Heard an old geezer yesterday at the distributors, that must have been 90 years old, and still running a sander. Said he had been at this for 75 years.
Everyone was BS'n and the subject of gloss finishes, being the hardest to meet customers expectations.

The old Master chimmed in, and told these guys straight faced there problem was, they didn't know what they were doing, and how all you young'ns, are a disgrace to the business and no wonder he can't retire, because his phone is always ringing.


Seems with his gloss floors, which he always rolls the finish on, no matter what it is, gets sanded with 800, then 1000 grit after the final application of gloss, and then rubbing compond and then buffing rouge. He says he then applies turtle wax.

One guy chimed in and said, what am I doing, finishing a floor or painting a car? I'd never get paid for that much work. The old timer just said... "Exactly, you never will", grabbed his cans of finish and out the door he went, cussing up a storm.

Well, that's one way to do it. Rather unorthodox as it is. Yep, that's the way SOME cars and furniture are done. However, the key to gloss finishes is to:
1) Use the best finish available
2) One that doesn't dry too quickly
3) Good sanding job
4) Many coats: 4,5 or 6 even
5) an extremely clean environment with zero air flow
6) proper tools and technique

7. spray it with a gun.

Thats all well and fine to get an impeccable glossy finish with no dust nibs and perfectly buffed just as you would a piece of furniture or a car but what is absoluetly ridiculous about this old timers method is :

1) YOu can get a great gloss finish on a floor by doing it as Gary explains with a lot less labor that looks perfectly acceptable and great for a floor.

2) most importantly ,What happens the first time someone walks on the floor after it has accumulated a little dirt or debris or if they have sand on their shoes? It would be like walking on the hood of your pristine paint job on your car after it has been all buffed. Think about the scratches and the damage it would do with a little sand under your soles.

Floors are to be walked on not viewed like a car paint job. Thats why his method is a little ridiculous for floors.

If you want to see some really good examples of gloss finishes on wood, look at the "bright work" on some wood boats/yachts sometime.

I used to sail with a guy who had a boat with a beautiful wood floor in the cabin - he tweaked it himself -- laid maple strips into the grooves between the mahogany planks and gave it the smoothest gloss finish I've ever seen.

He used an oil-based spar polyurethane, thinned it out, applied about ten coats, and wet-sanded between them.

Time-consuming, but the result was really something to behold.

(He was also big on maintenance/PM - periodic touch-ups, and insisted on people wearing non-marring soled shoed/cleaning their shoes on a mat before going aboard.)