Preserving Wood's Color

I've never seen anything as dramatic as the color of the aromatic cedar I just milled. There must be some way to keep this gorgeous color from fading away. Does your Polyshield block ultraviolet well enough to do the job, or do you know of any other wood finish that will work?

Be glad you're a woodworker, for you are one of a special few privileged to witness the magnificent color of freshly exposed wood. No one who's not in the shop with you when your cedar comes out of the planer, or in the woods with the sawyer when the tree is cut, will ever see the same breathtakingly vibrant and varied hues of wood during its first moments in the light of day.

As far as we're aware, the only way to preserve that appearance is to keep the wood packed inside a living tree. Even a very good marine-grade finish like Hydrocote Polyshield cannot block ultraviolet light permanently, and perhaps even more to the point, it cannot completely block oxygen molecules from reaching and interacting with the wood beneath. Polyshield certainly will slow wood's loss of liveliness, but there is simply no wood finish that can capture and preserve the magic of those first moments with a beautiful timber.

The best advice we can offer is to let the poignancy of fresh wood's beauty bring to your woodworking the depth of feeling that marks life's memorable moments. Be glad you're a woodworker!