Development of a yellow cast in aging paint, most noticeable in the dried films of white paints or clear varnishes. 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. All bright white paint will yellow slightly with time, even without topcoat. 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. It looks like the Minwax Satin Finish Polyurethane might be oil based, true? The paint is a matte white water based paint. 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. Any waterbased polyurethane will go on clear and will not yellow over time. I am at a loss as to why this is happening especially b/c the yellowing is random. I totally understand the interaction of color as an optical illusion but this is not the case. It is pretty clear that the color is off. 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. POSSIBLE CAUSE Alkyd/oil based paints, because of their curing mechanism, tend to yellow, particularly in areas that are not exposed to sunlight. We painted w/ Behr semi-gloss interior enamel. 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. John Brock: Choose a waterbased polyurethane instead. He wood frame was raw wood. What you might be experiencing is tannin staining from the wood underneath the paint. Looked like pine. Understanding the basics of paint and color oxidation will help ensure that your white paint stays bright for years to come. White painted cabinets give your kitchen a clean, airy look, but they can turn yellow with time. Print. He's a polymer chemist and works for a paint company. 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? Print. I wish I had taken a photo before I primed over my first coat of paint… Why did the finish turn yellow in those few places? You have probably tried to touch up white woodwork in your home after several years and noticed that the new paint is brighter. A DIY enthusiast claims to have uncovered the reason why ‘brilliant’ white paint often seems to turn ‘yellow’ over time. by Reader Submitted • Dec 17, 2007. I think it has something to do with the wood itself. 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