Which woods darken over time?

[Mike Dembroge]

I'm trying to find out how to determine which woods will darken over time. I know Cherry and Mahogany do, but which others and why? The reason for my question is I'm building a couple of things from Walnut and I'm not sure how much the color will change over time and the person I'm making these things for was asking.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

[Leon]

I do not know of any wood that will not darken if exposed to "sun light". Maple will darken if exposed to sun light.

[Toller]

Walnut actually gets lighter. Not dramatically though.

[Chuck Taylor]

Walnut, especially kiln-dried walnut, will lighten to a tan color, will it not? Certainly seems to be my experience.

Purpleheart will eventually fade to some kind of brown or tan.

[George]

As others have mentioned, walnut's supposed to be the odd man out. It gets lighter. Thirty years and waiting on my former living room set in use at the daughter's. Looks pretty much the same as when first finished, only the surface has a lot of dings and scratches repaired by additional oil-based finish.

I used linseed - based finish, which, as you know, darkens with time. Could be the reason. Use outdoor types with UV inhibitors to hedge your bets.

[Mike Dembroge]

Thanks George. Now that everyone has mentioned Walnut getting lighter, I think I remember hearing that somewhere. Thanks for the help just the same.

Mike