Keith; "Do high gloss finishes allow the wood to breathe?" ANS: NO. Most latter day polyester finishes are applied to manufactured substrate, i.e. high grade particle board. Wood underneath a polyester finish cannot breathe as we know it and develops cracks in the finish after a period of time. While the core of a lid or fallboard or music rack or rim may be wood/plywood there is a layer of manufactured highdensity substrate that is actually finished with the polyester due to the superior stability of this substrate over wood. Ever wonder why new Gloss piano lids are so heavy compared to older models? Quite a few case parts on high gloss pianos are not even substrate but actually a high density plastic. Keith maybe some manf. rep will jump in and explain the reasoning better than I can. Jim Bryant (FL)
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