General finishes "How do i prevent water based topcoat or light colored paint from yellowing?"9/2/2018 For any of my fellow furniture artisans and DIY'ers, this is a WONDERFUL FAQ entry from General Finishes (honestly, ALL of their information and videos have been beyond helpful to me!). If you are having any issues with yellowing topcoat (like polyurethane) and/or yellowing color, please read this! Such great information and tips.
(You can find more of their helpful FAQ's here: generalfinishes.com/how-to-finish-wood-faqs) *HOW DO I PREVENT WATER BASED TOPCOAT OR LIGHT COLORED PAINT FROM YELLOWING? All bright white paint will yellow slightly with time, with or without topcoat. Water-based topcoats are reactive and more likely to draw out substances in the wood such as tannins or unknown substances in existing finishes causing the topcoat to yellow. This is an industry-wide issue and we have added warning labels regarding the yellowing of topcoats to our bright white paints, Snow White Milk Paint and Chalk White Chalk Style Paint. General Finishes background was originally on the professional side, and the incidences of yellowing topcoat over white paint were almost nil, and when our sprayable professional finish, Enduro White Poly, is used, there have been no incidences. But as the use of our paints has increased in the up-cycling and furniture refresh markets, we have heard more reports of our topcoat yellowing. Our original response was to teach about prepping, testing your finish schedule and finally creating Stain Blocker, our stain and tannin blocking primer, but this is not enough. Just as we advocate prepping all finishes, we are now advocating NOT using a clear water base topcoat over BRIGHT WHITE paint. We are listening and General Finishes is in the process of developing a brushable version of our professional Enduro White Poly (available only in gallons), but that will take some time and rigorous testing before we can release the product. Here is what you should know to protect yourself and also some immediate suggestions to decrease chances of yellowing. There is no way to reliably predict yellowing ahead of time. Sometimes yellowing occurs, sometimes it does not. Every existing finish is different and we rarely know the finishing provenance on an existing piece. Every tree is different and every piece of wood is unique. Wood can bleed tannins immediately after the topcoat dries or months later with a change in temperature that comes with a change in seasons. Oak, pine, mahogany, and Douglass Fur are particularly prone to bleed-through. As is true of most "water-white" topcoats, our High Performance Water-Based topcoat is a clear drying finish over a non-reactive substrate such as plastic. When white paint sealed with a water-white topcoat is applied to something as unpredictable as wood, all bets are off and the reason is often unknown. Yellowing can be caused by the top coat activating the tannins in raw wood or aniline dyes, stains or contaminants in a pre-existing finish. This is most evident when using BRIGHT WHITE paint and most prevalent in the sculpted details of furniture, where the topcoat can collect, intensifying the color change to an unacceptable level. To add to this issue, all bright white paint will yellow slightly with time, with or without topcoat. You have probably tried to touch up white woodwork in your home after several years and noticed that the new paint is brighter. SUMMARY
TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOURSELF AND PREVENTING YELLOWING
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HI YA'LL!
in 2012, i refinished my first hutch. I was SO proud of it. I remember when my dad, the carpenter, complimented how great it looked and I felt so proud . With that being said, I didn’t know much about paint, stains, repairs, waxes, tools, etc. I used spray paint and no sealant...it is very pretty but dull. In 2017, I got the idea to buy, fix up and sell children’s playhouses. It was so much fun and a great creative outlet. It was also a way to bring in some added income on the side. Once we got toward the end of that summer, I could tell there was less of a want/need for outdoor play items. my mind began to wander for the next creative outlet. A friend at work, Sheri Courtney from “Spruced Goose Designs,” had been refinishing furniture for a few months and I LOVED EVERYTHING she was doing! She is the one who taught me how to make chalk paint, who Annie Sloan is, what waxes and glazes to try, how to stain wood, and so on. I finally took the leap and purchased a small, outdated TV console. I painted it in a “duck-egg” blue color, sanded and stained the top in Kona, painted the hardware in oil-rubbed bronze and replaced the glass with chicken wire. I sealed it all with wax and a charcoal glaze and it was SO MUCH FUN!!!! I sold the piece just a few days later. I felt so accomplished and happy. I was ready to go! All day, everyday, i can't wait to find time here and there to go into the garage to sand, paint, repair, and tinker around. At least 75% of my clothing now has paint stains because I’m so impatient to get my hands (and hair) on that paintbrush! Since I completed that first piece in October 2017, I’ve transformed many pieces, including varying sized dressers , large hutches, dining table and chair set, vanities, buffets, and so on. I also work on custom pieces for clients. A lot of time, effort, attention and passion goes into each piece. They are my babies and I love knowing that I am helping to give them new life, and ultimately, a new home. I love working with new products, colors, and stains, and I’m constantly trying new things. Recently there have been some changes in my family’s needs, specifically my young son. I have cut back my hours at my “job” to be home more. So, keep this in mind- I am a working mother and wife who has found a hobby that she REALLY enjoys. I love my family and try to get in as much time as I can with them. I would LOVE to refinish furniture as my main career, but until then, I will continue to work on pieces that bring me joy (and sometimes a few swear words) because that is what life is all about- spending our precious time doing the things we love and are passionate about. I love the quiet, the tools, the photos of the pieces in their new spaces, the new people I meet and the art of it all. And until I have my very own workshop and a reality show, a girl can dream (while making those dreams a reality ;) . If you decide you would like to have some of your pieces “revitalized,” please know that I truly appreciate the faith that you have entrusted me with. Your support creates the opportunity for me to continue doing what I love, while I can be with the ones I love 💕 Tina B. |