Yellowing
Q: Regarding urethane for hardwood floors, I just finished reading your oil vs. water text. I think I am partial to oil. I have new, beautiful, truly brown walnut flooring that I do not want to yellow. I cannot get my hands on the Circa 1850 Bowling Alley urethane. Do you think that the yellowing or amber-color that happens with oil-based is from the yellow in the wood? If so, I should be OK because this wood has no yellow in it. Or, do you think that the urethane itself is what ambers? If that’s the case I might have to go with the water-based, which I do not want to do.
A: The finish itself ambers. Fabulon also uses the safflower resin which resists yellowing. Walnut will darken on it’s own and personally I prefer the rich colours from an oil based finish over the water borne. To use water borne on this wood, you may have to use a sealer first because of the oils seeping from the wood. A lot of guys on a list I belong to are from the U.S. and use a universal sealer called Waterlox, which I believe is a de waxed shellac. Never used it myself but it needs to be applied in thin coats.
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