Help with woodcare Understanding finishes

Matt, satin or gloss on wood

Sheen decides what you see — the grain, the light, the dust, the scratches — and what the surface will put up with: matt forgives, gloss reveals, satin arbitrates. Mylac comes in Matt, Satin and Gloss for floors, Quick Dry Varnish Kitchen and Bathroom in the same three sheens for wood in wet rooms; Hard Wax Oil gives the living matt of an oil; French polish with shellac, the mirror gloss; Melamine Lacquer Gloss, the hard semi-gloss of turning. A sheen is lowered with Wax Cutting or fine wire wool, and raised with Burnishing Cream.

Page updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France woodcare specialists

The principle

What each sheen shows, and what it hides

Sheen is not a finishing detail: it is what makes a wood look bare or dressed, calm or precious, new for years or quickly marked. Matt absorbs light; it lets the grain read without reflection, hides dust and micro-scratches, and makes the wood look as if it had received nothing. Gloss throws light back; it gives depth to the colour and draws the windows in a table top, but shows every speck of dust caught in the film, every fingerprint, every fault in the sanding. Satin holds the middle: a soft reflection that brings out the form without exposing the surface.

It is also a question of wear. On a floor or a worktop, a matt surface ages better because the eye does not compare an intact reflection with a worn one. On a dining table for company or a turned piece, you accept the care that gloss demands, because the gloss is what you came for. And sheen depends on the film: an oil does not shine, a varnish shines as much as it is asked to, a shellac goes from mirror to antique matt depending on the hand.

Matt · Mylac Matt Satin · Mylac Satin Gloss · Mylac Gloss

Six surfaces

Six sheens in their place

1. The matt floor, Mylac Matt

A sitting-room oak floor varnished with Mylac Matt: the film is there — hard, washable, resistant to liquids — but cannot be seen. The grain reads as on bare wood, footprints and dust disappear, the light finds nothing to catch on. The choice for living rooms; the one limit, the Matt is not meant for sports floors.

Oak floor · Mylac Matt

2. The satin staircase, Mylac Satin

An oak staircase in Mylac Satin: a soft reflection that makes every nosing read in the light coming down, without the mirror that would show the marks. The floor lacquer, slip resistant to BS 7044, in 2 to 3 coats 3 to 4 hours apart. On a very busy stairwell, Mylac Extra Satin Matt and its hardener.

Oak stairs · Mylac Satin Heavy traffic · Mylac Extra Satin Matt

3. The gloss table, French polished

A walnut dining table French polished with Button Polish: the mirror gloss that only spiriting off gives, a whole window reflected in the top, the colour deep in the wood. The sheen of furniture made for company, with its rules — coasters, dry microfibre — and its reward: a scratch melts into the next coat.

Walnut table · Button Polish Antique top · Special Pale Polish

4. The living matt of oil, Hard Wax Oil Natural

An oak kitchen table oiled with Hard Wax Oil Natural: no film, no reflection, a matt to very soft satin that comes from the wood itself, warm under the hand. The sheen is not chosen in the tin, it is that of the hard wax oil; it revives with a thin coat when the surface dulls, and is touched up locally after a scratch.

Oak table · Hard Wax Oil Natural

5. The satin shelves, Quick Dry Varnish

Ash kitchen shelves varnished with Quick Dry Varnish Kitchen and Bathroom Satin: a washable satin that wipes clean with a soft cloth and a mild soap solution, without showing every hand mark as a gloss would, without the dryness of a matt in a room where you cook. Three sheens to choose from, the same method, 3 to 4 hours between coats.

Kitchen shelves · Quick Dry Varnish Kitchen and Bathroom Satin

6. The gloss turned bowl, Melamine Lacquer

A maple bowl on the lathe, lacquered with Melamine Lacquer Gloss over a base of Cellulose Sanding Sealer, then brought up with Burnishing Cream: a hard semi-gloss, heat and water resistant, pushed to a shine by the very mild abrasive cream. The sheen of objects held in the hand, where the reflection is part of the form.

Maple bowl · Melamine Lacquer Gloss Burnishing · Burnishing Cream (Glossoid)

Compare

Four sheens, where to put them

Sheen	What it shows	Where it belongs	Products
Matt	The grain, without reflection; hides dust, micro-scratches and marks	Living-room floors, worktops, panelling, bedrooms	Mylac Matt, Mylac Extra Matt, Quick Dry Varnish Kitchen and Bathroom Matt
Satin	A soft reflection that brings out the form; tolerates marks	Stairs, halls, kitchens, bathrooms, doors	Mylac Satin, Mylac Extra Satin Matt, Quick Dry Varnish Kitchen and Bathroom Satin
Gloss	Everything: the depth of the colour, and every fault in the preparation	Dining tables for company, antique furniture, turned pieces, show floors	Mylac Gloss, French polish (Button Polish, French Polish, Special Pale Polish), Melamine Lacquer Gloss
The matt of oils	Bare, warm wood with no film; a very soft satin with Hard Wax Oil	Tables, worktops, oiled floors, furniture in daily use	Hard Wax Oil, Wood Finishing Oil, Pure Tung Oil, Danish Oil

The films in detail: Varnish or lacquer for wood. The mirror gloss: French polishing with shellac.

Correcting

Lowering a sheen, or raising it

A sheen can be corrected afterwards, within limits. To lower it: Wax Cutting, a wax loaded with pumice, reduces the lustre of an already polished surface, worked with a cloth along the grain. On shellac, the antique look comes from fine wire wool, two days after the last coat, for a deep matt that keeps the colour. On a varnish or a lacquer, the surest route remains a de-nib with 220 and a fresh coat in the sheen you want.

To raise it: Burnishing Cream, a very mildly abrasive cleaner, smooths and revives the lustre of a polished surface and enhances the gloss of a freshly applied lacquer or friction polish — Melamine Lacquer and High Build Friction Polish above all. On shellac, it is spiriting off, a rubber charged with methylated spirit alone, that brings the mirror up. On wax, it is buffing along the grain, with a cloth or a horsehair brush, to the sheen you want. An oil, though, cannot be made to shine: if you want a reflection, you need a film.

Lower · Wax Cutting Raise · Burnishing Cream (Glossoid)Turning · High Build Friction Polish

To avoid

What gives a sheen away

Gloss over average sanding. The film shows every circular scratch and every open pore. Glass-smooth surface, oak pores filled, 220 grit — or choose satin.
Gloss on a living-room floor. The first footsteps leave a matt path through the reflection. Mylac Matt or Satin, unless it is a show floor.
Mylac Matt on a sports floor. The maker rules it out; Satin, Gloss or Mylac Extra.
Two sheens on one surface. A satin touch-up on a matt floor shows in raking light. Same product, same sheen, across the whole room.
Polishing with a wet cloth or a silicone spray. The first marks waxes, the second rules out any future recoat of varnish. Dry cloth, buffing, or Burnishing Cream.

Frequently asked

Your questions, our answers

Which matt for a wooden floor?

Mylac Matt for a film that cannot be seen, or Hard Wax Oil for the living matt of a hard wax oil, repairable locally. Both suit living rooms; only Mylac Matt is ruled out for sports floors. The choice between the two is in Which wood finish to choose.

Does gloss show scratches more?

Yes, because a scratch interrupts a reflection, and the eye sees the interruption before the scratch. A matt has no reflection to interrupt. On a gloss, the upkeep matters as much as the application: soft cloth, never a household abrasive, and Burnishing Cream to revive.

Can a varnish that is too glossy be dulled?

On a polished surface, Wax Cutting lowers the lustre with a cloth. On shellac, fine wire wool two days after the last coat gives the antique matt. On Mylac or Quick Dry Varnish, the cleanest way is to de-nib with 220 and lay a coat in the sheen you want, 3 to 4 hours after the previous one if the film is fresh.

Can an oil be made to shine?

No: an oil penetrates and forms no film, so there is nothing to shine. Hard Wax Oil gives a very soft satin, Wood Finishing Oil and Pure Tung Oil a warm matt. For a reflection you need a film — varnish, lacquer or shellac.

Can sheens be mixed in one room?

Between surfaces, yes, and it is the truest way: a matt floor, a satin staircase, a gloss table give the light three planes. On a single surface, no — a touch-up in another sheen always shows.