Hard finish for maple fretboards?

[Tristan Williams]

I'm pondering options for fretboards for the $100 challenge, as there just aren't any hard dark woods around here. The last two guitars I built have light fretboards, so I think this next one should have a dark fretboard. I've been looking into staining maple dark, and it seems that they always need re-staining every year or so. This isn't too bad I guess if you've simply ebonized the fretboard with some Fiebing's dye, but I'm considering getting creative with some flamed maple for something a bit more striking..

What would be a good durable finish to get a longer lifetime without re-staining? Perhaps coating with polyester or epoxy resin? Boating is a very popular pastime in these parts so polyester resin is cheaply available.

[Patrick Kirkham]

I use Rustoleum Varathane Diamond Coat floor finish. Water based acrylic urethane. Shoots straight out of the can. Tough? I put it on fretless necks that have lasted for years with barely a scratch, using round-wound strings. Seems to work nicely on fretted maple necks as well.

[Tristan Williams]

Sounds perfect! Sadly, I can't seem to find it anywhere in Europe

[Chuck Tweedy]

Rustoleum Varathane is probabaly not available in Europe.
The key thing is that it is a floor finish. Floor finishes are designed to survive lots of abuse. I'll bet you can find a similar finish there, just look for a polyurethane floor finish.