Non Yellowing Finish

Mark Johnson

Mark
Corporate Member
I'm looking for a non yellowing finish for stool tops (hence pretty thick and tough) that can overcoat a waterbased, orange dye without shifting the color. Probably only need a quart so some of the true industrial options are out. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
A water based polyurethane would be the best choice. You may have to build up multiple layers to get the "thick and tough" result you are looking for.
 

zdorsch

Zach
Corporate Member
Hopefully others will chime in, but a two part crystal clear epoxy is another option. It’s a bit of pain at the edges. For ease of application a water based poly as Bill mentioned would be a good option—it just takes longer to build up.

I prefer general finishes poly finish but have recently been using a Bona two part finish that was leftover from another project.
 
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cyclopentadiene

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I have used inexpensive Minwax wipe on polyurethane with success on tiger maple. Long term, exposure of the piece to light has darkened the tables over yime
 

marinosr

Richard
Corporate Member
If there's an orange dye under the finish, I would be very surprised if any yellow in the finish would be perceptible, wouldn't you? I've only seen yellowing be a problem on white woods like Maple, Holly, pine.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
I agree with Richard. The color orange is primarily composed of red and green. You should top coat the dye with dewed shellac to seal it and then you can use whatever you choose over that. Even an oil based finish (usually yellowish because of the oils) will work on top of the shellac.

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Mark Johnson

Mark
Corporate Member
I actually used a two part epoxy. Followed all the directions and it failed to cure which created an enormous mess. Currently trying a water based poly. I 'll have to see if brush strokes show up or if it levels as advertised. If that doesn't work, then I'll go to acrylic. Oil based poly would definitely impact the color on this project, and I achieved the color mixing an orange red with yellow. Yellow influence will show on this color. Not as much as on pure white though I agree. Thanks for all the suggestions!
 
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cyclopentadiene

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I actually apply water based poly and even waterlox using a paper towel. I try to find the ones that are smooth as opposed to the ones with a textured surface. I generally wet the surface with finish and use a second clean paper towel to wipe off the excess. This applies a much thinner coat which dries fast and does not show brush marks etc. I sand with 500 grit between coats and clean the surface with a tack cloth before the next coat. I generally apply 6-8 coats and for the final two coats, In the case of water based poly, I use it straight from the can. When applying Waterlox, I dilute the last 2 coats by 50% with mineral spirits. In both cases, I sand with 1000 grit before the final coat and when applying the final coat I buff in the finish so it dries very quick and there are typically no rough spots from dust.
 

Mark Johnson

Mark
Corporate Member
Chris, lacquer does yellow with time over light colors. Otherwise I would have put a precat lacquer on it a long time ago. Much easier than the other options so far. Thanks
 

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