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

In one episode of the cycle Finishing gurus (find it here) I have seen that you can get any colour from the RAL colour cards in the form of a water-soluble bath. What are colour cards? here. By staining the wood with such a stain the grain remains visible, as does its natural pattern. The video at the end of the article shows another series of berries Lomilux obtained from the colours in the cards, but solvent-based. If we have water-thinnable stains, why do we need a solvent-based version? We know that after complete drying, wood stained with water-based stains can be coated with any type of varnish, whether solvent-based or water-based. So, why also solvent-based bath with the same colour? The reasons are many and are outlined below.

Faster drying

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

Such baths are very useful in production, where the drying time needs 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 more volatile heavy-duty thinner will adjust the drying time. The same will be done by an addition of a slightly volatile solvent under lower temperature conditions.

Different effects depending on the diluent used

The variation of the solvent mixture does not influence the colour of the berry, but may influence the effect when applied to wood. A fast evaporating stain is more uniform because the solvent does not give it time to penetrate the wood and highlight it. The stain will stay longer on the surface giving a uniform look by partially "hiding" the wood behind the colour. An example of a fast volatile solvent is acetone.

But (and here I return to that in general parenthesis above), a wood stain containing heavy volatile solvents will dry more slowly and take longer to penetrate deeper into the wood. Such a wood stain will bring out the natural grain of the wood, as well as any defects. The longer drying time will allow for wiping and so the pores will be marked. This is how glazes are made, those glazes that or sometimes a ageing effect. Butyl acetate or glycols are among the heavy volatile solvents.

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

Less wood fibre rises

A faster-drying wood stain is absorbed less into the wood and lifts the fibre less compared to a water-based stain. This makes it easier to finish after the beating. Sanding between layers will be simpler and will more easily achieve a smooth appearance and a pleasant tuft.

Uniform staining of wood with staining defects and difficult species

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

Lomilux solvent-based stains in RAL, NCS or ICA colours

The series of uniforming dyes shown in the film is primarily aimed at specialists. They are applied with a spray gun, making the colouring even more uniform. It is not recommended to use a brush because the quick drying and the method itself does not leave enough time to spread a uniform film and thus the uniforming effect of the bath is lost.

If you have any questions or queries, you can leave them below. We will certainly answer them.