The magic number for me is 4 coats. At 2, the cloth tape just looks like colored cloth. At 3, it starts to take on that shine. At 4, it's got the gloss, a very rich color (I use amber shellac), and a nice feel without being slick. With the first couple of coats, I do them about an hour apart and then let it sit overnight. Then I do the third and fourth coat in the a.m., again, about an hour apart.