for the eye.
Then you have to ask yourself what that could be.
The thought that then runs through your head is that maybe the paint isn’t good enough.
It could be a cause.
I personally don’t agree with that.
My conclusion is that it is the preliminary work.
Good preparation is half the job.
This means that you have done the degreasing and sanding correctly.
As far as sanding is concerned, the main thing is how fine you have sanded.
It could also be that you have not used a good primer (check out these top choices instead).
I always recommend that you use a primer from the same paint brand so you know there are no voltage differences.
In short, if you use these rules for a good execution of the preliminary work, you will retain a deep shine.
How does the sparkle work in dark colors?
Sparkle on dark colors is harder to maintain.
Especially with indoor work.
By this I mean covered places where no rain can come.
Such as canopies at a front door.
Or wooden parts under, for example, an awning.
A kind of haze will appear on your painting, which will make the shine disappear.
It is a result of air pollution.
This pollution is also called ammonium sulphate.
Fortunately, you can easily remove this.
You will have to clean this regularly because it keeps coming back.
What else is it influenced by
It can be influenced by more factors.
Of course, the preliminary work remains essential.
But you can also influence this during the finishing process.
You can influence that in particular with brush strokes.
For example, if your brush hairs are not soft enough, you will see this later in your final result.
Even when you paint with a paint roller.
Make sure you don’t press too much with the roller.
This can also have a negative effect on the gloss level.
Which is also a factor that your primer has not cured long enough, for example.
This is reflected in your final result.
Of course, a paint manufacturer will always strive to have a paint retain a convex shine.
One then suggests a better shine than the other.
In reality this is so.
There is, of course, a difference in gloss level.
What I have very good experiences with is the Sigma S2u Gloss.
This one does indeed keep a long convex shine.
Provided, of course, that you regularly clean the woodwork.
But my final conclusion remains that good preparation is a must.
What do you think about this?
Do you also have a question or an opinion about this?
Let me know by leaving a comment below this article.
Thanks in advance.
Piet de Vries
@Schilderpret-Stadskanaal
I'm Joost Nusselder, the founder of Tools Doctor, content marketer, and dad. I love trying out new equipment, and together with my team I've been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with tools & crafting tips.
