How To Finish White Oak For Exterior Use

Welcome to function two of our series on wood types. This week I'll be discussing Oak & oak wood treatments. If y'all haven't already read part one, feel complimentary to become bank check it out here: All about Pino Wood.

A little history of Oak

Oak (or quercus every bit information technology is known in Latin) is a hardwood with some 400 known species. It has ever been a popular wood in The UK, but in recent times it is even more than widely used in construction and too equally internal fixtures in clubs and gyms etc. For furniture construction, oak has become e'er more the wood of pick, a trend expanding twelvemonth on year since the year 2000 when People's republic of china, India and Republic of indonesia substantially increased their export markets. Pino has been the wood to suffer from oak's popularity every bit it is more widely available in the Far Due east.

The flowers of many oak trees are known as catkins and they are produced by oaks when they attain their reproductive age which is typically anile xx. They are triggered past rise temperatures in spring. Ultimately information technology is the catkins of many oaks that plough into the acorns, so perchance that popular phrase… 'mighty oaks from little acorns grow' should be 'mighty oaks from niggling catkins grow' although it doesn't quite have the same ring does it?

oak-wood-acorn — Acorn of the mighty oak tree

Treating Oak wood

With regards to finishing and treating oak, there are numerous possibilities only there are certain requirements that are asked for time and again… Often we are asked how external oak tin be kept looking natural. Whilst the question is piece of cake, the answer is not so straight forrad. These are the necessary considerations: –

When water penetrates oak it reacts with the high tannin content inside oak, resulting in 'blackening'.
The Sun'south UV rays will turn the oak to a silver hue over fourth dimension.
Clear products are inevitably not completely clear so they tend to 'bring out' the natural colours of the oak, normally making information technology a bit darker and warmer.
The levels of rain, wind and sun will brand a difference to how quickly the oak changes colour.

oak-turned-grey-silver — Oak turned grayness / silver by UV rays & water damage

oak-beer-barrel — Oak Barrels traditionally used for Whisky and Beer

If the requirement is to keep the oak looking equally natural as possible, whilst preventing blackening or silvering as much as possible, then the following is the best system we know of: –

1 coat of articulate wood preservative
Followed by two coats of Osmo UV Protection oil 420 actress

Osmo 420 actress offers UV resistance and as well contains biocide which is important for external timbers as it prevents the wood from becoming diseased with wet rot, dry rot and blue stone etc. The oil also repels water, thus preventing it from going blackness.

If the requirement is to protect the oak whilst keeping the silvery appearance and so the post-obit is the best:

one coat of articulate wood preservative
Followed past 3-v coats of high quality Tung Oil such as Morrells Tung Oil

Tung oil is one of the clearest oils on the marketplace and doesn't offer UV resistance.

If the exterior oak needs to be coloured then the following organisation is recommended:

1 coat of clear wood preservative
followed by ane coat of your chosen colour of Osmo Natural Oil Woodstain
followed by 1 coat of clear Osmo UV Protection Oil 420 Extra

If blackening on outside oak needs removing then scrub with a fungicidal wash such every bit Barrettine Mould and Mildew Cleaner is recommended. On the other hand, information technology may exist the silvering that needs removing. If so, a scrub with Osmo Woods Reviver Gel (which contains oxalic acid, among other active ingredients).

1 of the nigh common enquiries we get is how to keep internal oak looking natural. This is non just a case of simply applying 'clear products' as they bring out the natural colours of the wood, thus making information technology a little darker and more golden. A very good indication of how your oak will look in one case it has been finished with a 'clear' coat is to dampen an area by applying some water with a clean material or sponge. The look achieved when the woods is damp/wet is very close to how it will look once a clear varnish or a clear oil has been applied.

Some customers similar the way oak colours when clear coatings are applied to it whilst others want it to be every bit shut every bit possible to how it looks in its natural land. A more natural look can be accomplished by using forest oils that accept been specifically formulated to retain the natural appearance of interior Oak. These products include: –

If an oiled stop is preferred then utilize two thin coats of Fiddes Hard Wax Oil Natural or Osmo Polyx Oil Raw.
If a varnished finish is preferred then 1 role Manns Archetype Forest Dye tin can exist mixed with 50 parts Manns Extra Tough Interior Varnish.

Clear wax polish is the one exception to the above… If a articulate wax polish is applied to blank oak (or just nigh whatsoever other forest for that matter) then the colour is kept very natural indeed, it's just a question of whether a wax shine is going to be durable plenty. Internal doors, for example, are considered, by most people, to exist platonic for finishing with wax, whereas a floor will await nice once waxed but regular maintenance is required, then most people don't opt for wax for this reason.

If the oak needs to exist made darker then Osmo Polyx Oil Tints or Fiddes Difficult Wax Oil Tints are ideal because they colour and protect the wood in the same application. It is always good to try and finish with a clear coat if possible because if the wood gets scratched it is the articulate coat that scratches before the coloured coat and therefore the scratch is non as noticeable.

Oiling Consideration

If oak is existence oiled it is a expert thought to sand it with sandpaper that is no finer than 150 grit. The reason for this is that the pores of the forest are more than open thus allowing the oil to sink into the wood better. Better absorption equals greater protection.

Interesting Oak Stats

Oak bawl is rich in tannin and is used by tanners for tanning leather.
Acorns tin exist used for making flour or they can exist roasted for making acorn coffee.
Tannin dissolves and escapes from the wood. Vino barrels are made from oak and it is the tannin that helps to requite the wine its' colour.
Sessile oaks of Europe and can attain heights of up to 40 metres.
Oak trees regularly live to exist 500 years old, although 1,000 years old oaks are besides known.
A mature oak tree can produce upward to 50,000 acorns!

Need help finishing a projection made with oak?

For more assist and advice on how best to finish Oak contact our team of resident experts who are e'er on paw to help with project advice and production recommendations. Alternatively, see our FAQ page which covers many of our most ordinarily asked questions most working with oak.

We beloved to see before, during and later on photos of any woods finishing project. If you lot would like to share your project pictures with the states and our followers, you can either ship u.s.a. some photos or share on our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram pages.