Clear finish questions

[Terry Coombs]

  The time has come to put the finish ceiling in our dining/kitchen area , and I can't remember which finish yellows the least with age . The material will be wood tongue and groove and we want a clear finish , no stain . I'm concerned about the finish yellowing , not so much concerned with the wood darkening as it ages - not a lot of UV or direct sunlight on a ceiling . So which is it , varnish or urethane clear ? Whichever I use will be satin finish , flat sucks and gloss shows too many imperfections .

[dpb]

Oil-based finishes will yellow...use one of the newer water-based.

[hubops]

polyurethane varnish :-)

John T.

[Terry Coombs]

  I did a little poking around after I posted , it looks like one of the water-borne urethane products is going to fulfill my needs . The big thing is I don't want to wood to darken much , it's a pretty big (24' x 24') area and we don't want the ceiling getting too dark . I considered a whitewash kind of stain finish but my wife wants natural wood . So be it , she hasn't given much input on most of this project and I want her to be happy with the results .

[hubops]

I'd be tempted to try samples of the white-washed vs natural -

- side-by-side - up where it's going ... I really can't picture a

24x24 natural wood ceiling .. .. accent trim , beam effects, ok. John T.

[Terry Coombs]

  The plan is for a faux ridge beam and side beams made from rough cut cedar . There is an 8 x 8 corner that is a separate room for the wife's sewing stuff . Your idea of a comparison is a good one , might make the wife change her mind .

[gfretwell]

A lot will depend on your choice of wood. White pine or poplar won't darken that much, Cypress or SYP does get a tad darker but not too bad. I have samples of the cypress and SYP. I also have a lot of red oak It was stained with cherry to match some pre finished cabinets. and didn't change much after that. I can post pictures of them. Western Red Cedar probably darkens up the most over time. I can post a picture of that after 10 years too. We have a lot of wood and natural stone around here ;-)

[Terry Coombs]

  I guess I should have mentioned (though I have before) that this is a vaulted ceiling , 11'5" at the peak . Building those scissor trusses was fun but not nearly the fun of standing them up !

[Gary]

Urethane

[Gary]

To add a bit more. I agree. Flat finish is not good and high gloss is a bit much. Urethane will be called "satin" or "low lustre" Same thing, use either that you fihd.

As far as finishes, clear shellac will definitely turn over the years...to a darker reddish color.

Varnish will yellow over time. It does turn so slow that you might never even notice since you'll see it constantly.

Newer product but urethane seems to not turn at all. It will darken new wood a bit when applied. Try it on a sample to see the finish shade before using it on ceiling and compare to the unfinished wood.

If you like the unfinished lighter look, just leave it alone and not put anything on it.

If you decide on urethane, do two coats for best protection and look.

HTH. My entire career has been house painter since 1973. I don't assume to know it all but I do have a good clue about best painting products to use.

[Terry Coombs]

  The decision was made ... see my post "product review" . The polycrylic doesn't darken >this< wood (SYP) at all . A more open grained wood may be different . Two coats gives a very nice soft lustre which we really like . This is labeled as neither a varnish or urethane , just a "protective coating" .

[Scott Lurndal]

Actually, blonde shellac won't change over the years.