Our Services
High-Gloss & Lacquer Finishes in Metro Detroit
Mirror-flat lacquer and enamel, built up by hand.
A true high-gloss finish is the hardest thing in our trade. Gloss magnifies every flaw underneath it, so the result is decided long before the final coat, in how flat the substrate is sanded and how completely the dust is controlled. Done properly, a gloss front door or a lacquered library reflects a room like water.
- High-Gloss Enamel Finishes
- Lacquer Finish Painting
- Front Door High-Gloss Painting
- Door Painting & Refinishing
Why gloss is unforgiving
A flat paint hides a wavy substrate; a gloss finish turns it into a funhouse mirror. The work is in the levelling. Multiple build coats, each sanded back, until the surface is genuinely flat rather than merely smooth.
Controlling the dust
A single airborne particle landing in a wet gloss coat is visible from across the room. We build temporary spray booths where the piece cannot be removed, and control airflow and traffic while the coats flash off.
Any colour, in gloss
We match to a fan deck, a fabric, a stone sample or an existing finish, then carry that colour through a gloss system rather than settling for the nearest stock lacquer.
The schedule between coats is not padding
Gloss systems build in thin coats with real cure time between them, and each coat gets sanded before the next. Compressing that schedule is how gloss work wrinkles, prints and dulls. When we give a gloss timeline it is the chemistry talking, and we will not shorten it to win a date, the finish would keep the evidence forever.
Common questions
Why does high-gloss cost more than a standard finish?
The labor is in what you cannot see. Gloss magnifies every flaw beneath it, so the surface has to be built truly flat first, multiple coats, each sanded back, and the application has to happen in controlled, dust-managed conditions. The final coat is the fast part; everything before it is the job.
Where does a gloss finish work best?
Front doors, libraries and panelled rooms, powder rooms, and cabinetry. Surfaces that are already fine and deserve to be jewellery. It is the wrong choice for large imperfect walls, and we will say so rather than sell it.
How does high-gloss hold up day to day?
It wipes clean more easily than any matte finish, which is why it has centuries of history on doors and boats. Scratches show more than they would in eggshell, so the repair strategy matters: gloss work is planned panel by panel, so a future touch-up recoats one element cleanly instead of feathering into the middle of a surface.
Is gloss brushed or sprayed?
Sprayed, almost always. A mirror finish wants a film without tool marks. Hand-brushed gloss is a legitimate period technique with a subtle ropiness some restoration clients specifically want on an old door, and we can work that way when the house asks for it. The default is sprayed and dead flat.
Where we do this work
Our other services
- Interior & Exterior PaintingFlawless walls, trim, and facades. Inside and out.
- Cabinet RefinishingFactory-smooth finishes on cabinetry and fine woodwork.
- Plaster Repair & RestorationCracks, holes and tired walls returned to flat.
- Color & Finish DesignPalettes developed for your rooms and your light.
- Specialty & Custom FinishesVenetian plaster, lime wash, and bespoke decorative work.
- Commercial PaintingOffices, retail and hospitality, finished to the same standard as our homes.
Let's begin
Ready to discuss high-gloss finishes?
Tell us about the rooms and the look you're after. Estimates are free.