Hello wood experts..:),
My dilema is this…I have a red oak bannister that was yellowing/oranging over time from the current finish/stain put on by the builder in the 80’s. I have sanded it down to the bare wood and I really like the sanded raw look & colour. What can I put on it to give me that look as a finished product in satin without it going yellow again?
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you
Replies
Water based poly won't yellow. But I'm not sure if it's hard enough for a handrail.
Any of the water based polyurethanes will seal the wood and will not leave any color of its own nor will it fade or yellow over time. Like other polys, you can get it in several degrees of gloss.
Some don't like the "cold" colorless look of these products and will add a stain or dye to the wood first. But, the main feature is it's non yellowing feature.
They are also essentially odorless and dry fast enough to put on 2-3 coats in a day.
I believe it will be durable for your purpose. About a year ago, I used some on a small area of oak floor that had some damage to the original finish. It has held up well.
Thank you for your replies. Truly appreciated. What would you recommend for the stair treds to have the same look? I'm assuming the water based poly would not be strong enough? I would like a satin finish on both so is there a product that can do both areas?
There are water borne floor finishes available that will hold up fine.
What they said.
I put a water based poly finish on some maple stair treads over 30 years ago. They have held up well, tho they don't look "new". They are still the same light maple color as when new; no yellowing. Probably the only more durable finish would be a 2 part epoxy or oil based poly; the poly would definitely change the color.
I expect that the water based poly has improved in its characteristics since I used it...
Thank you.
I seem to be hearing a lot about Bona flooring products and how great they are. Does anyone have an opinion, nay or yay? My job is quite small and Bona seems to only come in very large quantities.
I use General Finishes products and they stand up well for my staircase and furniture, their site has a chart comparing each product for hardness and wear resistance . The waterborne varnishes are in my opinion superior to the oil based finishes for indoor use when it comes to durability and are much easier to work with but they don’t have the same warm appearance unless the wood is stained or tinted first.
I've used Bona Traffic on floors and stairs, and love it. It's a two part mix, and is harder than regular poly, but applies the same. It's expensive, and you have about a day to apply after mixing, so you can't keep leftovers. But you can do three coats in a day.
Some companies, Varathane for one, make a water based poly for floors.
There are also some catylized clear finishes that, I understand, are very good. I have no eperience with them.
I've been in the coatings business for 50 years and watched the evolution of water based coatings. gulfstar is spot on. Acrylic is the hardest most weather resistant polymer with polyesters second and urethane is an all around great performer. Most of the high end solvent exterior wood stains contain polymers such as acrylic or urethane dissolved in solvent. That's because those same polymers used in the water based products increase the durability of the finishes. I still love linseed and chinawood (tung).
Everyone's thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. Now to just sort through and find what works best for me.
Have a lovely evening.
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