# Need to finish a maple mantle/surround, how would you preserve it's light color? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 19, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959 "2003-12-19T13:53:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/1 "2003-12-19T13:53:23Z")
We just invested in a custom maple mantle/surround. This is a job I did not want to take on myself, despite being a good woodworker. Well, it’s all solid hardwood maple - Absolutely stunning. Beautiful custom molding profiles and details. I have some experience finishing maple, and I know some of the pitfals: Maple doesn’t want to absorb stain - even the lightest ‘natural’ tone. I built a bar from maple, and the top and sides stained better than I ever dreamed possible, but the custom bar rail was blotchy in spots - nice, but not sunning like it could be. We want the wood **as light as possible**. Is there a way to add a finish/protective layer without staining it? Everybody pushes stain down your throat when you discuss finishing wood, and while I avoid painting nice woods whenever possible, I always stain it - even if it’s natural tone stain. _But I recall a woodworker show or two where they just added a finish, like shelac or others_. Any ideas? Some of the woodworker webs have light traffic, and the guys that do show up are carpenters, not finishers. You guys never let me down before! ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/2 "2003-12-19T14:08:45Z")
I’m not much of a woodworker, but my favorite varnish-type finish is Deft Semi-gloss. Goes on smooth, self-levelling, dries quick. It will darken the wood a bit, though. ---
**Author:** ![sultana\_of\_slash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@sultana\_of\_slash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sultana_of_slash)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/3 "2003-12-19T14:14:27Z")
Mineral oil. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/4 "2003-12-19T14:34:59Z")
Why would you stain it? I never use stain on a hardwood – usually I just put on a few coats of tung oil varnish (or Minwax poly in the case of moldings). Maple looks good with just a varnish, poly, or oil coat. If you want it to be as light as possible, you should probably go for a water-based poly – they tend to dry clear. Most oil-based polyurethanes will add a bit of amber to the color – not a bad thing as maple is rather a cold-toned wood. You might see if Forbin is still around on the boards – he’s a professional cabinetmaker with a lot of experience. You can also check out Flexner’s book on wood finishing (you can get it from Amazon or maybe your local library.) ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/5 "2003-12-19T14:44:04Z")
I’ve also had stunning results with waxes. I have a ton of pine shelving (and you know the way that pine turns awful hues of gold when stained “natural” or even “pinkish” with water-based varnish). With the wax they are f\*\*\*ing gorgeous . No discoloration, they look totally naked and with only the very slightest gloss. The end result is that it looks like it was varnished with a semi-gloss varnish, but without any discoloration. And it covered evenly, even where the wood was less than co-operative. Maintenance… well I’m not sure on that yet. After 2 years, I have not needed to refinish them even in the spots of heavier wear and handling. It’s sort of a “thick” finish, not like the usual furniture polishing wax. It’s also not sticky and is easy to clean – just whipe with a damp cloth. I’m very very happy with the finish. I use similar stuff on the maple body of my electric bass, but the stuff I use on my bass I need to re-apply every few months, even without handling it much (haven’t had time to practice lately). The maple has a better tone if left natural (unpainted, unstained). Note: Not sure how a wax finish would hold up over a fireplace though. ---
**Author:** ![pipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c2a13f/32.png) [@pipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pipper)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/6 "2003-12-19T14:59:42Z")
I wouldn’t recommend the use of mineral oil- it is a ‘non-drying’ oil and will not seal the wood. You probably don’t need to use polyurethane, as this piece will not be subject to a lot of wear and tear. Poly can be difficult to work with, and it takes care and skill to avoid bubbles, drips and brush strokes. I’d suggest a tung oil finish. Tung oil gives nice, natural luster to the wood that approximates ‘semi-gloss’. It doesn’t stain the wood, but does bring out the grain patterns. After several coats, the finish develops a ‘depth’ that is lacking from polyurethane based finishes. A big advantage is that it’s a ‘rubbed in’ finish so you avoid bubble and drip issues. One disadvantage is that each coat is thinner than poly, so you really need to put on at least 3 coats; I usually do about 5. If you are concerned about wear and tear, you can make a 1:1 mixture of poly (use the oil based!) and tung oil. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/7 "2003-12-19T15:15:36Z")
Bar none, I would use Minwax Ultra clear Polycrylic. It’s new. I put four coats of this on a very nice hardwood maple table and it looks absolutely stunning. All the luster, all the light color, the grain was brought out wonderfully. [This](http://www.minwax.com/products/protective/polycrylic.cfm) is the exact stuff I used…check it out. Highly, HIGHLY recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/8 "2003-12-19T15:18:12Z")
I used hard maple on my coffee table, and I used the water based Varathane thinned with a little kerosene. I used a fine foam roller and didn’t get a single bubble. I am really happy with the results. But, as **pipper** pointed out, since there won’t be much wear and tear, poly isn’t really needed. I would avoid doing a 1:1 mixture of poly and tung, because the oil based poly does do some yellowing. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/9 "2003-12-19T15:26:07Z")
The polycrylic I posted about is new I think, and is not oil based. So it’s clean up is with water… for new products I really like it. Basically, minwax did what **Nurse** and **Pipper** talked about…except they packaged it all in one can 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/10 "2003-12-19T15:29:23Z")
Did I say I thinned with _kerosene_?!? Okay, it’s a bit too early to be typing, considering the work party was last night. I thinned it with distilled water. It appears that my blood is still thinned with alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/11 "2003-12-19T15:37:18Z")
I too have had very good luck wi the tung oil, specifically on an antique maple table after stripping it. Minwax poly did wonders as well on some stained bookshelves I built for a library. I guess what I’m most curious about is how much wear would a “surround” be subject to? In fact, what is a “mantle surround”? Will it have drinking glasses placed on it, decorative items pulled across? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/12 "2003-12-19T15:37:22Z")
Mmmmm! Our holiday soiree is tonight! 🙂 Apple Cider and Rum here I come Mmmm! ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-finish-a-maple-mantle-surround-how-would-you-preserve-its-light-color/219959/13 "2003-12-19T20:31:55Z")
Damn, you guys are the best. I’ll test between tung oil and the polycrylic. Oh, I’m calling it a **mantle surroun** because it is the mantle shelf plus the sides down to the floor (like the ones found on this page [http://www.hansenwholesale.com/fireplaces/mantels/stock/index.html](http://www.hansenwholesale.com/fireplaces/mantels/stock/index.html) Seems that every time I say mantle, people think I mean just the shelf. I will update! Off to the store! Thanks, folks. I’ll try to put a pic or two somewhere!