varnish

MA. CECILIA M. DE MESA · Post by **MA. CECILIA M. DE MESA** » 07 Jul 2008, 01:25

good day to everyone, can anyone tell me what is the effect of painting polyurethane varnish to the piano soundboard? i will surely appreciate your replies... thank you.

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 07 Jul 2008, 10:11

CECIL, are you for real?

MA. CECILIA M. DE MESA · Post by **MA. CECILIA M. DE MESA** » 08 Jul 2008, 01:57

yes... i saw piano soundboards that were varnished, just curious if it has an effect on the sound... especially if it is repaired, they varnish the soundboard to look new... can it harm the soundboard and affect the piano sound? for your information... i saw 2 second hand pianos with their soundboards varnished with polyurethane... that's why i am asking this question...

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 08 Jul 2008, 07:23

A few years ago I did an experiment with varnishing a soundboard and had some interesting results.

Treated with gloss finish polyurethane varnish from Ronseal, the piano sounded completely different to when treated with Johnstones yacht varnish.

When treated with Blakes Dura-Gloss varnish, there was an indistinctive change in tone compared to when it was treated with Wickes water-based varnish but not as obvious as when it was treated with Le Tonkinois natural oil varnish which made the piano sound similar to when it was treated with B&Q own brand polyurethane varnish.

As a matter of interest, I went to the trouble of restringing the piano with no varnish whatsoever on the soundboard and it sounded incredibly like a piano I saw in a charity shop that had been varnished with noncatalyzed lacquer!!!

Amazing, I thought.

David B · Post by **David B** » 08 Jul 2008, 08:42

Brumtuner...are you for REAL?

Openwood · Post by **Openwood** » 08 Jul 2008, 10:20

I repainted my Steinway B in good old matt emulsion and it looks fine.

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 08 Jul 2008, 12:13

"Brumtuner...are you for REAL?"

Welllllll, ask a silly question.

Post by **Barrie Heaton** » 08 Jul 2008, 17:26

Brumtuner wrote:"Brumtuner...are you for REAL?"

Welllllll, ask a silly question.

but is it! Violin makers are very particular on what varnish they use its all to do with stiffness some soak in some lie on the top to much will dull the soundboard

Polyester can go like crazy paving but with it being harder than selleck polish will the sound reach the ends quicker

Barrie,

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 08 Jul 2008, 18:24

I'm sure that if a Bechstein grand can still sound dandy with whacking great chasms in the soundboard not to mention the trademark cracked frame, then the vibrations from a string aren't going to get too fussed about the kind of varnish used on the soundboard.

Post by **vernon** » 08 Jul 2008, 18:45

also, violins etc are only varnished on the outside!

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 08 Jul 2008, 19:25

unless I am mistaken, the main reason for soundboards being varnished these days is to make them more impervious to humidity swings brought about by central heating and such like?

Post by **vernon** » 08 Jul 2008, 20:35

soundboards are totally sealed by the glued joint at the fillets round the edges and the varnish back and front.
If one varnishes just one side then the board warps( eg if you put up facings round doors always paint them front and back otherwise they look like banana wood when they dry)
However, as I noted above, all string instruments are only varnished on one side with no apparent ill effects otherwise Stradivari violins would have long gone.Indeed, tests have been done on totally unvarnished violins with no noticeable effect on the sound/tone/timbre
The older square pianos' bellies were generally barewood but they collect the dirt so I suspect one reason for varnishing (grand )bellies is cosmetic.
Logically, varnishing must inhibit " tone" as all the surface fibres cannot align and are effectively muted.

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