Does Polyurethane Turn Yellow? [Truth Revealed]

One of the finest woodworking coatings is polyurethane, which is recognized for its longevity stability, sensitivity to water, simplicity of application. Added to all this, you’ll immediately notice the shiny and flawless texture.

This means that using polyurethane as a finish on wood floors and other woodworking products offers you most advantages. Also, it increases the products’ standard of quality.

But, that’s the good things! In some instances, you could experience wooden products turning yellow overtime.

So, does polyurethane yellow or not?

Yes! Polyurethane turns yellow. Oxidation is the primary cause of yellowing polyurethane. Due to this, the substances get dry as well. This chemical reaction, on the other hand, might be triggered by UV light exposure or the surface layer. In addition, oil-based paints, whether top-coated or not, are the culprits in the yellowing process.

Your morning tea will be ruined if you find out that your polyurethane coating has gone yellow while you’re enjoying it. We can’t let that happen to you. 

So, here goes the explanation about that entire thing.

Does Polyurethane Turn Yellow?

Yes, you heard it right. It does turn yellow. But don’t get disappointed. We got fixing strategies for you. Keep reading to know about yellow-free polyurethane.

As you know polyurethane is a durable coating but scuffing the surface with sandpaper can help you to restore your polyurethane coating.

If the discoloration goes too bad, you can use a paint stripper or alcohol solutions. Lastly, you can use bleach and apply primer to get a non-yellowing finish.

These are the primary attempt that you can take. More on that will be below-

Why Does Polyurethane Even Get Yellow Over Time?

Due to chemical reactions, polyurethane which is oil-based gets yellow over time.

If the coating is darkish, the chromophores are functional and continue to generate the dreaded yellow hue. However, prolonged exposure to sunshine may decompose chromophores, causing the yellowness to diminish.

You may be thinking that your furnishings has turned yellow despite receiving extended periods of direct sunshine throughout the day. But most UV rays are blocked by window frames, which means that they are unlikely to reach the inside of a home.

To see whether this is true, just expose a piece of wood coated with oil-based polyurethane to the outdoors and keep an eye out for any yellowing of the coating.

Now, let’s get to the options for fixing your yellowing polyurethane-

How to Keep Polyurethane From Yellowing

In order to accelerate the degradation of the chromophores, preserve completed oil-based polyurethane products around full of light environments.

So, introduce thin coats of polyurethane. It would decrease the possibility of turning yellow for some time. Though this won’t stop this substance from yellowing, it will reduce its discoloration and make it simpler to scrape off the polyurethane for reapplying coatings.

How to Fix This Issue When We Face it?

For starters, there are a number of ways to limit the amount of ultraviolet light that enters your house. When you ensure fewer UV rays enter your house, it will be a boost to both your furnishings and your skin’s health, and also your carpets.

So, you need to ensure that the rays don’t go inside. Here, if you have high-quality windows that reflect some of the UV radiation that may lower their intensity.

Then, protecting your windows with UV film is also an option.

Does Water-Based Polyurethane Turn Yellow?

Water-based polyurethanes have a lower tendency to yellow than oil-based polyurethanes. And, why is that?

This is due to the fact that the yellowing time varies depending on the thickness and quality of the polyurethane. In addition, both wood and polyurethane respond to ultraviolet radiation (UV rays).

Non-Yellowing Polyurethane For Furniture

Minwax’s polyacrylic is widely regarded as the finest non-yellowing clear coat available. The reason for this is that it is simple to use, dries rapidly (within 24 hours or less), and is affordable.

Additionally, it dries fully and may be applied numerous times during the day without getting discolored over time.

Find The Alternatives that Don’t Turn Yellow

You can not fully avoid polyurethane turning yellow. At some point, it will turn yellow even if the water-based polyurethane gets yellow but rarely. (Water-based lacquer, varnish, or tung oil can be a good choice too)

However, you can use some branded oil-based polyurethane that can lessen the discoloration. “Bona Traffic HD” and “Bona Mega Clear HD” are popular in this case. 

Ways to Prevent Polyurethane From Turning Yellow

If you don’t use water-based polyurethane, you can’t completely stop it from turning yellow.

However, the following might delay the process of becoming yellow.

• Dry The Surface Completely Before Painting
• Use Stain Blocker (Primer)
• Sealing with Silicone Base or UV Resistant 

Tips & Tricks  to Prevent Yellowing

This will help you to rearrange your surface for the re-coating and scraping off the paint will lessen the discoloration of yellow.

This will help the surface coating to stick well and also it works as a stain locking component for the polyurethane surface area.

Thin coatings are easy to remove and even easier to apply. It decreases the chance of polymer breakdown and as a result, it gives a smooth finishing.

Water bases polyurethanes tend to be non-yellowing and also if it turns yellow, that’s a rare case and it will happen after so many years of use. 

FAQs

Conclusion

To sum up, have you got your answer to the question- does polyurethane yellow? We also informed you about the best fixing strategies. 

However, while the strategies are not guaranteed to last for a long time, recoating can help to increase the longevity of the strategies.

Hopefully, by this point, you have found all of the answers you were looking for and can move forward to fix your issue. Keep an eye out for your next oil-based Polyurethane yellowing encounter and be prepared.