How To Get Shiny Wood Finish

One of the biggest challenges you are most likely to encounter while working with the wood finish is how to make it shiny.

There are several methods and techniques you can use to achieve a shiny finish on your wood surfaces.

The methods are relatively easy to understand, and you can do it yourself.

However, it will require complete dedication of your time since it’s time-consuming.

Do you want to find out how you can get a glass-like finish on your wood surface?

Then continue reading this post.

In this blog, I will discuss a step-by-step guide you can use to leave your woodwork shining…

A step-by-step guide on how to get a shiny finish on wood

A gloss mirror-like finish on your new or old wooden piece will enhance its aesthetical appearance.

It makes the wood lively and stunning.

Here are the steps on how to get that look.

Step 1- prepare the working area.

The initial step is preparing your working station.

First, place your piece of wood on a wide cloth.

That spill cloth will help in maintaining your floor clean from the wood debris.

Then open the doors and windows in your working area to ensure it is well ventilated.

Lastly, put on your safety gear such as a face mask and safety goggles to prevent any chemicals or wood dust from getting into contact with your eyes or breathing.

Step 2- Prepare the wood

The next step is to prepare your wood surfaces for gloss.

You do that by first cleaning all the visible dirt on the wood surfaces using a damp cloth.

Then use a dry piece of cloth to remove any excess moisture on the wood.

Once it is clean and dry, you can now sand down the wood surface using medium-grit sandpaper.

Sanding helps in removing any scratches, bumps, or damaged portions on the wood.

After sanding the damaged areas, use fine-grit sandpaper and rub the entire surface of your wood until it’s smooth to the touch.

Lastly, using a clean, dry piece of cloth or a vacuum, remove the sanded sawdust.

Pay more attention to the corners and nooks of the wood surface, where fine sawdust particles are likely to settle.

Step 3-Apply the undercoats

This step involves applying the gloss. Polyurethane gloss is one of the best coatings I can recommend.

It has a higher level of reflectivity and sheen.

Start by opening and stirring the polyurethane gloss.

However, be gentle while mixing to prevent bubbles from forming because they can cause problems during application.

Then, depending on the type of gloss you are applying, you can choose to apply a seal coat or not.

For self-sealing polyurethane, you will not need to use a seal.

However, if your gloss requires a seal, apply it on your sanded wood to seal it. Read on the label to confirm how long you should wait before applying gloss coatings over the seal coat.

After the seal coat is completely dry, apply coats of gloss.

Using a clean paintbrush apply an even coat of undiluted gloss on your wood surface.

Let the coating dry thoroughly, then follow the same procedure to apply the second coat of gloss.

Then using a razor blade, remove any uneven patches or bumps left behind on the wood surface.

Using buffing motions, gently sand the areas you have removed the blemishes using wet sandpaper to improve the smoothness of the wood finish.

Step 4- Finishing up

Lastly, apply the final coat once the second coat is fully dry.

However, the waiting time should not exceed 48 hours.

Now you can choose to buff the wood surface to enhance its shininess.

To do so, apply the polishing compound on a microfiber cloth and polish the entire wood surface with it.

Rub the surface until the compound completely dries off. That compound will maximize the shiny effect to the fullest.

So, How Do You Get Shiny Wood Finish?

You first prepare your working area, prepare the wood surface by cleaning and sanding, and later apply the undercoats.

Finish up by applying the final gloss coat and buff to maximize the shiny effect on the wood surface.

Nonetheless, to attain your desired result, you need to be patient and work consistently till you finish.

The above are the four steps I used to make my wood shiny.

Though I had no prior experience, the outcome turned out to be fantastic.