Glitsa® MultiKote™ Swedish Finish is a two-compotent fast drying conversion varnish designed for residential and commercial wood floor applications.
A conversion varnish is a catalyzed alkyd-based coating that is tough and resistant to household chemicals.
The Glitsa® brand of floor finishes is owned and produced by Rudd Company, Inc., an American manufacturer based in Seattle for over 100 years. It makes it’s finish in Seattle, so you are getting an American Made product. Being that the finish is produced about an hour away from my distributor I don’t have to worry about the finish freezing or getting overheated in transport.
Glitsa conversion varnish finishes, or “Swedish” finishes, are designed for use in high traffic residential homes. They have a unique combination of durability, scratch and scuff resistance, clarity, and grain definition giving the wood a vibrant rich color.
Glitsa has a few different options when it comes to Swedish finish. There is the traditional look using one to two coats of Glitsa Sealer topped off with a coat of Gold Seal™. This system provides excellent protection while highlighting the floor’s grain definition and clarity. This traditional system is for homeowners that are looking for a very natural look without extra build up of finish, but want superior protection.
For some, the traditional system look is a little too natural or “thirsty”. For the customer that prefers more build on their floor, Glitsa developed MultiKote™. MultiKote has a high solid content which gives it a thicker look and helps to fill in the open grains of the wood. It also comes in different sheens: Matte, Satin, High Semi-Gloss and Gloss. We typically recommend two coats of MultiKote with an optional third coat applied if its a high traffic floor.
Glitsa MultiKote or the Gold Seal Finish System are both excellent wearing finishes that will last a long time. We recommend a finish coat be applied approximately every 5-7 years depending on use of the floor.
Glitsa’s two main competitors in the area of conversion varnish, is Synteko Classic and Precision Swedish Finish. We have used them both extensively and so we have first hand product knowledge. They are both very good finishes each with characteristics we didn’t like. Synteko Classic’s main drawback is that the finish coat can be unpredictable, sometimes it wouldn’t flow as it should or the sheen would be off. Because of the potential finish flaws a lot of guys will use Synteko Classic then put a coat of Glitsa Gold Seal over the top to ensure the finish will look good.
The main drawback to Precision Swedish Finish was the way it looks over time. It has a tendency to show off scratches more than other finishes. Especially on a dark stained floor, scratches would appear white. Also, it would have a finish reaction to certain wood fillers. We do like the fact that it is an American made product though.
Glitsa Swedish finishes are very user friendly to the professional hardwood floor craftsman. And we highly recommend their finishes to anyone wanting to have their floors refinished.