Methods to maximize wood surface hardness and wood dimensional stability inc lude various combinations of compression, heating, and chemical treatments. In this study, paulownia wood was treated with different concentration of low molecular weight(mol wt 350～380), water soluble melamine formaldehyde resin, being compressed while heated. The results showed that wood specimen treated with 6% resin solution retained almost complete fixation when soaked in room temperature water, while those treated with 25% resin solution retained fixation in boiling water. Moreover, the surface hardness increased from 0.122 MPa to 0.366 MPa when the wood was treated with 25% resin solution and 50% compression.