Experiments-using archaeological wood from the sunken city of 17th century Port Royal, Jamaica, West Indies, and modern chemically-decomposed white birch samples-were conducted to evaluate the use of sucrose to stabilize waterlogged wood. An overall anti-shrink efficiency of 87% was achieved and the resulting appearance is aesthetically pleasing. Light and scanning electron microscopy show that sucrose penetrates and bulks the conserved wood. The results of this investigation demonstrate that the sucrose treatment, properly applied, is a safe, reliable and economical method of conserving waterlogged wooden artifacts.