One of the very first building materials in human history is wood. Houses were built from it, household items and furniture were made - all thanks to its strength, environmental cleanliness and warmth. Despite all its advantages, wood also needs protection.
How to protect wooden surfaces?
Wood is a material that can absorb water in large quantities. Hydrophilicity causes drying, cracking and material damage. Of course, small items made of wood are easier to replace than to protect, but in the case of various designs only processing of wooden products can help.
For this purpose, various substances are used that not only prevent the penetration of moisture into the structure of the material, but also protect it from the harmful effects of environmental factors.
Flaxseed Oil Properties
Processing of wood with linseed oil allows you to restore the appearance of the material, increases its service life and gives it water and dirt-repellent properties. You can tint the liquid in any shade by adding special pigments.
Flaxseed oil for wood emphasizes its natural shade, highlighting texture and relief, while protecting against rot, mold and fungi. After processing, the products continue to breathe, despite the water-repellent properties obtained. In addition, the oil increases the resistance of wood to drying, peeling, discoloration and cracking.
Impregnation with linseed oil does not form a dense film on the surface of products, which is characteristic of many other protective substances. The tool penetrates directly into the structure of the material, endowing it with certain properties. The resulting coating is absolutely safe for humans and does not harm health.
Benefits of Flaxseed Oil
In construction stores today you can find a wide range of protective substances and fluids, but many of them can harm human health. Flaxseed oil is considered one of the best protective materials. For wood, this is an excellent option, since the product is not only safe, but also has a strong waterproofing effect. Flaxseed oil has the following advantages:
- Clogging the smallest pores of wood.
- Ecological cleanliness and safety.
- Water repellent.
- Improving the appearance of the treated surface.
The components that make up linseed oil undergo a polymerization process under the influence of certain environmental factors. As a result, the hardness and viscosity of the oil increases. Protective properties and hardening ability directly depend on the amount of contained glycerides of acids - linoleic and linolenic.
After the wood is covered with a layer of oil, it is left to dry completely so that the impregnation can gain maximum properties. It takes about 2-3 weeks to dry completely. This process can be accelerated with wax, tar or turpentine.
When working with turpentine, safety precautions must be observed, since it is a toxic substance and can cause an allergic reaction. Direct contact with unprotected skin can cause thermal burns.
Tar - a product of dry distillation of wood, is, in fact, the same turpentine, only less toxic. The best option is to take ordinary wax. It is dissolved in a water bath and mixed with linseed oil, which allows not only to accelerate the drying process of the coating, but also increases the water-repellent properties.
Coating wood with linseed oil at home
To impregnate wood products, it is enough to purchase paint and varnish material in any specialized store, in this case, linseed oil. If you plan to use varnish, then it is preheated.
A mixture of oil and wax does not need to be brought to a boil: this can harm the surface of the wood and cause burns if handled carelessly. With hands or a foam sponge, the composition is applied in several layers to the surface, after which it is left to dry completely for several days.
Often they resort to complete impregnation of wood - they lower it into a container with linseed oil and stand for several hours. The appearance of air bubbles on the surface of the liquid indicates that the impregnation process has begun.
Flaxseed oil for wood is perfectly absorbed. For this reason, after the end of processing, no traces remain on the surface of the products, but the material acquires increased strength and resistance to wear. Wooden windows are often coated with this composition, since it protects them from moisture, fungus and mold, which can lead to damage to the product and its decay.
Useful Tips
Any wooden surface can be treated with protective agents. Flaxseed oil does not include artificial or harmful components, so it can be applied to products such as furniture, dishes, children's toys, floor and ceiling coatings, and wooden windows.
The main condition for processing is a necessarily dried surface. The moisture content in wood should not exceed 14%. Before impregnation, paint and varnish must be removed from old wood, after which they clean the surface from debris, dirt and dust. You can not wipe it with a wet cloth - the moisture will immediately absorb. Then the wood is peeled with sandpaper and the dust formed is swept away. The minimum humidity in the room in which the work will be carried out should be 70%. On the street, the procedure is best carried out in sunny warm weather.
Flaxseed oil (for wood) is applied several times with a thin layer. Those products that are subjected to frequent use are processed several times a year, which can significantly extend their service life. For all other wooden objects, the procedure can be carried out once every several years. It is not worthwhile to treat the surface with oil if it has already been treated with paint or varnish.
The amount of oil applied at one time depends on the texture of the surface and the thickness of the wood. The thinnest layer hardens in 24 hours. If necessary, the impregnation is repeated several times.
Oil is applied using a regular brush or special foam rubber sponges. All tools at the end of the work are kept in cold water. The remaining oil is stored in a cool dark place at a temperature not exceeding 0 ° C.
The best protection for the wooden surface is guaranteed by oil wax. It is based on linseed oil and bean wax, which gives the surface a shine and changes its hue. They are impregnated with light wood, including valuable, from which stairs, windows, furniture, doors, flooring are made.
Pure linseed oil is applied mainly to products that are used in the open air, since it only in a pure and concentrated form has the necessary water and dirt-repellent properties. For this reason, this substance is often used to process the walls of wooden buildings.
Flaxseed oil for wood is considered one of the most effective, inexpensive and versatile protective products. The impregnation process takes a lot of time, but the end result is worth the time spent.
There are two main ways of processing wood with linseed oil - soaking and rubbing.
Method One: Rubbing
Fine-grained emery paper is moistened in oil or oil and rubbed with wood along the fibers. A similar procedure is carried out three to four times with a break of 24-48 hours, necessary for the drying of the surface. For the last time, sandpaper is replaced with a normal oiled rag or soft cloth. Use this processing method mainly when impregnating products of a large area.
The second way: soaking
Use it to process small items of wood - the handles of knives, children's toys, crafts. The product is completely immersed in linseed oil for several days, after which it is wiped with a soft cloth and dried. The wood is impregnated with oil for several weeks due to its extremely slow polymerization.
There are two ways to speed up the drying process:
- Add desiccants to oil - substances that accelerate the polymerization.
- Replace it with drying oil.
In principle, drying oil is the same oil, only metal oxides are included in it. The duration of the wood processing process is explained by the fact that the natural composition of the substance contains a large amount of linoleic acid, which does not allow it to harden.
Desiccants, in turn, are hardeners that are added to most paints and varnishes. They are sold in ordinary construction stores.
Why is wood treated with linseed oil?
- Impregnation protects products much better than varnishing. In the second case, all dents and scratches remain on the surface, which reduce the characteristics of the composition due to the ingress of water into the resulting cracks.
- Oil gives the wood surface a soft shine that does not fade over time.
- Preservation of the original texture of the subject and its pleasant texture.
- Oil impregnation of wood allows you to protect it from decay and moisture by clogging the smallest pores.
The process of such processing is quite long, but the end result is worth the time spent. By the way, linseed oil can be replaced with hemp - the effect of it is similar.
Varnish, as already mentioned, is better not to use - over time, such a coating begins to crack, wood absorbs water and begins to deteriorate and swell. Flaxseed oil penetrates the structure of the material, preventing the appearance of cracks and preventing the absorption of moisture. Such a coating for a long time retains an attractive appearance of the product.
Technical oil
For processing wood use not only food, but also technical linseed oil. This natural material forms on the surface a thin and durable easily curable film that protects against pests, moisture and corrosion. For this reason, linseed oil is so widespread and used in various fields of human activity, from metal burnishing to creating tools for artists.
Application area
In the construction industry, linseed oil is used as the basis for creating drying oils. In many of its characteristics, it significantly surpasses substances developed by chemical synthesis, while maintaining its safe properties.
In construction, linseed oil is used for impregnation and processing of various products and buildings made of wood - baths, saunas, log cabins. The resulting coating protects the surface from moisture penetration, does not allow decay, deformation under the influence of high temperatures and the appearance of fungus and mold.
When building a log house before the surface of the wood is covered with paints and varnishes, it is carefully impregnated with technical linseed oil. This allows you to protect the log house from all sides and several times extend its life.
Flaxseed oil is very widely used in art, especially when painting, as a solvent for varnishes and oil-based paints. In addition, it is used to cleanse brushes. The main difference between oil and turpentine and a solvent used for similar purposes is its affordable price and the absence of an unpleasant odor.
Features of Flaxseed Oil
To cover the wood use only refined linseed oil. The cleaning process allows you to get a composition that dries quickly and does not undergo yellowing on the surface of the products. If non-polymerizable acids are removed from the oil, it forms a stronger film on the wood. Purified by manual cold pressing, it has good properties - it dries quickly, is more dense compared to peers and practically does not turn yellow, especially if it was kept under sunlight.
Flaxseed oil is sold in pharmacies, construction and hardware stores, and in the latter often with special additives. It is better not to use food - it polymerizes for too long and does not possess the necessary qualities. Its feature, which is attributed to both minuses and pluses, is a change in the shade of wood to a darker than, however, furniture makers like to use.