Regarding Rubberwood. > It is enviro-friendly because it is farm grown for its sap. At 30 years old it is no longer a good sap producer. Two choices then are its fate. 1) Be used forfirewood. 2) Be turned into furiniture. It makes very prety furiniture. > It is not Maple, but as I have read, it is in the Maple family because it is used for its sap. Links: http://www.oakplus.com/rubberwood.htm http://web.utk.edu/~mtaylo29/pages/rubberwood.htm http://www.andamans.com/RubWd.htm Now on to my question... Does Rubberwood yellow/darken with age like Maple does? Since both woods are near the same color when fresh, what happens if combined in the same piece over time? What is really at play here is that rubberwood is becomming very ecconimical, and I am in the market for some additional furniture, and the other pieces and the room accents are in natural Maple (which have aged). If I buy rubberwood, will it age like the Maple and ultimatelly match the Maple?

Try a gel stain, darker is better. I used Old Masters gel on this coffee table - can still see the strips but not as bad. I think you'll always get a "butcher block" look with rubberwood, if you want a solid-looking surface you'll have to use solid wood or veneer. That's just the way rubberwood furniture is made - must be no big pieces available so they cut it into strips.

If you want the look of a sprayed catalyzed white finish (think Ikea) then you may not be happy with a hand-painted result. You will almost certainly have imperfections in the surface. That said, with a little care it will look quite good. 500-600 grit sanding is vast overkill for either paint or stain on wood, you can't get that kind of resolution on wood, it has more structure than that. Those grits are only useful on metal or for polishing out very high gloss finishes. 220 or 320 max is plenty. If you are using a waterborne finish (and even if you're not) as a last step I'd go over the surface with a damp sponge, let it dry, and then lightly final sand with the same grit. Wetting the wood will also show up any sanding scratches or areas that need additional attention. Sanding compresses the wood fibers, when you dampen the wood it will "fuzz up" and then you can knock the fuzz off with a light sanding, producing a very high quality surface. I've used the Ben Moore enamel undercoater and impervo enamel to good effect, I'm a throwback so paint with a high quality bristle brush, but a roller would probably be easier, especially on large flat surfaces. If you like the look of the bare maple then poly produces a durable finish. Use oil-based for an easier application but some yellowing over time, water-based for a completely clear finish. Seems a shame to get a high quality real wood product then paint it, but that's just me.

Gmp3 and Lazygardens-- Thank you both very much for your help. GMP3--I'm going back and forth between wanting them to look built-in, though I think that's still my preference. I was trying to save some money by finishing them myself. I've never used a sprayer so I'd probably hire someone. Any thoughts on what that might cost (I have no idea, so even an educated guess might help). Lazygardens--If I went with the natural maple (and it is very pretty, so it wouldn't break my heart to do this), do you have any recommendations for a topcoat (oil v latex/acrylic, method of application, even a brand you like) and should I apply a sealer/primer first? I know that Minwax makes aerosol cans of its polyurethene--any opinions about those? Many thanks!