Why does Polycrylic yellow? - FunCycled

By A Mystery Man Writer

Last updated 11 May 2024

Have you spent hours and hours working on a piece of furniture, got to the final step of sealing the piece, and the Polycrilic turned your piece yellow in spots? I’ve read so much about the fact that you shouldn’t use polyurethane on anything light in color because it will turn yellow (or ember) over time. Well, I just did 4 different pieces in four different styles and paint types and then had the polycrilic yellow. Everything I have read online says it should never yellow! I took the gallon of Minwax polycrylic back and was told that it says right on the back of gallon that it can ember. I couldn’t believe it, so the nice guy actually read it to me. I haven’t been able to find much online about this problem so I thought I would share my frustration, find out if any of my readers have have had this problem and found a solution, as well as offer a couple of ideas that have worked for me since then. The guy at Home Depot recommended that I try Minwax Lacquer instead. Here’s what that looks like next to the polycrylic that I bought to replace the gallon that…