John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hello,

I am near the end of my studio building odyssey. Room within a room design that follows much of the advice recommended by this forum. My question is about the wood surfaces that will make up my walls, traps, and diffusers.

Can I coat studio surfaces (wooden ones) with poly of any kind, or does it destroy some or all of the benefits of one gets from crafting, say, Ethan Winer's trap designs?

I worry about raw wood being marred and/or gradually damaged over time. Poly surfaces are easy to wipe/clean. However, I cannot find any information online about the impact of polyurethane on the absorptive qualities of wood. My gut says it is a bad idea to coat wood with anything, but the aesthetic part of me wants my gut to be wrong.

Any advice/knowledge is greatly appreciated.

Greg (Elverson, PA)

you should be fine to use a poly finish to seal it. i like Tung oil or other oil finishes. the difference between the raw wood and sealed wood will be minimal and not audible unless you coat it enough to effectively make it more like plastic

Thanks so much for your response. The internet is a dark hole when it comes to info on this aspect of studio construction.