I'm about to complete a set of cabinets made of veneered plywood with
mahogany trim. The plywood is the "Apple ply" or "blond wood" variety
they sell at Home Depot/Lowes. Not the real Birch ply, but similar in
appearance. In the past I've finished it with whatever Polyurethane
I've had on hand, but that tends to impart a darker yellowing look to
the veneer. I'd like to finish it with something that will keep it
lighter, closer to the "white" tones it has when un-finished. I'll
accept some darkening, but like I said I wanted to avoid the yellow
look. Does this make sense? Since this is just for the workshop, I'm
not overly concerned about filling the grain on the mahogany or how
that is finished, I've planned on using the same finish throughout.
Having said all that do you have any recommendations and techniques?
I've tried a handful of different oil based varnishes from various home
centers. I've found Varathane 'Diamond Clear' Interior Gloss (local
Menards carry it) to be noticeably lighter (less yellow) and clearer
than the others.
I like to thin 50-50 with mineral spirits and wipe on (with pantyhose)
3-5 thin coats (waiting a day, 220 grit hand sanding and vacuuming
thoroughly between coats).
sl
I've tried a handful of different oil based varnishes from various home
centers. I've found Varathane 'Diamond Clear' Interior Gloss (local
Menards carry it) to be noticeably lighter (less yellow) and clearer
than the others.
I like to thin 50-50 with mineral spirits and wipe on (with pantyhose)
3-5 thin coats (waiting a day, 220 grit hand sanding and vacuuming
thoroughly between coats).
sl
If memory serves the Diamond Clear is waterbased. I grew up with oil
and am very happy with the progress they've made with waterbased!
On 8 Sep 2005 12:01:53 -0700, "Steve" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I've tried a handful of different oil based varnishes from various home
>centers. I've found Varathane 'Diamond Clear' Interior Gloss (local
>Menards carry it) to be noticeably lighter (less yellow) and clearer
>than the others.
>
>I like to thin 50-50 with mineral spirits and wipe on (with pantyhose)
>3-5 thin coats (waiting a day, 220 grit hand sanding and vacuuming
>thoroughly between coats).
>
>sl
On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 12:00:13 -0700, David <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
> Water borne poly is non-yellowing.
Wanna bet? I can show you counterexamples...polycrylic if I recall
correctly.
I was very pleased with the water based product I obtained from Homestead
finishing products. It is made by a company called Fuhr. It was their model
355 Acrylic finish. I has a very slight amber tone to give a little depth.
I had good success using the highest quality brush (Golden Taklon, a very
very fine bristle) on my face frames and Harbor Freight's Gravity feed HVLP
gun for the doors and drawer fronts.
"
Product Series #355 & #375 - WATERBORNE ACRYLIC VARNISH - A unique
self-cross linking acrylic varnish that was developed to replace the
conventional solvent based catalyzed finished used in the kitchen cabinet
industry. With proper application, this finish exceeds all KCMA testing for
finish coats. Self-sealing, it has excellent scratch, water and chemical
resistance. It features incredible "early" sandability, meaning you can sand
it in as little as 20 minutes. A slight amber tint (#355) makes it a very
attractive, non-yellowing finish for cabinets as well as all furniture
requiring a tough and durable finish. Use the water-clear version (#375)
when you want a clear and non-yellowing finish. This product provides for an
easy switch from the conventional solvent catalyzed lacquers and varnishes.
Low odor when applying. 375 is extremely user-friendly and buffs out as well
or better than traditional nitrocellulose lacquers. Both products available
in high viscosity version for better sag resistance on vertical surfaces
(#355HV & #375HV)
LOW SHEEN, SATIN, GLOSS / QUART, GALLON, 5 GALLON
(SEMI-GLOSS SHEEN AVAILABLE IN GALLON AND 5 GALLON. #375 NOT AVAILABLE IN
LOW SHEEN QUARTS)"
Dennis Slabaugh, Hobbyist Woodworker
www.woodworkinghobby.com
"Deft" nito lacquer is a fairly "warm" look and you could
certainly use Zinsser Bulls Eye "clear" shellac. Both will
add "some" color but not the classic "yellow" like poly.
I'm leaning toward shellac more on every project now...
http://www.zinsser.com/subcat.asp?CategoryID=3
[email protected] wrote:
> I'm about to complete a set of cabinets made of veneered plywood with
> mahogany trim. The plywood is the "Apple ply" or "blond wood" variety
> they sell at Home Depot/Lowes. Not the real Birch ply, but similar in
> appearance. In the past I've finished it with whatever Polyurethane
> I've had on hand, but that tends to impart a darker yellowing look to
> the veneer.
Dave Hinz wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Sep 2005 12:00:13 -0700, David <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Water borne poly is non-yellowing.
>
>
> Wanna bet? I can show you counterexamples...polycrylic if I recall
> correctly.
HELLO??? since when is polycrylic a "water borne poly"? IT'S AN ACRYLIC
SIGH.
SOOOO....how much exactly do you want to bet?
Dave
[email protected] wrote:
> I'm about to complete a set of cabinets made of veneered plywood with
> mahogany trim. The plywood is the "Apple ply" or "blond wood" variety
> they sell at Home Depot/Lowes. Not the real Birch ply, but similar in
> appearance. In the past I've finished it with whatever Polyurethane
> I've had on hand, but that tends to impart a darker yellowing look to
> the veneer. I'd like to finish it with something that will keep it
> lighter, closer to the "white" tones it has when un-finished. I'll
> accept some darkening, but like I said I wanted to avoid the yellow
> look. Does this make sense? Since this is just for the workshop, I'm
> not overly concerned about filling the grain on the mahogany or how
> that is finished, I've planned on using the same finish throughout.
> Having said all that do you have any recommendations and techniques?
>
Water borne poly is non-yellowing. If you use Enduro, you can add a
crosslinker to the poly to increase it's hardness and water and chemical
resistance to a remarkable degree. You need an HVLP to apply it.
Dave