Caring For Your Wood Surfaces With Osmo Products

Wood brings natural glamour to the space. Whether it’s on the floors, the worktops, the furniture all through to the bathroom where you have structures like wooden slabs that the wash basins are set on, there’s just that charm and elegance that can’t simply be replicated by other materials. Each species comes with its characteristic hue, and even the planks themselves have different grain patterns and markings that developed on the structure while it was out in the wild. Each pattern is a tale of the time and place where the tree grew, and the beauty and rich patina gives each board of wood its very own personality. You get to have a truly unique look and feel that brings out your style and décor preferences. Taking care of these structures requires quality formulations that will deliver the desired protection and aesthetic attributes. Products that will get the job done without straining your budget. That’s where Osmo oils come in.

The Aesthetic Effect - Bring Out The Natural Beauty Of The Installation

Various ranges of Osmo oils work to enhance the natural aesthetics of the wood, from the colour to the swirls and grain patterns that give it its unique appeal. For instance, you can work with the clear Polyx®-Oils:

Polyx®-Oil Original Hardwax Oil

Polyx®-Oil EFFECT RAW

Here is a look at what they have to offer:

Protection With The Original Hardwax Oil

This formulation is applied onto wooden surfaces to set a protective finish, giving the structure resistance to stains, abrasion, and water damage. The Polyx®-Oil Original Hardwax Oil achieves this by combining the effectiveness of natural oils like sunflower oil, thistle oil and soya oil, as well as waxes like carnauba wax and candelilla wax. The Polyx®-Oil Original Hardwax Oil has been particularly developed for indoor use on floors and furniture, and comes with several benefits:

For the aesthetic effect, this formulation enhances the natural character of the wood. It comes in 4 variations of Osmo oils, with different final results:

CLEAR & Glossy (Code 3011) - Has high light reflection, while still enabling the underlying charm of the wood to be prominent, and bringing more "depth" to the space.

Clear & Satin (Code 3032) - Delivers a subtle effect with a lighter shine, and the wood grain is emphasised

Clear & Matt (Code 3062) - The light reflections here get almost completely diffused, and the final result delivers that natural, cool wood vibe

Clear & Semi-Matt (Code 3065) - This version works to balance the optics with light reflection and natural wood look. It's basically glossier than the 3062 Matt version, but duller than the 3011 Glossy version.

This finish preserves the breathability of the wood. It works by penetrating into the surface, so there won’t be any cracking, flaking, peeling or blistering.

Preserving the structural integrity of the treated surface due to its protective attributes. For instance, the resistance to water has enabled it to meet German DIN 68861-1A standards, which also means that you won’t have to worry about water spots forming. This level of protection also wards off the effects of beer, tea, coffee, and wine spills on the surface.

Versatility, since this is one of the Osmo oils that can be used across the board on all wood surfaces, including solid wood, strip installations, OSB and even cork flooring and furniture. However, as a general best practice, it is recommended that you conduct a pretest on a hidden section of the surface to check the final result and whether it delivers the desired effect for your installation. Each litre of this finished oil gets to be used on 24m² of surface.

It is part of the Osmo oils whose finish is safe for animals, plants and humans alike, meeting German DIN 53160 standards. In fact, you can also use it to treat children’s toys, since it meets the safety requirements stipulated for the EN 71.3 standard.

Future coatings are also a breeze, since you won’t need to sand back down to the bare wood. Simply adding an extra coat onto the existing finish will be enough. You'll know it's time to recoat the surface when there are visible signs of wear.

The protection provided becomes critical in reducing the overall costs that go into the building’s care and maintenance program, by preventing premature wear and tear. Also, the Polyx®-Oil Original Hardwax Oil is available in 0.375, 0.75, 2.5, 10 and 25-litre package sizes, for you to stock up on adequate supply that meets the needs of your premises.

Polyx®-Oil EFFECT RAW For An Invisible Finish

It shares some similarities with the Polyx®-Oil Original Hardwax Oil, like how it derives its strength from the natural plant oils and waxes that are used to develop it. However, it also includes ingredients like titanium dioxide white pigment. Unlike its predecessor, the protection delivered by the Polyx®-Oil EFFECT RAW is almost invisible - there won't be a wet effect, and even the appearance of light coloured wood will remain unchanged. This also means that the tone of the wood will remain unaffected. This finish still provides the durability attributes, including resistance to wearing, water and dirt. It’s also a sweat-proof and saliva-resistant product making it suitable for children's toys in line with EN 71.3 requirements - and future recoating process will not require any sanding.

The Polyx®-Oil EFFECT RAW does have a slight white tint, so if you’re using it on dark or reddish wood species, as well as those that are 'smoked', there will be a slight white chalky appearance. Should you spray the product in excess, the white chalky effect will be intensified. Any visible white pigments should be removed before allowing the treatment to dry.

If there are any brush strokes that are formed when applying the coat onto the surface, these can be removed within 30 minutes after the coat has been spread onto the surface - a dry and unused microfibre roller will do for this.

Each litre of the Polyx®-Oil EFFECT RAW will be enough for each 30 m² of surface - and ensure that a thin coat is applied. The formulation comes in three can sizes: 0.75 L, 2.50 L and 25 L, for you to work with the optimal size for your particular needs. Since no primer is needed for the application, as well as for any intermediate sanding in between the two coats that will be applied, then this speeds up the process. Let’s look at the specific steps that should be followed.

Working With The Osmo Polyx®-Oils

Before treating the surface, first clean and dry it. Note that its moisture content should not exceed 18%. Take particular note of old stains that may have set into the pores of the structure, since these will impede the functioning of the Osmo oils, and will need to be removed.

In addition, if there are existing paint, wax or lacquer treatments that are on the surface, sand them off. The oils need to be applied to the bare wood. This is also the stage at which repairs for issues like cracks are carried out. In this case, use the sanding dust from the wood and a filler agent like the Osmo Wood Filler to fill the cracks or holes in the structure. One final sanding pass will be required, but don’t sand too finely. Use sandpaper grits P120-150 if you’re working on floors, or P180-240 for furniture. Clear away the sanding dust, since you also don’t want these particles being trapped under the wet coats of the Osmo oils.

Once ready, proceed with these steps:

Apply a thin layer of the selected oil onto the surface. Follow the direction of the wood grain, ensuring that you have achieved a uniform layer.

Different tools can be used for the application depending on the size of the area that you’re working on, and the kind of equipment that you find to be most suitable for your situation. Popular options include a flat brush, floor brush, an applicator fleece or a microfibre roller.

Give the coat 8 to 10 hours to dry. If the place is well-ventilated, the drying will be fast. (For the Polyx®-Oil EFFECT RAW, 24 hours will be needed)

Add a second coat of the oil onto the surface. Ensure that this is a thin coat as well.

Years later when you want to renovate the surface, simply clean the area and apply one coat of the Osmo oil to it.

Extra Notes When Finishing Surfaces With Osmo's Clear Polyx® Oils

Due to the high absorbency of surfaces like cork installations, ensure that the coat applied is especially thin. Also, a drying time of at least 24 hours will be required.

If you’re applying the Polyx®-Oil EFFECT RAW on drawers and cabinet interiors, use a cloth, and just apply one thin coat of product.

If you want a particularly high gloss with the Polyx®-Oil Original Hardwax Oil, start by following the treatment steps above and allowing the surface to dry, then proceed to apply a thin coat of Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner and polish it when dry.

Routine cleaning of surfaces treated with these Osmo oils can be achieved with formulations like the Wash and Care concentrate product, also from the same brand. When doing this, ensure that the mop or cloth that is used is just damp, not wet. Intensive cleaning can be achieved with the Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner.

When it comes to the likes of Wenge, Teak, Merbau or Jatoba and other extractive rich hardwoods, your ideal options include Osmo oils like the Wood Wax Finish Clear Extra Thin. Let's delve into that next.

A Look At The Osmo Wood Wax Finish Clear EXTRA THIN

This is a protective finish that is particularly ideal for ingredient-rich hardwoods like Teak, Cedar, Iroko, and Mahogany. After a quick application, it accentuates the grain and texture of the wood. The formulation works by penetrating deep into the wood and setting a barrier that wards off moisture, dirt and everyday wear. Treating surfaces with this formulation makes them resist the damaging effects of common spills, from beverages like tea, the juice and cola that the kids keep messing the floor with, all through to preventing water damage – meeting German DIN 68861 standards. These attributes of the product make it suitable for a vast range of indoor areas, including highly trafficked floors, the heavily used furniture, all through to bathrooms, kitchens and wet rooms, that way you won’t have cases of watermarks forming on your wood installations. You can also use it on wall and ceiling panels and even the kids' toys, as it is safe to EN 71.3 standards.

When it comes to aesthetics, this formulation delivers a clear, satin finish, which makes natural characteristics like the wood grain and colour more prominent. It emphasises the rich appeal of these particular types of wood, adding to the elegance of the space. The Osmo Wood Wax Finish Clear EXTRA THIN is recommended for use on indoor surfaces, especially oily hardwoods that are packed with resins or tannins.

How To Use The Osmo Wood Wax Finish Clear EXTRA THIN

You won’t need to apply a primer onto the surface before treating it with this finish - even when you’re working on kitchen or bathroom surfaces. No topcoat needed as well, since this is an all-in-one product. This reduces the amount of time and resources required for the task.

Follow these steps for the application:

1. Spread a thin coat of the wax finish onto the surface. Different approaches can be used for the application, from working with an Osmo flat brush, wiping it onto the surface with a lint-free cloth such as when you're treating furniture, dipping the wood object into a container with the product when you’re dealing with smaller items, or spraying it into the target area. A litre of the product will cover an average of 24m².

2. Give the wax finish 30 minutes to set into the surface.

3. Wipe away the excess product.

If there are sections that have not been saturated with the formulation, you can add more product onto it.

Ensure that the area is well-ventilated for proper drying to occur.

4. Spread the second coat of product onto the surface, if you’re treating floors or worktops. With furniture, just one coat will be enough, so skip this step.

5. Allow it to dry before letting normal usage of the surface resume.

It will take between 2 and 3 weeks for the treatment to fully cure. During this period, avoid covering the surface with items like mats or carpets.

Routine maintenance of surfaces treated with this wax finish can be achieved using formulations like the Osmo Wash and Care, and for those tough spots, the Liquid Wax Cleaner from the same brand will suffice. Working with general or multi-purpose cleaners will speed up the degradation of the finish, and require the surface to be recoated much sooner than had been anticipated.

Just like when treating surfaces with other Osmo oils or wax finishes, the area being worked on needs to first be cleaned, to ensure that there is no dirt or grime on the surface. This avoids cases where the particulate matter ends up being trapped under the coats being applied, as this would ruin the quality of the results - and this can only be rectified by removing the coats that have been applied.

When applying the product, follow the direction of the wood grain.

Extra Tips For Using The Osmo Wood Wax Finish Clear EXTRA THIN

When carrying out future spot repairs, or recoating the surface, you can proceed to do it without carrying out any sanding. Simply spread a thin coat of the wax finish onto the surface.

Like with the Osmo oils above, if you want to use this finish on cabinet interiors, you can make the application with a cloth - and stick to just one thin coat of the product.

Protection From UV Radiation

Structures like decks and fences need more than just sealants against stains. The harsh UV radiation from the sun damages the wood. You'll notice how, if such structures have not been treated with protective agents against this, they quickly change colour. The effect on the wood will depend on the affected species, with some darkening, and others greying. The resultant look may appear 'rustic', but there is more that is going on in addition to the colour changing. The UV radiation affects the wood fibres by destroying the lignin. This is a component of wood that is needed to harden and strengthen the cell walls. This reaction to UV radiation is called photo-oxidation, which leads to the degradation of the affected wood tissue.

While the photooxidation happens on the wood surface, since the UV rays can only get to around 75μm into the wood, the resultant degradation will be deeper due to the energy transfer that dissipates the extra energy produced by the process, creating new free radicals. The lignin ends up breaking down into water-soluble products.

The weakened wood gets more susceptible to sloughing off or cracking, and if the issue is not rectified soon the cracks, warping and cupping become more pronounced, and the entire structure gets ruined. A combination of waterproofing sealants and UV protectors are needed, since water damage compounds the damage from UV radiation. Water getting into the wood leads to it rotting, further deterioration of the fibre, and even mould issues.

Enter Osmo UV-PROTECTION-OIL

Here you get a clear satin finish formulation that delivers protection against UV radiation, and is particularly developed for use on outdoor wood structures. This is one of the Osmo oils that can also be applied on vertical wood surfaces, and you can use tools like a flat brush or microfibre roller for the application – equipment that is also available under the same brand name. The oils are ideal for treating doors, fences, cladding, and even window frames - as long as the surface is vertical.

The product comes in two versions:

Clear UV Protection Oil 410

It doesn’t contain biocides, thus contributing to supporting a healthy environment for living organisms. This makeup means it is safe for plants, humans and animals after the treatment dries. This is recommended for cases where you want to apply the finish on structures like animal enclosures, that way you get the desired protection without putting the animals at risk.

Clear UV Protection Oil EXTRA 420

This formulation comes with biocides – active ingredients that are needed when you have those outdoor wood surfaces protected against the effects of algae, mould and other kinds of fungal attacks.

Since both of these Osmo oils are clear, they enhance the natural charm of the wood surface being treated. In addition, they are microporous and penetrating finishes, getting into the wood tissue itself, so you won’t have to worry about cracking, peeling or flaking. The oils have a coverage rate of 18m² per Litre for each coat, and usually 2 coats will be enough on the surface being worked on. Since moisture contributes to depleting lignin and causing the wood structure to grey, treating it with the UV-Protection Osmo Oils delays the greying effect up to 12 times more effectively than if you had just left the wood bare.

To get ahead of the curve and ensure protection from the word go – and especially if you’re dealing with a particularly absorbent wood species, it is recommended that you apply a coat of the preferred UV protection oil to all the sides of the wood before the installation. The oils are particularly suitable for treating wood species like Oak, Birch, Ash, Beech and Alder.

Do not use these oils for Green Oak since the moisture content in this species usually exceeds the recommended 20% limit, as well as Idigbo, since the yellow dyes in it will leach once the wood has been wet by the treatment.

Get More From The UV Protection Osmo Oils

For surfaces that have a lacquer, varnish or other kinds of surface treatments, these will first need to be sanded off before you can apply the oil on it.

Before treating the surface with either of these products, ensure that it has been thoroughly cleaned and allowed to dry, and that it is also frost-free.

An initial round of sanding will be required – but don’t sand too finely. The maximum grit grade of the sandpaper should be P120. Sanding the surface until it becomes too smooth will reduce the absorbency of the oils into the structure.

The Osmo oils come ready to use, and should not be mixed with other products. However, you should stir them well before use, and you can work with a flat stirring stick or a spatula for this.

For some rich wood species, a weathering period will need to be allowed. Basically, this entails giving the wood structure 12 weeks of exposure to the elements before treating it with the oil. After this period, prep the surface with Osmo Wood Reviver Power-Gel and damp rinse it, clean the surface and proceed to apply the UV protection oil. This is for wood species like Cedar, Iroko, Mahogany, Teak and Walnut.

You can still use these UV protection Osmo oils on horizontal surfaces – just ensure that you provide a 15-degree angle to allow water run-off.

Usually, the surface will be refinished with an additional coat of the product after 3 to 4 years. Some areas like window sills are exposed to higher levels of weathering, so the renovation intervals may be shorter here.

It’s not just outdoor structures like fences and window frames that are prone to wood UV damage. The radiation also gets to surfaces in the home - from the floors to the furniture. Measures like using window treatments to add an extra layer of protection can come in handy, as well as using curtains and blinds. Of course, you can go to the very root of the problem – apply wood coatings that will protect the furniture or floors from the UV radiation, as well as other threats they face, like water and oil stains. That way you can keep your floors, coffee tables and other furniture sets looking optimal generation after generation.

What of those cases where the greying process had already begun? In such scenarios, you can first de-grey the surface using the Osmo Wood Reviver Power Gel, then proceed to refinish the affected surface with the UV-Protection-Oil EXTRA 420. More on the Reviver Power Gel next.

Restore The Natural Look To Greyed Wooden Surfaces

The greying effect is as a result of the natural weathering process - and is typically seen more on outdoor structures, ranging from window shutters and carports, to timber cladding, fences, and even summer houses. This is especially so for untreated surfaces. The weathering process is caused by the UV radiation from sunshine, which breaks down the cellulose and leads to chemical degradation of the wood structure. It’s not limited to the sun’s effects though. There are still mechanical and biologically-induced changes. For instance, the air drifting over the surface of the wooden deck or window sills, the pollen, dust and pollutants that it carries end up replacing the exposed coloured cells of the wood tissue. It’s a slow process, which is accelerated by the sun’s UV rays, and can end up taking anywhere between some months to a few years. Treating the wood surface with the required Osmo oils prevents these effects from occurring. But what happens if the wood was untreated and it has already become grey? Not all hope is lost. You can use formulations like the Osmo Wood Reviver Power Gel to turn things around. This product has been developed to bring back the warm colour tones of the wood structure being worked on.

The Reviver Power Gel gets deep into the wood tissue, removing the grey patina, and can be used on outdoor structures ranging from decking to the garden furniture. Working with it is a breeze, where you simply clear away the debris that is on the surface being treated, dampen it with water, and then apply the gel. It comes ready to use, so it won’t need to be diluted. Each litre of this gel gets to be used on around 10 m² of surface area - which will depend largely on the existing condition of the wood. Follow these steps for the application:

Spread a generous layer of the gel onto the surface with a brush, following the direction of the wood grain.

Give it 20 minutes of dwelling time. Since this is a fast acting product, you may even get immediate results.

Use the Osmo Decking Cleaning Brush to scrub the surface, then rinse it with plenty of water.

After 48 hours, use the preferred choice from the wide range of Osmo oils to finish the surface. Ensure that the wood has a moisture content of under 20% before applying the oil.

Extra Tip: For large surfaces like exterior decking, working with machinery like the Osmo Wood Orbiter will speed up the process. It comes with specialised brushes to clean the surfaces, and works on smoothed and grooved decking types, minimising the effort on your part. It is compatible with the Osmo Wood Reviver Power Gel.

Ensure that you protect any metal surfaces – like the hinges, and surrounding plants when treating the wood surface. e.g., you can cover those potted plants with a tarpaulin. Also, the Reviver Gel is most effective when it is being applied on untreated and bare wood. Existing finishes on the surface can affect the results - but you can always test the product on a section of the surface before you proceed with the rest of the treatment.

Caring For Your Wood Surfaces With Osmo Products