HowTo Keep Color in Spalted Wood?

[Nel frattempo]

We picked up cheap floor wood from a small lumber mill. Poplar, tongue in groove. Have discovered wonderful colors: green, orange, pink, grays in many patterns. What can I put on floor to seal it and hold the colors? I think the colors may be called "spalted" wood? I was just going to use regular polyerathene but it puts yellow on wood. Any other suggested for use on floor that may save the colors in the wood? Thank you

[PD-Riverman]

Originally Posted by Nel frattempo

We picked up cheap floor wood from a small lumber mill. Poplar, tongue in groove. Have discovered wonderful colors: green, orange, pink, grays in many patterns. What can I put on floor to seal it and hold the colors? I think the colors may be called "spalted" wood? I was just going to use regular polyerathene but it puts yellow on wood. Any other suggested for use on floor that may save the colors in the wood? Thank you

All the Poplar I have sawed has most or all the colors you mentioned when dried and planed, sawed from a green tree. Spalted Wood in "Most cases" would not be strong enough to be used on the floors or high traffic area's. Spalted wood is usually decaying to a point. I too would be interested in a Clear Hard Finish for Floors. I always used polyurathane Spar On the Strip Boats I built , but I have never finished a Wood Floor.

[wdchuck]

I've used clear polyurethane, water base, and the colors have remained, brighter/darker, but still beautiful, same wood as you have but the usage was shelves for cans, plenty of abuse and after 9years, still look great.

[stonykill]

I've used water based poly, and while it goes on easy and drys fast, I feel its garbage in the durability dept. I ended up redoing all my wood floors that were done with water based poly after 6 years, but the rest of the house was done with shellac as a sealer, then regular oil based floor poly. They still look great 17 years later. To answer your question, any time I use spalted wood for anything (its always furniture) I use clear laquer. It brightens the spalting, enhances it even. I would imaging floor poly (oil based) would do the same, however oil based poly yellows the wood somewhat.

[Nel frattempo]

Thank you everyone -- the wood does seem to be hard and dry and in good shape. We got it from mill where we have found good wood before and the man said it was in good shape. I do not see any areas of serious rot and all the colors seem to be hard. I just wanted to try to find a clear seal to try to save the colors. I hate that water base poly. We used it on an old white pine floor and it chipped off, "floated" on top of wood rather than going into wood and was in general a big disappointment. I won't use it on floor again. We have used the water base poly on other projects with good results........but not floors. Guess I will try the regular poly and hope it does not turn too yellow or try the shellac? I thought the shellac turns yellow too? Does it? Thank you very much.