Q:

I want to keep my spalted maple looking as natural and non-yellow as possible. What finish should I use?

Anna Thornton, Brookline, MA

A:

Maple has a tendency to yellow over time no matter what finish is used. However, you have a choice of finishes based on how much handling the piece is likely to get.

If you want to give the wood some protection but still stay close to an in-the-wood look, I suggest you apply two or three coats of a non-gloss water-based finish, sanding with P220-grit sandpaper after the first and second coats.

If you look at Chris Minick’s test of these finishes in FWW #187, you’ll see that several of them, including Minwax’s Polycrylic and Hydrocote’s Resisthane Plus, produced a clear, non-yellow finish.

Brush on a waterborne finish. Two or three coats of a clear, non-glossy, water-based polyurethane will give the spalted maple a protective coat but keep the wood’s natural look.

If a non-film oil finish is more important to you, try either Minwax’s or Watco’s Wipe-On Poly, both of which are among the clearest of this type of product. However, either one will yellow the wood more than the water-based finish, and you won’t be giving the wood much protection.

Photos: Charlie Reina

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

Diablo ‘SandNet’ Sanding Discs

While Diablo’s SandNet disks perform similarly to conventional paper abrasives in terms of material removal and surface prep (with some exceptions at the lower grits), they make keeping your work surface and work area clean much easier, thanks to the great dust collection possible with them.

Buy at Amazon

Zissner Seal Coat

Great as a sanding sealer, and as a final finish.

Buy at Amazon

Liberon Steel Wool

Perfect for rubbing out a finish for a low-luster sheen.

Buy at Amazon