I am having my brazilian walnut floor refinished. I want a matt or flat finish, but my floor guy says that it will show streaks unless it is done in a gloss. He also says that he will show me the product info that says that anything less than a gloss will streak. I don't know yet what the product is. What can I do to get what I really want? [/b]

Are you sure about that guy??? Go see some of his work for yourself at one of his referrals, especially one he did at least four or five months ago. Gloss is notorious for showing off all fine scratches over time and he'd better hope he's worth his salt as a sander too because gloss will show you all of his limitations i.e. drum marks, un-even edging in off-sets, etc... both of these are ESPECIALLY a factor in any dark species.

BUT if he's just a truly outstanding sander/prep guy and uses especially wonderful finish .. maybe you'll like it.

Personally, If you want the most matte finish with a truly hand rubbed appearence go with satin Waterlox tung oil (follow thier instructions - 1-2 coats sealer & 2 coats satin.) Not sure how you feel about a tung oil finish but it sure is a very deep rich natural look. May scratch a bit easier over time but very easy IMHO for even a DIYer to spot repair as needed or even recoat every few years.

My favorite OMP (oil modified polyurethane) is Last-N-Last by Absolute coatings. Unless a customer requests otherwise, that is what they get in a Satin sheen. They have a pretty darn tough Waterbourne too called Trek Plus. Not too many guys like "hybrid" finishing but I find Two Coats of LnL omp and 2 coats of Trek Plus tough as nails with a deep oil given appearance .....

Just my thoughts .... Good Luck!

Vee, We have only sanded and finished two Brazilian Walnut floors. On the first one we used 1-coat Glitsa Snap Dry waterborne sealer, 1-coat Glitsa Infinity II gloss and 1-coat Infinity semi-gloss. The next one we used the same sealer and 1-coat Infinity gloss followed by a final coat of satin. Our Glitsa rep told us to put gloss on the sealer then satin for a satin finish. Both jobs looked great, no streaks.
The waterborne finish was used because every test I did with oil finishes on the BW failed.
On a test panel or on your floor(in a small area) during sanding, I would try a coat of the waterborne sealer and two coats of Glitsa High Performance two-component waterborne finish(satin) then a coat of the matte and see if it is the sheen you are looking for. Any good brand of finish that offers a matte finish will do. If it has streaks and looks bad try several combinations until you get it right.
We have been using 90% waterborne finishes for three years now and have used satin and matte on many of our jobs(including the exotics) and have only seen streaks in the finish when we were first learning to apply the waterborne or if we cause them.
There are other finish systems that can also be used to give you a satin or matte finish on BW.

Buddy

Thanks to both of you. There doesn't seem to be too many people around that have used this wood.

Brazilian Wanut (Ipe) is a favorite for decking as it is very stable and rot resistant. It also is a great wood for floors but is dark. Gloss will show flaws more; matte or satin looks better, IMO. But it is a personal choice. I would ask to see samples of the sheens. Satins and mattes can show streaking if applied too thin, very unevenly or not mixed well. Some products are easier for us to work with than others. AS for the oil content in exotics, a coat of Zinsser's Seal Coat first, should solve adhesion difficulties. You can then put any finish over that (except acid cure or moisture cure).

Just my humble option (I'm not a pro), but I think that is great advice. Tung oil has a lot of advantages, and I think the final finish will look more natural with the Brazilian Walnut and really make your floor a stand out. And as he mentioned Tung Oil is <I>really</I> easy to work with if you ever need to touch up a spot.

I just got a call from a previous customer. I had installed and finished 4500 sq.ft. of Carlisle Antique Heart Pine. I used Minway Early American stain and three heavy coats of Waterlox. It looked great when I was done and the Waterlox was EASY to work with, except for the smell. Well, now she is complaining that is is all scratched up and claims I didn't put enough finish on the floors. I said I put on four coats; one stain and three clear (and I FLOODED those floors). Anyway, she wants me to recoat the floors (at her expense, I'll be paid). Just want you people out there to know that when you use tung oil/Waterlox, you will have to recoat more often than if you used poly. It does not wear as well.

Hello again Gary,
First time I used Waterlox was on 9', 11", and 15" mixed width WIDE plank Eastern White Pine Stained Bradford Umber then topped with two heavy coats of the sealer and two coats of the Satin. This particular customer wanted patina and a very used look. They even sped up the process with three German Shepards. I called them for a visit 'cause I was curious to say the least as to what shape it was in after about four months. The floor was definitely getting worn nicely. I was really impressed to see that even though that extremely soft Eastern White was definitely claw marked with indentions, the tung oil itself was not "fractured" that anyone could tell. You are right though. I tell tung oil customers to expect a rrecoat in about two years under normal traffic, and learned from Waterlox that OMU will definitely adhere no problem to thier product, so that if a customer realizes that they shoulda gone with OMU I'l give 'em a pretty decent break on a recoat (two coats) Absolute or Last-n-Last.
Of course you know the best customers are good listeners and well qualified. I try my best to go over pros and cons of each job because I truly want them to love thier floor. It never hurts to flat out ask if they are the type that kicks off thier shoes when they come in.
Seems like guys like you and me who hang out in these forums are part teacher anyway, and have figured out that an educated customer is appreciative and usually is the best source of referrals.
Sorry about the call back .. at least you won't be working for free.
Regards,