# How to keep freshly sanded look



## HantsHog (29 Jan 2016)

I've just lightly sanded some used scaffold boards so they are nice and smooth. They are to be used in doors as shelves and tables. I like this freshly sanded look, dull light creamy matt I suppose, but I know over time they will probably yellow. Is there anything I can apply to lock in that look and stop any aging yellowing? I wasn't planning on varnishing or waxing.

Thanks


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## Jacob (29 Jan 2016)

There's nothing unless you can find some dull light creamy matt paint.


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## Wuffles (29 Jan 2016)

Car spray lacquer in matt from your favourite auction site normally does the trick. If anyone has any better solutions for that I'd love to hear them 'cos that's pretty much all I use for that kind of thing and am not even sure it's the best solution.


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## Spindle (29 Jan 2016)

Hi

I'm not aware of any product that will stop the yellowing with exposure to light.

You could give it a multi layer paint finish and selectively remove the top layer to simulate grain - but it never looks that good IMO.

Regards Mick


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## Wuffles (29 Jan 2016)

I missed the yellowing part of the post.

Yeah, unless something has UV protection in it, you've had it I guess.


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## custard (29 Jan 2016)

One of the loveliest "finishes" I've ever seen is an oak kitchen table in a working farmhouse that gets scrubbed down every few weeks with boiling water. It's drop dead gorgeous, but the hard graft maintenance routine is unlikely to appeal to many interior design fashionistas!


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## ED65 (29 Jan 2016)

Are there any water-based polyurethanes over here with UV protection built in? That might be your best durable option. 

At the other end of the spectrum something I just read about recently is soap finish. Definitely not a hands-off finishing option though.


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## marcros (29 Jan 2016)

a soap finish?

http://lumberjocks.com/CalebJames/blog/33609


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## Droogs (31 Jan 2016)

was going to suggest a soap finish but marcos beat me to it. Only problem is it does need redoing annually if you want it to be maintained and to my experience works best on ash, pine and Douglas fir


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## beganasatree (31 Jan 2016)

Have a look at www,generalfinishes.co.uk 


Prter.


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## HantsHog (2 Feb 2016)

Thanks for the replies. 

Now, I seem to remember I saw a post somewhere several years back, not necessarily on UKWorkshop, where someone had the same problem and a suggested solution was some kind of chemical, not varnish, stain or paint, that locked in the sanded look. I can't find the post anywhere though.

Maybe I'm thinking of a lime wash or even that stuff you can put on softwood that furs up when sanding; some kind of hardener perhaps. I'm grabbing straws here!


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## HantsHog (2 Feb 2016)

beganasatree":17drw6s2 said:


> Have a look at www,generalfinishes.co.uk
> Prter.



Just had a chat with General Finishes and the closest product is HP Flat ...

http://www.generalfinishes.co.uk/index. ... 7&PID=1173

Basically a high performance Polyurethane finish in Flat. It will give a slight difference in finish to freshly sanded wood but in their opinion is the closest I'll get. 

Has anyone used this product?


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## Wuffles (2 Feb 2016)

HantsHog":ruqus8ck said:


> beganasatree":ruqus8ck said:
> 
> 
> > Have a look at www,generalfinishes.co.uk
> ...



As will cheap car lacquer out of a spray can from eBay. When I spray birch ply with it, it doesn't really change the colour much at all. The stuff I buy is probably just water with a smell added though.


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## scosarg (4 Feb 2016)

you could try osmo polyx oil RAW ... I have used it 
works really well and they sell mini tester pots at great expense


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## Wuffles (4 Feb 2016)

scosarg":3dbom59u said:


> you could try osmo polyx oil RAW ... I have used it
> works really well and they sell mini tester pots at great expense



I tried a tester pot of that on something and it still went kind of "yellowy" immediately. Not as much as the other stuff Osmo do, but didn't work for me. Just trying to save the OP a pound or two, 'cos you're right...expensive!


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## custard (5 Feb 2016)

It's close, but you'll still notice that a finish has been applied. 

The "natural" look of a pu varnish is gloss, they add flatteners to matt it down but no amount of flatteners will ever remove the sheen entirely. In addition as the item is wiped or rubbed in use the finish will tend to burnish, so the level of gloss will increase over time. 

If I were you I'd still crack on and use it, but remember to stir really well before use and at intervals during use, because the flatteners tend to settle out, so if you don't stir adequately you get the full gloss effect!

Good luck.


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