General Finishes High Performance Water Based Topcoat, 1 Quart, Dead Flat

Lays flatter than I expected despite using a cheap foam brush. Colorless leaving natural color of the wood with no shine. Careful to not get any bits in the can from the rim. Quick drying time for multiple coats in a day. Got more sqft than listed on the can too. Will report back on durability.

Love this sheen. I refinished an old round claw foot dining table that I stripped, bleached and wanted to keep the wood looking natural. I did not want it to darken or change color in any way. This top coat leaves the wood looking exactly as it was before applying it. Does darken a little at first but lightens beautifully. I applied with a foam paint brush covered with a nylon stocking footie and it applied perfectly.

Good

I used General Finishes High Performance Dead Flat on a quarter-sawn white oak bookstand that I made for my wife. The goal was very specific: she wanted the wood to stay as close as possible to its raw, natural, unfinished white oak appearance, but I still wanted some protection from fingerprints, hand oils, dust, and light cleaning. That can be a tough balance to find. A lot of clear finishes make white oak look darker, warmer, glossier, or more amber than the bare wood. Those finishes can be beautiful on the right project, but they were not what we wanted here. This piece had already been finished and stripped more than once because we were chasing that lighter, unfinished look. In terms of final appearance, this finish was excellent. It is probably the best “unfinished but protected” finish I have used so far on light-colored wood. It kept the white oak looking pale, natural, and raw without making it look plasticky or heavily coated. Even after two coats, the bookstand still looked like white oak rather than like white oak under a film finish. The dead flat sheen also helped soften the look of some open grain and made the finish feel very understated. I applied it with a turbine HVLP sprayer. It took some testing, straining, and slight thinning with distilled water to get it spraying the way I wanted, but once dialed in, it laid down nicely. I used two coats and lightly de-nibbed between coats. For this project, two coats felt like enough protection since the piece is decorative/functional but not something that should see water or heavy wear. The reason I’m giving it four stars instead of five is the condition of my can. When I opened it, there was a skin on top and some small pieces of dried finish/film mixed in. The consistency was also much thicker than I expected — almost like a thin yogurt at first — though it did smooth out quite a bit after careful stirring. Because of the skin and bits of film, I strained the finish before spraying and was cautious about using it. I did not see major black specks in my can, but I did notice some darker bits in the dried skin/film, which is not something you want in a clear finish for pale wood. I don’t know if that was an issue with my specific can, age, storage, shipping, or temperature exposure, so I don’t want to judge the whole product too harshly. But for an expensive premium finish, it was disappointing and added extra hassle to a project where I really didn’t want more finishing drama. Overall, though, the final look is exactly what we were hoping for. If you are working with white oak, maple, ash, or another light wood and want a finish that keeps the wood looking raw and natural while still adding some protection, High Performance Dead Flat is absolutely worth considering. I would use it again, but I would inspect the can carefully, stir thoroughly, and strain it before spraying. Four stars because the finished look was excellent, but the can consistency issues kept it from being a perfect experience. Picture: the scrap of quarter sawn white oak, half is finished, half isn't. They look nearly identical

Strippped an old pine dining table in pretty rough shape (used Klean Strip, acetone, steel wool and sand paper-it was a beast) and found that I like the result. I wanted to keep it without yellowing, or shine added to it. Read quite a few articles singing the praises of this, so I used it. Worked great-brushed it on, sanded lightly in between 3 coats. It gets heavy use, and I think this stuff will hold up for a while!