How solvent-based wood stain helps you achieve uniform wood stain

In one of the episodes Finishing Guru (find it here) I have seen that you can get any color from RAL color cards in the form of a water soluble bath. Find out what color cards are here. By staining the wood with such a stain, the grain remains visible, as does the natural grain pattern. The video at the end of the article shows you another series of wood stains Lomilux from the colors on the cards, but solvent-based. If we have the water-thinnable water-based stains, why do we need the solvent-based version? We know that, once completely dry, wood colored with water-based stains can be coated with any type of varnish, whether solvent or water-based. So then, why the same color solvent-based stain? The reasons are several and are given below.

Faster drying

A solvent-based bath varnish (generally) dries faster than a water-based one. Water-based varnishes have only one solvent - water - as a diluent, and there's not much we can do to make it evaporate faster. You have to wait for the time needed for it to come out of the mixture. In the case of solvent washes, there is not a single solvent in which the dyes are dissolved, but a mixture that can be worked on without changing the color. How do we intervene? By changing the proportion of solvents in the mixture. If we want the bath to dry more quickly, slightly volatile solvents will predominate in the mixture and so the time to the next stage will be shorter. This is the case with bath Lomilux shown in the video below.

Such baths are very useful in production, where the drying time has to be adjusted according to the requirements of a technology or finishing line. The drying time can also be adapted to the working conditions, specifically the ambient temperature. If the temperature in the workroom is very high, an addition of a heavier volatile thinner will adjust the drying time. The same will be done by an addition of lightly volatile solvent under lower temperature conditions.

Different effects depending on the diluent used

Varying the solvent mixture does not influence the color of the stain, but it can influence the effect when applied to wood. A stain that evaporates quickly is more uniformizing because the solvent does not give it time to soak into the wood and highlight it. The colorant will stay longer on the surface giving a uniform appearance by partially "hiding" the wood behind the color. An example of a quickly volatile solvent is acetone.

But (and here I come back to that in general bracket above), a varnish containing heavy volatile solvents will take longer to dry and have time to penetrate deeper into the wood. Such a wood stain will bring out the wood's natural design as well as any defects. The longer drying time will allow the wood to be wiped and the pores will be marked. This is how glazes are made, those glazes that sometimes also have a ageing effect. Butyl acetate or glycols are among the most volatile solvents.

In the movie you will see how big the difference is between the effects obtained with a quicker drying and a slower drying bath that leaves time for wiping. The wood and color are the same, only the solvent mixture differs.

Wood fiber rises less

A faster-drying wood stain is less absorbed into the wood and lifts the fiber less than a water-based stain. This makes it easier to finish after seasoning. Sanding between coats will be simpler and it will be easier to achieve a smooth look and a nice touch.

Uniform staining of wood with staining defects and difficult species

The low absorption in the wood leaves more of the colorant on the surface and so the appearance is more uniform. Such stains are very useful when the wood has large differences in color, there are considerable differences in color between wooden elements of the same furniture or if you are working with difficult species that absorb differently (plop, fag).

Lomilux solvent-based varnishes in RAL, NCS or ICA colors

The series of uniformizing dyes presented in the film is primarily aimed at specialists. They are applied with a spray gun, which makes the color even more uniform. The use of a brush is not recommended because the rapid drying and the method itself do not leave enough time to spread a uniform film, and the uniformizing effect of the stain is lost.

If you have any questions or queries, you can leave them below. We'll be sure to get back to you.