Best finish for Ambrosia Maple

[demondeacon]

Building large built in display shelves for my grandson. The top of the cabinet will be a panel of ambrosia maple. It will be in a bonus room above the garage and have little exposure to sunlight, so should not yellow much over time. I have never worked with this wood before and welcome some finishing recommendations. I have been thinking of applying one or two coats of zinser sanding sealant/shellac, with then a top coat of Waterlox which has been recommended to me.

 

[FredP]

Skip the Sanding sealer. 3 coats of waterlox is sufficient. More if you desire. 24 hours between coats

 

[JNCarr]

Agree with Fred - if you are not going to try to modify the tone, no need for a sanding sealer. Here's what you'll get.

 

[demondeacon]

Skip the Sanding sealer. 3 coats of waterlox is sufficient. More if you desire. 24 hours between coats

Should I lightly sand with 300 or 400 grit sandpaper between coats? Or rub with steel wool? THanks.

 

[FredP]

I use 0000 steel wool or 320 grit paper between coats if needed. Sometimes it's needed Sometimes not. Waterlox burns into previous coats like lacquer so if it's smooth no need to sand. I always sand lightly before the final coat.

 

[jfynyson]

Not sure your long term goal for appearance but with even some light my guess is the Waterlox being a resin modified tung-oil (oil varnish blend) will see some yellowing. Any oil-based material on maple will do this eventually. If that's ok with you then Waterlox would be a good choice of course. I built a computer desk last year with an ambrosia maple top and knew it would sit in front of a window. I do not like yellowing (of the maple wood itself or finish-wise) and I wanted something with UV inhibitors. So that limited my options.

I went with General Finishes Exterior 450 water-based top coat and regret it. I should've known being an exterior finish it needs elasticity and this yields a feel that's somewhat rubbery. But it looks great/natural visually. Being a desk, hands & elbows are always on it....seriously considering sanding it off and refinishing w/ (too big for lacquer and I do not have sprayer capabilities). Your project not being handled should be fine with this option.

Clear shellac would be another easy option but it may not be quite as colorless as a lacquer option. Most water-based finishes shouldn't yellow over time but the wood will if it gets enough light so you have other good options as well for a better long term stable color.

Food for thought...My $0.02

 

[BKHam]

I would avoid the oils personally. for me, the draw of ambrosia is the beetle mark and the dark coloring against the white background of the maple. to keep the white as pure as possible, i like the water based poly or laquer idea.

overly yellow maple is not attractive to me where Cherry and Ash for example, benefit from the yellow of the oil.

 

[demondeacon]

Not sure your long term goal for appearance but with even some light my guess is the Waterlox being a resin modified tung-oil (oil varnish blend) will see some yellowing. Any oil-based material on maple will do this eventually. If that's ok with you then Waterlox would be a good choice of course. I built a computer desk last year with an ambrosia maple top and knew it would sit in front of a window. I do not like yellowing (of the maple wood itself or finish-wise) and I wanted something with UV inhibitors. So that limited my options.

I went with General Finishes Exterior 450 water-based top coat and regret it. I should've known being an exterior finish it needs elasticity and this yields a feel that's somewhat rubbery. But it looks great/natural visually. Being a desk, hands & elbows are always on it....seriously considering sanding it off and refinishing w/ (too big for lacquer and I do not have sprayer capabilities). Your project not being handled should be fine with this option.

Clear shellac would be another easy option but it may not be quite as colorless as a lacquer option. Most water-based finishes shouldn't yellow over time but the wood will if it gets enough light so you have other good options as well for a better long term stable color.

Food for thought...My $0.02

Thank you all for your input. Very helpful. My boss, or wife, has weighed in and finds the maple too blond or pale. She would like more tone or color in the wood, so a bit of yellowing is probably welcomed. This top will be installed in a playroom staffed by two active boys, one 11 and the other 7 years old, so the wood will be subject to some abuse and hard wear over time. The Waterlox will definitely be the 3 final coats. I may just experiment on the underside with a first coat of shellac to see if that helps the grain pop a bit more. Thanks for the help to all

 

[FredP]

Waterlox will pop the grain way more than shellac and will add some tone as well. Do some testing.

 

[JNCarr]

Here's an example of adding some color tone. The piece is about 2 years old, so it's already yellowed to the degree it will go.
Stain sequence (all wiped on):
Zinsser seal coat cut 1:2
Minwax "Natural" stain
2 coats Minwax gloss poly cut 1:1
Very light sanding 300 grit after 2nd PU coat
1 coat Minwax satin poly cut 2:1
Quick rub with drywall tape
Looks like a lot, but total work time less than 30 minutes.

I've done a darker kitchen table in ambrosia, but dont have a picture.
Changed the sealcoat to 1:1 to block more of the stain and used hickory stain.
For the kitchen table had 5 coats total of PU, 3 gloss + 2 satin.

 

[chris_goris]

Waterlox is a fine topcoat, but I prefer GF ArmRSeal over spalted maple.