Do you want to stain wood using oil or wax? You need pigments!

Waxing and oiling wood does not always mean natural wood. Indeed, they are used a lot on uncoloured wood, because they highlight the wood's natural pattern and specific colours. However, there are also those who want coloured wood, even if they finish it with oil and wax. You'll say that wax and oil are natural and colours are for modern finishes. And aren't the colours also natural? The raw green of the forest, the red of the poppy, the grey of weathered wood, the purple of lavender, the yellow of the sunflower are colours of nature that look great on furniture or wooden decorative objects. There are many ways to stain oil- or wax-finished wood, and pigmentation is one of them. A natural, colourful option is Kreidezeit pigment range.

Wax and oil, increasingly used finishing options

Before pigmentation, let's talk a bit about oil finishing and wax. Unlike wax, which is used more as a final finishing coat or for furniture maintenance, oil is used to protect wood, both inside and outside. It has the ability to penetrate deep into the wood and protect it from the inside. As oil and water do not mix, it is also used for protecting wood used outdoors, thus preventing the risk of rotting due to rain or snow.

But beware, colourless oil only protects wood against water. The problem is that the sun, especially UV radiation, is an equally important enemy of wood. To be fully protected on the outside, the oil used must be coloured. A content of 3-5% pigment will give the oil a slight coloured tint, but the finish will remain transparent. That small amount of pigment will sit in the path of the sun, deflecting its rays and reducing their destructive effect. The higher the pigment content, the higher the level of protection, with paints providing better protection than lacquers (which are semi-transparent). A big advantage of finishing wood exteriors with oil-based products is the ease of maintenance and refinishing. Over time, weathering will wash away the oil and the wood will slowly take on a dry appearance. This is when you need to apply another coat of the product used (laziness or oil-based paint), without sanding to remove the old coat completely. If the colour remains, but the wet look disappears, you can even use a colourless oil to "feed" the paint or varnish again.

Why are wax and oil used to finish furniture or wooden objects? For the natural look achieved. Unlike classic varnishes, which make a visible film, wax and oil do not leave a visible layer on top. The wood has a pleasing wood stain and a slightly silky sheen, like that of jellied wood. All this gives warmth to the wood, which is also transferred to the space in which the objects or furniture are found. The lack of an obvious film does not mean that the wood is not protected. The chemical and mechanical resistance is lower than that of hardener varnishes, for example, but it is comparable to that of shellac or nitro varnish. If the finishing is done correctly, the oil and wax will not stain the clothes and the surface will not become sticky.

What do I do if I want the wood to be stained?

How can I stain wood? Can I use water-based stain if I am going to use oil or wax? How do I stain wax and oil? Which do I give first, the bath or the oil? Can I apply coloured varnish over the wax? How can I change the colour of oiled furniture? These are just a few of the questions received in the comments space on articles. Staining can be done in different ways to achieve different effects. For example, if I stain the wood and then apply colourless oil or wax, the design of the wood will be very prominent and the finish will have transparency. If I use coloured oil, I will get a more uniform look, but lose the transparency. Each time it has to be very clear what we want to achieve in the end in order to use the right materials and methods.

In the case of oil or wax finishing, the wood can be stained beforehand or stained oil or wax can be applied directly. When staining is done beforehand, both solvent-based and water-based stains can be used, provided that they are simple stains without the addition of resins or other substances that could lead to subsequent incompatibilities. In general, water-based stains are absorbed deeper into the wood, which brings out the wood's pattern better, and have brighter colours. Solvent-based stains are duller and give a more uniform appearance. Regardless of the type of stain, the surface should be allowed to dry thoroughly before applying oil or wax.

Staining can also be done directly, using coloured wax or oil. The advantage of this method is that, depending on the wood used, special effects can be achieved. For example, on a wood with large pores and a specific pattern - oak, frasin - The coloured wax will highlight the pores resulting in a very pleasant effect. Also, if the wood has not been well sanded after cutting, the marks left by the circular saw will be highlighted by the coloured wax, giving a rustic effect.

Outstanding furniture looks can be achieved by using the right colours, oil, wax or pigments. Remember, finishing helps you to get a great piece from an ordinary wood, but equally, if not done well, it can make a great wood lose its beauty altogether.

A solution for lots of shades and colours - Kreidezeit pigments

Pigments are the solution to get any colour you want. In the trade there are usually the classic colours - walnut, oak, mahogany, wenge - because they are the most used. If you want a more special colour, you can look at companies that make colours according to known charts (RAL, NCS) or that can copy them, but it is difficult unless you need a large quantity. It is very difficult to reproduce a colour when the quantity is small, especially if the colour is light. But you can make your own colours using Kreidezeit pigments.

Kreidezeit pigments - a range containing 22 pigments that can be mixed with each other - are natural, powdered, contain no added chemicals or other auxiliaries and, very importantly, no heavy metals. They can be used to colour oils, waxes, lacquers, varnishes, plasters or wall paints. They can be used without problems to obtain colours for children's toys or furniture. Unlike dyes, which dissolve in water, pigments form dispersions with water. In the case of Kreidezeit pigments, mixing with water is easy and does not form lumps. They can also be used for colouring solvent-based products.

I used Kreidezeit pigments and was amazed at how well and easily it blended with the oil. I was expecting it to be very difficult to get paint from pigment and oil. I had in mind the paint scrubbing machines of the old days, which worked for hours to make the paint even, without lumps of pigment. Now it was enough to put the pigment in a small amount of oil and stir with a chopstick. The pigment blended quickly and didn't form lumps. I then diluted with the rest of the oil to reach the required percentage (20% pigment, for paints). I got an even colour that I could use immediately.

Mixing with wax is a little harder because it is solid, but it is not impossible. You can heat the wax to make it more fluid, but do not exceed the recommended percentage of pigment. Too much pigment doesn't absorb into the wax and after application, the pigment will easily rub off onto clothes or hands. The amount should not exceed 20-25%, regardless of the material the pigment is mixed with. To obtain semi-transparent lacquers (used to protect wood outdoors), the percentage of pigment is between 3 and 5%.

I hope you will be able to achieve the colours you want using the Kreidezeit pigment range. And don't forget, the pigments can be mixed with each other, so you can get an infinity of shades and colours.