Leyland Trade Oil-Based Gloss

Satinwood V Gloss What Is The Difference?

If you are doing some wood painting in the house, be it doors or skirting then one question will have crossed your mind. Do I use satinwood or gloss? What is the difference between the two, Let’s have a look.

Satinwood V Gloss

Satinwood is a mid-sheen paint while gloss is a high sheen paint. Both paints are available as water-based and oil-based.

Oil Based or Water Based?

While gloss is generally considered to be an oil-based paint there are now tonnes of really good water-based gloss paints out there.

There are also satinwood paints available as either water-based paint or oil-based paint. So water or oil-based is not a reason to get one over the other anymore, where in the past it might have been.

When it comes to oil-based v water-based paints there are pros and cons to each. Water-based paint is easier to clean up after you’re done painting, it is also better for the environment and tends to dry a lot quicker.

Oil-based paints are usually harder wearing and you tend to get a better finish with them. Oil-based gloss paint tends to be a lot glossier than water-based gloss. It also tends to be a lot thicker which leads to a much smoother finish over water-based gloss.

One big problem with oil-based white paints is that they yellow. If you have ever noticed that your gloss has gone yellow after a few years then it was probably an oil-based gloss. This doesn’t happen in the same way with water-based paints.

The difference between the paints

The only real difference between these two paints is the sheen level. all this means is that one is shinier than the other.

Gloss is the shinier of the two and is also the more traditional paint. Not long ago all houses would have their woodwork painted with white gloss.

But tastes change and the more modern look is a flatter white paint, like satinwood.

While I say that satinwood is not as shiny as gloss it is still shinier than a eggshell or matt paint. This is why it is described as a mid-sheen paint.

So in order of shininess, it would go Matt < Satinwood < Gloss

How To Paint Satinwood

Satinwood can be applied using a brush, roller or even pad. Due to it not being as high sheen as gloss it is usually easier to achieve a high level of finish with.

I would recommend using a gloss roller with satinwood paint. This way you can achieve a really high-quality finish free of any brush marks.

How To Paint Gloss

Like satinwood, you can paint gloss with a brush, roller or pad. It also comes in spray form, which I don’t think satinwood does. If it does then I have never seen it!

I would again recommend a gloss Knapp roller. I don’t recommend using a foam roller as every time I have used a foam roller with gloss it seems to leave bubbles in the finish.

Sam Wood

Wood by name, wood by nature. I am a fully qualified, time-served, award-winning joiner with an NVQ Level 3 in Carpentry and Joinery as well as an HNC in Construction. Beyond my joinery qualifications, I have also earned a degree in building surveying. I believe these qualifications make me perfectly positioned to provide expert advice on many different areas of DIY as well as share all of the tips I have picked up in over a decade working on building sites!

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