Rubbing down Waterlox original for slightly less gloss?

[Greg Guarino]

I've got three coats of Waterlox on the oak rails and stiles of my panel doors. Between the second and third I sanded a little. After the third I used the Rec.Woodworking Patented Brown Paper Massage. Nice! So I'm done there.

But the panels themselves (birch ply) were more absorbent I guess. It took 5 coats before the finish looked even to me, but now it's a tad glossier than I would prefer. Suggestions?

[Jim Weisgram]

I'd use fine steel wool (like Liberon) with wax. But it might be hard to match the sheen of the rails and stiles, you probably will find it easiest to do the entire door.

But you probably want to do this after a full cure of the finish. Waterlox says that can be 30-90 days.

[Greg Guarino]

Thanks. How will I know when it is fully cured? In a sense, I guess it doesn't matter. I could drill and mount the hinges and even install the doors, then revisit the finish in a couple of months. But if there's a way to test it, it would be nice to know.