The question of timber floor sheen - what it is, and how to describe it, is a subject that comes up more and more during discussions with home owners seeking to install a new timber floor or recoat an existing timber floor. It’s a difficult question with no easily defined answer.

Experience affects views and if you are of an age where you spent your formative years looking at timber floors coated with overly glossy solvent based finishes, your idea of the ‘correct’ level of timber sheen or ‘gloss’ may be something which shines a lot and has a depth to the shine. Someone younger will almost certainly have different ideas and may think that a matt sheen which is flat in appearance with almost no shine, minimal colour change to the wood and no depth to the finish is desirable.

On site, the visual assessment of timber floor sheen is influenced by factors which include the site conditions, timber species, the preparation / application / volume of product related to the works carried out, the amount of light and the perception of the individual themselves. Manufacturers of paints and coatings take a more scientific approach where sheen is defined as a measurable level of light reflected from a surface.

Generally, the sheen level of timber floor finishes is measured using a system developed for paint, as detailed in ISO 2813:2000 Measurement of specular gloss of non-metallic paint films. Surfaces are assessed at different angles: 20° (gloss finishes - above 70%), 60° (satin & matt finishes) and 85° (extra & ultra matt finishes - below 10%) using a gloss meter. A beam of light is shone onto the surface of the finish. The light reflected is then measured and quoted as a percentage of the total. A higher value is obtained from glossier finishes and a low value for very matt finishes. With ultra matt finishes manufacturers will usually measure at both 60° and 85° to try to show that the sheen level remains broadly constant, irrespective of the angle of light reaching the surface.

Diagram 1 illustrates the reflection of light from a surface at different angles to illustrate the different levels used in the testing, although of course in the testing phase any machine used is sealed against the surface to ensure that the reflected light captured comes only from the test.

Diagram 2 illustrates what happens to the light beam with very different sheen levels. With the gloss surface there is a smooth reflection of the light whereas with the ultra matt surface the surface has been deliberately designed to disperse the light to produce a more matt appearance.

Looking at the sheen levels of materials on the AU market you can see in all areas that it reflects (excuse the pun!) the tastes and fashion trends of various markets around the world. Over the past 20 years the presence of gloss finishes in furniture, textiles, paints and the flooring industry has diminished with a clear trend towards matt, extra matt and ultra matt finishes. The ‘natural’ look, as both a colour and sheen palette, has continued to gain in popularity. A quick search through sites selling hard surface flooring in AU showed that engineered timber flooring was predominantly described as being ‘matt’ with many fewer satin options. This was replicated when looking at hybrid, laminate. LVT and ceramic tile options. It is important therefore to have some understanding of the subject of sheen.

Site applied finishes can be split almost into two groups. Solvent based materials usually will have a higher level of sheen i.e. are glossier, although there are some more subdued options available. Waterborne finishes for the most part offer more options. Satin products are around 40 – 60% sheen, matt from 15 - 25% sheen, extra matt around 10% sheen and ultra matt from 4 – 6% sheen. Gloss waterborne products are available, generally between 70 – 90%, but account for a very small percentage of finishes used. One useful thing to note – with waterborne finishes if the sheen level of the floor isn’t to your liking, it is possible to apply a single application of a different sheen level product and that will give you that sheen instead.

There is no accepted worldwide standard which defines sheen ranges for floor finishes. So, something could be described as satin by one manufacturer, silk matt by another or even half matt, a literal translation means half dull, by a third.

Many factors can alter the appearance of sheen on site. The type of timber and its preparation can affect whether the finish will ‘sit up’ on the surface giving the appearance of depth. Similarly, the amount of product applied can give a different appearance. Less product can mean that the surface of the floor isn’t as smooth as it would be with a full system being applied and thus the reflectance of light from the surface is affected. Some finishes have a greater ‘filling ability’ and can look ‘bigger’ on the floor because they fill in the micro-variations in the coated surface, from sanding, particularly well. This can give the impression that the floor is ‘shinier’ then it measurably is. Then there is the volume, angle and direction of light, the condition of an existing floor, where even slightly worn surfaces reflect light differently and even the colour of the wood itself.

Despite all of the science it is clear that sheen, appearance and related factors such as colour and depth of finish are a matter of personal perception. Advice from manufacturers, distributors and floor layers can all help a client make choices regarding which type of finish will provide the desired appearance. However, at the end of the day the personal feelings of the client and their view of what is acceptable to them will be the final deciding factor; after all, we have all been given a picture from a magazine or a print from an online article and been asked to match it...