golden color polyurethane

[kevin]

Looking back in this groups, people say that oil-based poly will eventually turn "gold" colored (on soft pine floor and trim), but water based poly never. Can anyone tell me how long this might take? Weeks? Years? Decades? Any tips on speeding up the process in any way, or faking it (i.e., put down some kind of stain first)?

I need to finish up some repair work -- I removed a chimney, so I have now filled in a 2'x2' hole in the floor, replaced misc trim pieces, etc., with new wood. The existing floor and trim is very golden, worn looking, and can not all be replaced just for the sake of these few pieces. But water-based poly on a test piece of the pine I used in my repairs results in a beautiful clear and light finish that looks absolutely nothing like the worn, deep golden color of all the existing stuff.

Thanks!

-Kevin

[DanG]

The rich golden patina is a matter of years. Some of it may be stain, some of it is the wood itself exposed to light, some of it may be yellowing of the finish.

On floor repairs I use a very light application of stain in the right color group. I do not try to get as dark as the original, just headed the right way. You can also use tinted varnish.

[nospambob]

[Charlie Morgan]

It will be tough to match it exactly. A professional furniture repair person could probably do it for you without breaking the bank. Even so, it will not then age the same as the surrounding area, so eventually it will show up again. How about a throw rug?

The other method sometimes used when you can't match something is to deliberately contrast it.

CWM

[Norminn]

If you have a place to test, you might consider using acryllic artist color with clear medium to make it transparent. There is also a website, the company name I can't remember, that sells all of the stuff used in compounding paints and varnishes. Acryllics would be easier if you can match colors decently. Pine will yellow, moreso when exposed to sun.