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How to seal painted furniture/timber to keep gloss but stop fingermarks - what product is best?

Hi guys - I started a DIY project 2 months ago to build a wall-mounted/floating media shelf that I designed.

Everything has gone great, except that now I am up to the final stage of painting/sanding back/ repainting and need advise on cealing/ varnishes.

On recommendation from a Bunnings staff member, I have painted the unit using Taubmans Ultimate Enamel (black) so that the surface comes up with a nice dark gloss.

However I've found that once the paint drys, touching it leaves fingerprint marks.

Is there a type of sealant or varnish that I can use which will sal off the paint, keep the gloss look, but also prevent finger marks?

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MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @dlfsmith. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for your question.

It's great that you have achieved the black glossy look you were after, but unfortunately, fingerprints are really quite noticeable on that type of surface. When you mention that fingerprint marks are left, are you able to wipe them away or is the issue that they are not able to be removed from the surface? If you are not able to wipe them away it might be an indication that the paint has not yet fully cured.

The only way I can think of reducing their prominence would be to clear coat in a non-gloss. The White Knight 310g Satin Crystal Clear Spray Paint is acrylic and would be compatible with the water-based enamel you have already applied. This would reduce the gloss to a satin finish.

Once the unit is mounted will there be a lot of hand contact with it on the wall? Perhaps this issue is most noticeable at the moment whilst you're working with it. You might find the issue is manageable by simply wiping over to unit once a week. Anyone with glossy surfaces around their home, especially black ones, should invest in some microfibre cloths.

Let me mention @Peggers our resident painting expert to see if he has any tips and tricks that could assist.

Mitchell

dlfsmith

Hi Mitchell;

Thanks very much for the advice.

I'll give the next coat of paint a longer time to cure before testing the surface, and if marks can't be wiped off, will investigate the white knight product you mentioned.

Many thanks for the fast reply.

Daniel

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