Oil provides protection to precious woods for maximum sustainability
Wood is a valuable natural product that often thrives on its beauty alone!
Protection with oil can further highlight its natural look. Oiled wood displays a warm, lively, feel-good surface. The best thing about it is that you can very easily apply a protection with maximum sustainability that ensures good durability of the finished object.
The typical "accentuation" underlines the structure and the play of colours on the elegant wood. Oils are mostly open-pored, so the natural surface can continue to "breathe" and isn't sealed with a lacquer surface. Everyone agrees about the feel of an oiled surface - it feels unbeatably like pure nature. The reason is that the oil penetrates into the wood, and the surface is protected against soiling by the wetting of the pores.
Some people even speak of the "plastic-like" feel of a lacquered surface, whereas no one ever mentions this when it comes to oiled wood. It remains natural!
A significant advantage compared to lacquered surfaces is the option to partially refresh or repair oiled surfaces.
Oil is generally easy to apply and can be processed with little effort. A good result can be achieved reliably and easily, even without mechanical equipment or training in coating. Its special feature is oxidative drying through the absorption of atmospheric oxygen. This may take a few days under certain circumstances. An oil-typical smell may also be noticed during this hardening phase. This depends on the oil being used and continuously weakens. Sufficient air exchange accelerates the process.
Something else to note regarding the optics: the colour tone and effect of oiled surfaces largely depends on the hue of the wood, the bare wood sanding and the choice of oil to be used.
Which oil is the best choice for your application?
Your purpose and desire is decisive
There are in principle two main groups of oils that can be used to complement wood surfaces. The first includes the purely natural oils and the second are oils based on oil-modified alkyd resins.
The all-natural, most sustainable variety includes our top-seller Proterra NATURAL-SOLID-OIL, which provides reliable protection and great grain accentuation with just one application. An optional hardener makes it even more resilient. This allrounder is also IMO-certified and suitable for sustainable construction projects under LEED, DGNB; BNB, etc. Our COLOR-SOLID-OIL is a good choice in the coloured range.
The second group - oils based on oil-modified alkyd resins - do not generally accentuate the colour of the wood quite as much. They also include the so-called hard wax oils. This term is associated with sustainability and is often used in the market. A glance at the contents reveals that nature is being "helped" a little here. These oils are equipped with special properties that a classic natural oil may not have at all, or not to the required intensity. This gives rise to special oils with specific protective functions, or for special application areas.
Here are a few examples: our SPEEDCARE-OIL can be used well with forced drying for industrial use. FLOORCARE-OIL is particularly abrasion-resistant and ideally suited for floors and stairs. INVIPRO-OIL offers best protection with an extra light natural wood effect.
Visual comparison
on light and dark wood
Appearance is a matter of individual taste. Here are two visual examples of the two oil variants.
As described, some differences between the two main groups are clear, others are less obvious. You can find a few aspects of that in this table.
Comparison of natural oils and oil-modified alkyd resins
Table provides good overview
| Property | Natural oil | Oil-modified alkyd resins |
|---|---|---|
| Penetrations-/impregnation properties | Very strong | Medium |
| Brightening | Weak | Stronger |
| Grain accentuation | Very strong velvety | Weaker |
| Feel | Pleasantly velvety | Grippy, cooler |
| Optics | warm | Fresh |
| Intrinsic colour | Oil-specific, somewhat darker | Oil-specific, somewhat lighter |
| Light fastness | Typical for nature | Better depending on oil modification |
| Non-volatile component | Very high, up to 100 % | Significantly less |
| Content of solvent | Very low, almost solvent-free | Significantly higher, but still Decopaint compliant |
| Proportion of renewable raw materials | High, to very high | From low to high depending on oil modification |
| Initial smell of the dry oil surface | Natural oil specific, oil dependent | Low solvent smell, subsequently oil-typical depending on the oil modification used |
View of the area
NATURAL-SOLID-OIL
View of the area
NATURAL-SOLID-OIL
Here is a view of the sample surface, which is oiled naturally with NATURAL-SOLID-OIL.
The short film shows the special properties of this natural oil.
View of coloured oil
COLOR-SOLID-OIL
View of coloured oil
COLOR-SOLID-OIL
The coloured oil offers a wide range of applications on surfaces.
The mixable oil system allows you to mix any desired colour shade.
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