Period furnishing for our period homes

[kelt65]

Why does polyurethane get such bad press?

What others said, but also since it actually sits on top of the wood and protects it, your piece will never develop any kind of patina, which everyone wants.

Not entirely true. Wood will develop a patina with or without a clear finish. It will just take longer with a finish on it. Even finishes with UV inhibitors will allow a patina to develop, although quite slow.

I did not know that. I thought poly would completely seal off the wood from the air, no? Is it sunlight or air?

[Al F. Furnituremaker]

@kelletim

Patina is created by both light (and not just sunlight) and "air". For example a traditional way of getting that rich brown look on white oak is ammonia fuming. The ammonia reacts with the tannin in the oak and changes it to a dark brown. Actually changes the color and it goes deep into the wood, unlike staining, which is very close to the surface and on the surface. So what you describe as air is actually what the air is made up of and the concentrations. With a finish on the wood, it is mostly the UV that causes development of patina or bleaching. Just plain old age causes a change also. A piece of white oak beam from an old building cut into boards will have a much richer color than a freshly milled tree, even with a finish or paint on it. Growing conditions also contribute. You really can't stop the color change, you can slow it down though, and as time goes on the rate of change diminishes.

[Gothichome]

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