Good finish for aspen bench?

mbpeff | Posted in Finishing on July 18, 2020 02:34pm

Hi, I have an unfinished aspen bench that I had people sign with a sharpie. I now want to finish it so that it resists dirtying and so the signatures don’t fade. I don’t want to add any color (although as long as you can see the signatures I don’t mind color). What finishing product do you recommend? Thanks!

Replies

john_c2 | Jul 18, 2020 03:14pm | #1
Water based polyurethane add the least color, and water based are least likely to dissolve the sharpie.

Test first! Put some sharpie on a scrap board, let it dry, and test your finish. Shellac will dissolve sharpie, because of the alcohol. Test, test, test.
mikaol | Jul 18, 2020 08:23pm | #2
Inside or outside bench?
mbpeff | Jul 18, 2020 09:02pm | #3
It’s inside