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Gloss Levels and Charts


From the Resene ProSelect Technical Information Centre

The appearance of surfaces such as timber floors vary greatly depending on the angle they are viewed at. This is especially noteworthy in areas such as hallways where side sheen is evident.

Coatings such as paints and polyurethanes are typically measured at three (3) different angles, that being 20, 60 and 85° to represent different fields of view (as demonstrated in the below picture).

Diagram: angles to view coatings

Typical gloss of coatings is quoted at the 60° angle however the 85° angle is also good to know, as it helps to indicate side sheen affect, especially relevant for long hallways (as in the photo example above).

Typical coating appearance and gloss when viewed directly at your feet when standing is represented by the 20° angle.

Gloss measured on samples of Australian Oak (aka Victorian Ash/Tasmanian Oak) with 3 coats of Resene ProSelect applied and cured:

  angle of measurement with ProSelect Anti-Slip added*
Product Finish 20° 60° 85° 20° 60° 85°
Gloss 49 82 90 7 29 25
Semi-gloss 14 54 71 6 26 23
Satin 4 24 50 2 12 10
Velvet 2 10 36 1.3 8 8
Low sheen 2 10 17 refer note on
ProSelect Anti-Slip Data Sheet PS10
for more information
Natural low sheen 2 8 9
Ultra matt 1 5 5

* at 100 ml per Litre of base

Resene ProSelect gloss levels as standard

Diagram

Resene ProSelect gloss levels with Naturadd

Diagram

Timber Natural Gloss Levels

We took samples of natural timber that had been processed through a timber planer and then measured the natural gloss level. This process involved using a RHOPOINT Gloss Reader and readings taken in sets of five areas avoiding any timber knot areas at 20°, 60° and also 85° angles.

The idea is to get a feel for what the natural gloss levels are on various species of timber to help assist in matching the gloss level of any urethane to be applied if the client wants the best ‘natural’ look possible.

Bare timber 20° 60° 85°
Jarrah 0.6 2.8 9.6
Rimu 2.1 8.8 26.2
Matai (recycled) 0.9 3.8 10.6
Matai 1.2 4.0 8.0
Totara 1.0 3.7 7.6
Australian Oak* 1.9 6.7 10.8
European Oak 1.1 2.9 7.4
NZ Oak 1.0 3.3 12.1
American White Oak 1.0 4.0 16.3
Ash 1.1 3.6 7.6

*aka Victorian Ash/Tasmanian Oak

It is important to note that at very low gloss levels it is sometimes very difficult to tell the difference between some gloss levels. For example, at levels less than 5% at an angle of 60° and levels less than 10% at an angle of 85°, the finishes may all look very similar to the human eye.

Gloss levels and angles of view

Resene ProSelect Technical Information Centre
Get a professional flooring finish on timber with Resene ProSelect

Learn more

 

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Colours shown on this website are a representation only. Please refer to the actual paint or product sample. Resene colour charts, testpots and samples are available for ordering online.   See measurements/conversions for more details on how electronic colour values are achieved.

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