# Finish for woods that change color from light exposure



## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Some woods change color when exposed to light. Would a finish that contains a UV additive keep the wood from changing color or at least slow the change?

Any thoughts on the subject?
Mike


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hi, Mike; the short answer is yes, it will slow it. As you suggest, some species are more prone to colour change than others.
Top of the line _professional grade waterbourne urethanes_ will not yellow with age, another factor in colour change. Also, natural oxidation of the wood changes the woods' colour.
There's a ton of info re hardwood flooring available online.
(I've suggested before, chat with the folks at Mohawk Finishes for state of the art solutions...no pun intended  )


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Mike, you are best off buying your finish from a local specialist until you get a feel for it. Once you have found products you like you can shop around for a better price.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Thanks for the replies,

I Just had not thought about the possibility of additives for finish to stop or slow the color change until I was explaining it to a customer one day, letting them know that the piece might change in color. 
I had not even thought about Monarch so I'll contact the local rep to see what they have to say on the subject. I have used Monarch products before and for some reason I did not even think about talking to them.

Guess I had a "Senior Moment"

Thanks,
Mike


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Mike; you just had another one...it's "Mohawk". ...


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Mike; you just had another one...it's "Mohawk". ...


Yes I did and yes it is.
I called the local rep Friday and have not hear from him yet. I'll call back on Monday morning if my memory is working. When I do get some answers I'll post them.

Thanks,
Mike


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Mike, Mohawk products are not cheap but are used by the Pro's because of their quality. I worked at a waterbed store and the manager got me a Mohawk kit that made things simple to repair that I thought were damaged beyond redemption.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Mike,
I have used the Monarch products before and yes their repair products are excellent. I have used their tung oil and the pour-n-wipe finish before and they are great finishes but, as you say they are expensive so they can bring the cost of a piece up in a hurry. I like tong oils and theirs gives the best finish of all that I've tried.

I just received a reply from the local Mohawk Rep and here it is:

"I did not know of any finish that would stop what you are seeing so I bounced the question off one of our lab folks. Looks like there may not be an easy answer for you. Here was his reply. Perhaps a place to start if you want to experiment.

Thanks for thinking of us.

John / Mohawk



To the best of my knowledge there is no product that will prevent the shift in wood color in these species. UV additives may slow it down but will not prevent it. If you wanted to test a product that offers the maximum UV protection to test this theory you could apply a high quality automotive clear coat and subject the product to UV. This type of clear contains the highest level of UV resistance of any products and if it won't stop it I don't know what will. If you want to test a Mohawk Product our Ultra Clear CV is the only one we have with UV inhibitors added."

Mike


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Thanks for passing that along, Mike. 
It occurred to me, after reading that, that you might also want to investigate high end spar varnish/ marine clear finishes. Of all the clear finishes they take the worst UV abuse.
Could be a problem if you're looking for ship chandlers or boat building material suppliers and you're not on the coast(?)...
Let Google be your friend!


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Dan, 
I lean toward penetrating oil finishes because I feel the deeper you get the finish the more protection you get. I also decide what finish to use based on what the project will be used for. Most finishes with UV additives are thicker and it is hard to use them on small items. 
Here is an interesting link I found about using UV finishes as additives to the finishes you normally use to boost it's UV properties. 
UV Resistant Finishes for Woodturners

So I could get marine or auto paint and use it as an additive to my finish if it would mix together right. I do not have an extensive lab to test the finish but maybe I would feel better telling a woman that's about to buy on of my exotic wood jewelry pieces made from purpleheart or similar wood that I use a UV finish in an effort to at least slow the change in color. 

I have found an acrylic spray finish with UV made by Krylon and I might look into that as a final finish.

Mike


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

That article went into my 'library'; thanks for sending it Mike. 
Cheers,
-Dan


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