I totally understand the interaction of color as an optical illusion but this is not the case. My husband and I began painting all of the surfaces in May...We have recently noticed that in sporadic places throughout the house the newly painted wood basebords and door frames are yellowing!!!! What can I do? It is pretty clear that the color is off. POSSIBLE CAUSE Alkyd/oil based paints, because of their curing mechanism, tend to yellow, particularly in areas that are not exposed to sunlight. A DIY enthusiast claims to have uncovered the reason why ‘brilliant’ white paint often seems to turn ‘yellow’ over time. Anyway, I'm finding the paneling is staying white, but areas close to windows and the window sashes are yellowing when they dry, even when I put a couple layers of primer on. I actually just had a similar conversation with my dad on this topic. Oil-based polyurethane causes yellowing of white paint. He wood frame was raw wood. well, in the end I used two coats of the solver psu primer on the unsealed wood, but just one on the beams, and followed that with a single top coat of tinted solver ceiling paint - all water based. I wish I had taken a photo before I primed over my first coat of paint… Finding yourself in the unfortunate situation of your white paint turning yellow may make you think that all of your hard work was for nothing. I am at a loss as to why this is happening especially b/c the yellowing is random. by Reader Submitted • Dec 17, 2007. If you want white paint then acrylic "waterbased" is your answer as it does not turn yellow but on the down side does not have same finish as oil based paint. White painted cabinets give your kitchen a clean, airy look, but they can turn yellow with time. We painted w/ Behr semi-gloss interior enamel. I want to make sure that when I go to paint over the primer with our white semi-gloss latex interior paint that it doesn't yellow, too. Why did the finish turn yellow in those few places? Poly Turning White Paint Yellow. Hi This is due to use of vegetable oils to reduce the VOC content in the paint,in an attempt to make it less toxic. Print. Print. Two weeks or so later, I cant see any of the staining, so hopefully that will continue to work. The paint is a matte white water based paint. All wood has some level of tannin. What you might be experiencing is tannin staining from the wood underneath the paint. You have probably tried to touch up white woodwork in your home after several years and noticed that the new paint is brighter. When I put clear polyurethane over white paint, it turned yellow as it was being put on. He's a polymer chemist and works for a paint company. Development of a yellow cast in aging paint, most noticeable in the dried films of white paints or clear varnishes. Looked like pine. John Brock: Choose a waterbased polyurethane instead. Understanding the basics of paint and color oxidation will help ensure that your white paint stays bright for years to come. Any waterbased polyurethane will go on clear and will not yellow over time. I think it has something to do with the wood itself. All bright white paint will yellow slightly with time, even without topcoat. It looks like the Minwax Satin Finish Polyurethane might be oil based, true? Be experiencing is tannin staining from the wood underneath the paint especially b/c yellowing., it turned yellow as it was being put on give your kitchen a clean airy! Am at a loss as to why this is not the case pretty clear that color. They can turn yellow with time kitchen a clean, airy look, but can... Based paint as to why this is not the case development of a yellow cast in paint! 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