Yellowing

[elwood]

Hi everyone; I do alot of projects that get put outside. weather I paint or stain the finishes I have tried have turned my projects to a yellowish tint. Am i doing something wrong or is there a finish that will not do this?

[BobD (Archive)]

Elwood,

Does it happen with dark woods as well as light woods?
I think it has to do with the finish reacting to UV radiation from the sun...
I've heard of people using a white gel stain to keep some woods from yellowing, but I don't know how UV rays will affect that...

Bob

[elwood]

Bob

Bob it happens with both light and dart wood and even when I paint it.

[jttheclockman]

One thing the uv rays will eventually take its toll on anything. If you are using oil based products it will happen faster. Don't know what you mean about staining outside projects because if you are doing this the best to use is a deck stain. Of course you will have to do this every year or every other year to maintain it's color. The stain with the more pigment in it will last longer. If you are using interior stains and putting them outside you can try a marine varnish like a Spar varnish. Any of the big name co. have some. Miniwax, Mclosky's which can be found in Home Depot or Lowes. This will block the Uv more so. As far as paint goes good old Benjamin Moore or from Home Depot the Behr product is very good and lasts a long time. Paint is the easier of the two.

[elwood]

thanks

thanks to all for the help jttheclockman and bob.

[SonjaRaquel]

Project turning Yellow

I made a snowman with birds (approx. 5 ft tall) out of 5/8" exterior plywood. Got it all painting and ready for the sealer. I bought "Minwax Indoor/Outdoor HELMSMAN Spar Urethane" CLEAR SEMI-GLOSS. I was told this was what to use to seal it for the outdoors. BIG MISTAKE.
A couple day ago I brushed it on the back of the projects, which was all white. I noticed it was going on a yellowish tint. Thought maybe it may change when dried. The next day I went back to look at it and it was more yellowish. My thoughts, "I'll just have to sand it off and repaint". (This was the all "white" side). So I turned it over and where I had brushed the sides with the protection it had ran approx. 1" to 2" around the edges on the other side (very discouraging) turned everything a yellowish tint. Even the birds that were painted different colors had changed colors.
At this point I was ready to give it away to anybody that was around. I just put it away until later. I will be sanding or whatever and restarting over AGAIN.
Is there a protection "spray" for the outside instead of "brushing" on? Does anyone have any suggestion? Thanks!
-Sonja

[jttheclockman]

Sonja

What you used is an oil base product and is always yellow tint to it from the start. That is the nature of oils. When leaving something natural colored wood there is nothing like oil to give it a soft warm glow. My question to you is why do you want to cover the white paint if that is what you used. You never want to put a sealer of any kind over paint. Paint breathes and moves with the wood. If you use a good outdoor paint it should stand up for many years. Just as an example you don't see people putting a spar varnish on their houses that have been painted. All the uv protection is in the paint. You can buy small pints of paint of any color that are made for outdoor use and have a poly in them for protection. Or you can use Deck stains and apply as many coats and it is semitransparent to show the grain through or you can get more opaque stains that are more heavy bodied and do not show as much grain through. All of the above can be found at Home Centers everywhere. Do not seal over paint.

[SonjaRaquel]

John,
I made a big\hugh mistake. I was at a Home Center going to buy my paint (outside paint). They did not have all of the colors I needed. (Could have waited to have it mixed). But the paint advisor from the Home Center suggested to use an acrylic paint and use this kind of sealer. So my husband and I got the "Minwax". But, still we were hesitate about doing this.
I talked to people at a couple craft departments and they suggested to use the "Acrylic" paint. But, instead of using the Minwax they suggested to use a spray. But, the spray they suggested was not labeled "exterior". So I thought I would use something that was labeled "exterior" and it would be better.
Guess we learn through "trial and error". I sure made my BIG one.
Do you suggest to sand off everything and paint with outside paint? Shouldn't I put a sealer or something on this every few years?
!
-Sonja

Sonja

What you used is an oil base product and is always yellow tint to it from the start. That is the nature of oils. When leaving something natural colored wood there is nothing like oil to give it a soft warm glow. My question to you is why do you want to cover the white paint if that is what you used. You never want to put a sealer of any kind over paint. Paint breathes and moves with the wood. If you use a good outdoor paint it should stand up for many years. Just as an example you don't see people putting a spar varnish on their houses that have been painted. All the uv protection is in the paint. You can buy small pints of paint of any color that are made for outdoor use and have a poly in them for protection. Or you can use Deck stains and apply as many coats and it is semitransparent to show the grain through or you can get more opaque stains that are more heavy bodied and do not show as much grain through. All of the above can be found at Home Centers everywhere. Do not seal over paint.

[jttheclockman]

SonjaTo address the part about starting over depends on the damage done. You said the back was done and the edges were yellow. If you can sand off the back and the edges and repaint then try that. If you are using acrylic paints then yes they have a clear spray that will spray clear. KRYLON, it has UV protection in it to protect against the sun.It is more of a lacquer instead of a varnish. You said you have some craft stores. They sell the Delta paints and a sealer to go with it that is made for outdoor use. You want to use a product that is outdoor recomended. Always make sure you try on some scraps before commiting to the project. This is good practice whenever using any kind of stains or finishes. Paint something white and when dry try the spray. I would never use a brush on top coat always spray but use good ventalation. I hope I am not confusing you but I have done outdoor projects and always used outdoor paints and never sealed them and they lasted a long time. Of course they need repainting after 5 or 6 years

[Forester21]

John,

Do you suggest to sand off everything and paint with outside paint? Shouldn't I put a sealer or something on this every few years?
!
-Sonja

.

DON'T bother sanding it down to the wood again if you are planning on painting the same thing - just give the varnish a quick, light sanding and paint right over it!

I do a lot of painting using the acrylic paints. They also have a brush on Interior/Exterior varnish (Delta brand I think) at the craft stores. It ends up more expensive than a gallon can of other brands, but if you are doing only one project, it would work. I put a varnish/sealer on everything I paint - it protects the paint so it won't scratch or chip as easy.

Theresa

[SonjaRaquel]

Yellowing

all,
This is my first "outside" project. Wish I had known about this group before I made a mess out of the project. I will sand off just enough to still be able to see the colors and then paint over it. This is going to be a big job; but it will help me to be able to see the colors. Thanks to everyone!
-Sonja

[Hoover]

I too was advised by an employee way back when from one of the big box hardware stores to put spar varnish on my outside items also like holiday ornaments and they too got just ugly yellow, but now with my experience through the years I found the Benjamin Moore paint(s) are so durable for exteriour projects that I use nothing else, they're worth every cent.