MOISTEN BEFORE OILING
Wetting wood before oiling has a long tradition. Even though it has somewhat fallen out of fashion, it still makes sense to take the time for this tried-and-tested pretreatment. You can find more information about it in this article.
WHAT DOES WETTING MEAN?
Wetting means thoroughly rubbing the raw, fully sanded wood surface with a damp sponge, cloth, or mop before oiling. Contrary to what the term "wetting" might suggest, only a very small amount of water is used. The sponge, cloth, or mop should therefore be only slightly damp. As a rule, no more than 10 - 20 ml of water per square meter is required.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING WETTING?
The wood absorbs the water immediately and turns dark. The water causes the finest wood fibers, which were pressed down during sanding, to swell and stand up rough. Don’t worry, this is exactly what is intended. Once the wood has dried completely, which can be recognized by the fact that it has regained its original light color, the raised wood fibers can easily be sanded off with fine sandpaper or a sanding sponge (P220 grit). Similar to shaving, the hairs are shaved down to the roots, so they cannot stand up again later. This is an important advantage when working, for example, with the water-based OLI-NATURA Scandic-Oil.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WETTING?
Wetting offers a number of other benefits that are generally important when oiling:
1. More even surface appearance
The slight swelling of the fibers also levels out sanding marks or minor dents in the wood. When the wood is subsequently oiled, this results in a significantly more even surface appearance, because oils and especially colored oils clearly accentuate sanding marks.
2. Better protection and more intense coloring
The water has opened the wood pores, allowing them to absorb more oil more evenly. This increases the protective effect and, with colored oils, also significantly enhances the intensity of the color. Overall, the surface appearance is more uniform than without wetting.
3. Tannins (tannic acid) are washed out
Oak in particular, which is very popular, has a high tannic acid content. Tannic acid is water-soluble and primarily responsible for unsightly light water rings. Since oils are always vapor-permeable, it cannot be completely ruled out that standing moisture will penetrate even the best protective layer. In this case, the water leaches the tannins to the wood surface, causing the water rings described above. This risk can be significantly reduced by wetting the wood before oiling. If you even add a splash of OLI-NATURA Exterior Cleaner to the water, rings can be prevented even more reliably.
STEP BY STEP:
1) Before wetting, sand the surface and then thoroughly dust it off.
2) Use clean, lukewarm water for wetting. A splash of OLI-NATURA Exterior Cleaner inhibits the reactivity of tannins in tannin-rich wood surfaces such as oak.
For industrial application, »OLI-NATURA Antique« can also be processed using a roller system.
3) Wetting can be done with a wrung-out cotton cloth or a squeezed sponge.
For floors, a damp mop is recommended.
4) Here, the wood surface is evenly moistened with a sponge.
5) Allow the wood surface to dry for long enough after wetting.
6) Once fully dry, the raised wood fibers caused by the water are cut off with a fine-grained sanding sponge or sandpaper (e.g., P220). Work in the direction of the grain and apply light pressure.
7) The wood surface is then thoroughly dusted and treated with a protective oil.
Which wood oil is right for me?
If you want to buy a wood oil, the selection may initially seem enormous and overwhelming. We will help you make your decision and show you which OLI-NATURA Oils & Waxes are best suited to you or, rather, to your project. Our experts will quickly and easily recommend a suitable wood oil, answer your product questions, and provide application tips. We are happy to help with any questions, by telephone at 037208/84-488 or via email at faq@oli-lacke.de. (sst_10012023)
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