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Pledge Revive Clear Floor Gloss

Randy Anderson

Randy Anderson

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May 25, 2019
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Location
Eads, TN
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canthony.gallery
I recently picked up an airbrush to be able to put a bit of shine/sheen on some of my vases and hollow forms. Plus I just wanted to learn to use one for other painting projects. While researching how to use it, finishes, techniques etc I discovered that Pledge Revive floor gloss is very popular and widely used in the model world for their final gloss coat using an airbrush. It seems to be a very popular go to finish for many of them and they appear to be "pros" in their world of detail painting of figurines and models. Their reason is it's durable (meant to be walked on) clear, easy to apply right out of the bottle, won't yellow, no dangerous fumes, inexpensive, etc. It's not the cleaner but the post cleaning liquid you spread out with a flat mop to make your floors shine. Big bottle at walmart is about $6. Anyone tried or considered this stuff? On a bowl I wouldn't consider it but on a vase that sits on a shelf I'm curious if anyone's considered it. I'm going with lacquer for now since I know it's a common good choice.
 
Are you thinking of using it in place of a film finish, ie instead of something like lacquer, or using over some other finish to enhance gloss? Be interesting to experiment a bit with it to see what it can do.
 
I did a bit more studying and a few tests today with a different but very similar product I found in the back of our cleaning cabinet. Same concept, water based clear urethane made by a company called Bona. Says it's a urethan maintenance coating. I think the big difference for wood working is that it's intended to be applied on sealed wood surfaces, not on bare wood and not on oiled or waxed wood (it says so). Modelers are using it on plastic, ceramics, etc. Non porous surfaces. On the tests I did on some old pieces that had a well cured oil finish it soaked in and raised the grain a bit. After I buffed it a bit with a grey scotch brite and some light 600 grit paper is looked good but I didn't get an appreciable uptick in sheen out of it. About what I expected. The net for me is that it might be useful to add or enhance some shine to a piece that is already sealed with lacquer or poly but it won't work on bare wood or on top of an oil finish. I'll keep the bottle handy but it won't be part of my standard finishing process.
 
The Bona product, if it's the same as the one on my living room floor, does not have a glossy surface. It's your basic urethane wood finish, which is not what you're looking for, and may not be the same as the Pledge Revive (whatever is in that).
 
I see prices of $20+ for 1 bottle and on Amazon you can get 6 for $37. At Walmart it is listed for $19 and $17 a bottle on a search anyway.
 
I would be worried about clean up of the airbrush. What is the solvent. If your not getting a glossy enough surface with lacquer you need more coats.
 
It cleans up with water. It's for floors so can't be anything harsh or complicated. The videos I watched did say to be sure and clean up your airbrush since it can be sticky. There's no shortage of high end airbrush modelers and artists that use this stuff as a top coat for their work. They love it. Just because, if I get out today I may grab a bottle at walmart and spray it. It is different than the bona product I found in the closet and who knows, a few spray top coats and I might get something. If not, it's still there for floors.

I'm a lacquer newbie. My go to finish is and will remain walnut oil but, as I've begun to turn more vases and hollow forms I want a bit more sheen. Not thick plastic feeling covering, just a bit more light reflection and feel. Experimenting for now with an easy way. Learning lacquer can be complicated.
 
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Michael, I do buff them. I don't go nuts with it but I have a few different buffing wheel setups I mount on my lathe that I use. Many times the Dr. oil/wax finish with a little buffing works just fine for what I'm after. There are times, and I have a small vase in my hand I finished yesterday that is a good example, where it's just not quite enough. Depends on wood, grain, coloring, etc. Not an exact science as you know. Just finished quite a few spalted sweet gum vases and they looked good but, a little sheen finish added a lot of eye and feel appeal to them. I really try to keep things simple so when needed I'm looking for a solution that lets me add just a wee bit more without a lot of setup, prep, shop space, mixing, fumes, etc. I know, we all would like an easy simple fix for things and shortcuts seldom are the answer.
 
Water based does not mean no harmful chemicals, it just means the solvent and chemistry used have little to no odor. I have no idea how you could get a wet coat on a turning of much size and still have a wet edge when you get back around. You may find you still need to use lacquer thinner to clean the airbrush as soap and water can still leave a very thin film inside the nozzle. At least that was my experience in the shop when I used water based finishes and an HVLP gun. I guess I'm just an old dog when it comes to turning, I no longer search for the next miracle finish.
 
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