Hello,

Can someone help me check on the legitimacy of what our hardwood floor contractor is telling us? We asked for a semi-gloss finish and it looks satin. I asked for them to come with samples so I can understand but they did give me one story I wanted to check out.

1) They told me that they do 2 coats of semi-gloss and finish with satin. Is that common?

2) I told them the first 2 coats also looked like satin and they told me the gloss doesn't really show up until the third coat. (Presumably a final satin coat brings the semi-gloss out in the first 2?) . Of course this was after I asked the office to confirm the final coat would be semi-gloss and I was told by the sander the final coat would be semi-gloss. To be honest the sander told me the first two would something I don't remember and the semi-gloss goes down last. I can easily be confused here, I'm not experienced, but that is why I'm asking others.

So does this sound legit from anyone more experienced than me?

The final coat of finish determines the gloss level. The first coat(s) seal the wood.The more coats that are applied the smoother the surface will be. The gloss level will show when the finish has completely cured.
I find that if people care for their floor by wearing stocking feet or indoor footwear the surface will become polished and becomes smoother and shinier, almost glossy over time as the satining agent which comes to the surface to scatter light gets polished off. This may take months, but the traffic patterns will get glossy.