Treating wood: how to do it and which products to use

In this short guide, let's discover together how to liven up a piece of furniture, a table or a wooden surface: which products to use and how to apply them.

One of the characteristics of wood that distinguishes it from many other materials is the fact that, being a natural material, it is alive and constantly changing; in fact wood is a hygroscopic material which continually releases and absorbs humidity from the environment and consequently its surface appearance tends to deteriorate over time.

Let's discover how to bring a surface back to life so that it retains its renewed appearance for as long as possible.

The steps to follow are as follows:

1. Clean the wood thoroughly using a fine grain glass paper (grit numbers 150 to 320) to remove the previous paint browsed and corrupted, then delete completely the dust produced.
2. The first treatment to be performed it is the application ofimpregnating; it nourishes the wood, makes it water-repellent while allowing the natural transpiration of the wood. It is advisable to use solvent-based impregnating agents, which are generally more resistant, for external wooden surfaces and water-based impregnating agents for internal use.
3. We then proceed with the application of finish which, being the outermost layer, protects the wood while also providing it with the desired aesthetic appearance.

The finish can be of two types:

• open pore: allows greater transpiration of the wood but being less resistant requires the application of a second post-finishing coat; typically being colorless it is advisable to use a primer to give the desired color.
• closed pore: reduces the transpiration of the wood but at the same time prevents the applied treatment from flaking.

If you want to treat the wood superficially in a completely natural way you can also use thecooked linseed oil. Obtained by pressing linseed, it is then subjected to cooking by heating, to acquire particular characteristics that make it suitable for use. as a finish instead of paints.

Flaxseed oil it not only covers the wood but penetrates inside the pores of the wood, due to the effect of air, light and heat, giving the wood a pleasant, revived aesthetic effect and enhancing the grain of the wood.