Non-yellowing / warming finish for ash T&G walls

[Brian W Evans]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. (And happy Thursday to everyone outside the U.S.)

I milled a bunch of ash into nickel-gap T&G to cover the walls and ceiling of a small home office. I really like the creamy color of the unfinished wood and would like to keep it that way after finishing.

I originally bought some water-based wipe-on poly that seemed promising but has actually yellowed noticeably over just a few months. Thankfully I made some test pieces before using it on the whole project.

I am looking for something that will offer enough protection for walls and ceiling (i.e. not much) but will not change the color of the wood. I especially don't want anything that will accentuate the open structure of the grain.

I have a decent spray set up and would be willing to try spraying, but wipe-on is also an option. I don't want to mess with brushed finishes for a project this size.

So, my questions are:



What clear finish should I use that won't alter the color, won't accentuate the pores, and won't look like plastic?
Should I finish the pieces before putting them on the wall, or install everything and then spray or wipe?
Anything else I should be thinking about?


Thanks.

[Paul F Franklin]

The ash itself will yellow some over time, you might even be seeing it on your test pieces. You might want to see what Target Coatings suggests for a non-yellowing water based finish.

How are you mounting them? If you have to fill nail holes you will probably have to touch up in place, but IMO pre-finishing is the way to go.

[John TenEyck]

Paul is right, the ash itself might have yellowed some. I'm not suggesting the poly wasn't the more likely source of the issue, but ash will mellow/yellow some over time.

The way to prolong that from happening as long as possible is to choose a finish with a dual UV package. The one I know of is SW's Ken Aqua Plus. If you get it in flat or matte it will look like nothing has been applied to the wood. I'm sure there are other products with the dual UV package, I just am not familiar with them.

If you don't really care about protecting the wood from aging, and just want a dead clear finish that won't yellow, then consider GF's Enduro Clear Poly (it's really mostly acrylic and does not yellow) or TC's EM-6000. Again, if you use the flat or matte sheen it will look like nothing on the wood. Both products spray great.

John

[Brian W Evans]

Thank you for the advice. I have used EM-6000 before, so would likely go with that. Prefinishing was also my plan since there will be no nail holes due to the nickel gap design.

I am new to using ash and so wasn't aware of the yellowing. I may experiment with some tints to see if I can get a color I like, since I don't like the yellow ash. I will try to remember to post pictures and notes when done.

Thanks again.

[Jim Becker]

Brian, if I'm not mistaken, I used EM6000 on this ash project or at least similar:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?250488-Project-Retro-Modern-LP-Record-Rack&p=2641776#post2641776

[Lee Schierer]

I'm not sure how well it would work on ash, but years ago I made a mobile computer stand for our first computer out of red oak.
490534
The finish I used as Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish in semi-gloss (They also make a satin). The wood and the finish didn't yellow as long as we owned that desk. The desk was in our family room which received a lot of sunlight. This is a quote from the product description: "This clear sealer dries crystal clear and stays crystal clear, making it ideal for use over all Minwax Oil-Based and Water-Based Stains and colors, as well as all wood species including light woods like maple, ash and birch."

[Brian W Evans]

Nice project, Jim. The ash looks like what I would expect in most cases (which I like). My issue is that i purchased 1,000bf of ash and carefully picked out the lightest boards. I was excited that I had enough "creamy" white boards to complete my project but very disappointed when my test pieces yellowed. Time to adjust my expectations a bit, I guess.

[Brian W Evans]

Thanks for the Minwax recommendation, Lee. I have never used polycrylic because I always assumed it was a big-box store product that would look like plastic. I will get some and give it a shot, though.

The hardware and software in your picture brings back lots of memories! I used WordPerfect and Printshop quite a bit back in the 80s and 90s and had piles of floppy disks. When I talk about those things to my students, they look at me like I'm explaining how a Victrola works. Forget about explaining what it was like to use a typewriter or a rotary phone.

[Jim Becker]

Nice project, Jim. The ash looks like what I would expect in most cases (which I like). My issue is that i purchased 1,000bf of ash and carefully picked out the lightest boards. I was excited that I had enough "creamy" white boards to complete my project but very disappointed when my test pieces yellowed. Time to adjust my expectations a bit, I guess.
Using a waterborne finish "in general" is going to help you keep things as light/white as possible. But it's the nature of wood that it will color shift over time from oxidation and UV. Ash is no different in that respect.

Polycrylic is actually a pretty decent waterborne product for the money...I generally keep a quart or three around in different sheens for general utility and have also used it when I didn't have time to wait for something to ship to me. While I "prefer" the EM6000 as a finish, especially with the "burn in" properties, I have no real qualms about using Minwax Polycrylic.