Making a straightforward coffee table for an artist’s showroom. Problem
is that the showroom gets intense sunlight through
glass windows pretty much every day (it’s in the Mohave desert).
I’m no finishing expert and need advice on how to minimize
bleaching due to the sunlight. A jumble of shadows left by objects
sitting on the table would not be a good outcome.
What little I do know suggests avoiding cherry and perhaps using
a marine spar varnish (like Epifanes) containing strong UV blockers.
Would want to end up with a satin sheen, not high gloss. But these
are just guesses.
Suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Replies
A UV fast stain would be my go-to here. It will help to keep the bleaching minimal. Nothing you can do will stop it otherwise - you can reduce it but not ever stop. Sadly I can't offer more experience save that standard finishes don't do much to prevent UV related changes.
Teak, though expensive, seems to keep its colour well in the sun.
Mahogany, teak and Iroko bright work will not bleach on boats when varnished. Epiphane is a good varnish but for an indoor table you would be better with a spar urethane varnish, it’s more scratch resistant than alkyds.
Could you design the piece such that you bleach the wood as part of the original finish? Probably still would need to account for UV effect on the finish itself but perhaps the underlying wood could be pre-faded in such a way that it’s a feature of the design.
Would an application of potassium dichromate dye help matters.
A different thought, on the house we purchased, the owner had put some sort of UV filter on the windows. Unless you know it's there you don't really notice. Things don't seem to bleach 10 years on in the home. If the individual who owns the artist studio worries about bleaching of also the artwork, might be worth looking into.