Although all wood is different, and may respond to its environment in different ways, certain precautions can be taken that, in general, will help prevent any sort of darkening or loss of color in exotic, imported, or otherwise simple color woods.
Do you want your Bloodwood to stay red? Your Padauk or Osage Orange to stay orange? Your Purpleheart to stay purple? Your Cocobolo or Tulipwood to stay rainbow colored? Here are some tips:
- Be sure to use several coats of finish to block out as much air/vapor as possible. Studies have shown that the more coats of finish that are used, the less the wood is effected by changes in humidity. Using a simple rub-in oil finish or paste wax offers very little resistance for the wood; you’re after a film-building finish.
- Keep the wood out of direct sunlight, and try to avoid placing it in areas of high light. (UV light tends to shift the color of certain woods.)
- As an extra precaution, you can use an exterior-grade spar varnish with UV inhibitors.
- If you are trying to maintain the color of a light-colored wood, such as Maple or Holly, use a water-based finish, or a finish that doesn’t yellow with age.
It should also be noted that in some wood species, such as Black Cherry, a darkening of color (sometimes called its “patina”) is usually considered desirable and unfinished wood can be left in direct sunlight to accelerate this process.
Please note: an exception to this appears to be Pink Ivory, which seems to thrive in conditions of exposure to light and air. Additionally, some woods get lighter, rather than darker, upon exposure to sunlight, such as Wenge, Panga Panga, and Redheart.
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