Oak treatment

[marmite]

We have an oak staircase on the outside of our property, our neighbours say we should treat it with linseed oil thinned down with terps, i'm not sure this is needed any views appreciated.

I am concerned that as oak is a hard wood the oil would not penetrate the wood. I can understand doing teak garden tables in fact we do ours with teak oil, even then it takes ages to dry.

Comments?

[Alex H]

[quote user="marmite"]

I am concerned that as oak is a hard wood the oil would not penetrate the wood.

[/quote]

Not so. any wood will absorb oil (even ebony) - the time it takes and the amount taken in are the variables.

A picture would be helpful - is the staircase 'new' or 'rustic?

[sid]

Linseed oil and turps (turpentine substitute) is a recognised wood treatment. In France there always seems to be a specific product for any job and I would think that this would do it http://www.syntilor.com/fr/produit/produits-exterieurs,huiles-pour-bois,saturateur-bois,107,115,63.html

It doesn't mention insect protection so I would treat the wood first with something like this :

 http://www.castorama.fr/store/Traitement-multi-usages-des-bois-triple-actions-5-L-PRDm520730.html?navCount=1&navAction=push

Expensive eh?

 

 

[Théière]

All wood suffers from exposure to UV, old treatments are passed their sell by dates.  The best protection is from UV blocking products like These suggestions, don't forget to add something for anti slip if it wood and an exterior staircase.

[sid]

The saturateur I linked to is good for decking and so would work for a staircase from a non-slip point of view.

I'm always sceptical of products recommended in UK when applied to the vastly different temperature ranges we have here. It's much damper in UK and for longer periods so the protection from wet is quite valid, however our winters are more extreme and the summers far hotter, and I find that it's this huge temperature range which causes failure in paints for example. I would never use an exterior paint brought from UK, or I should say "never again". They fail miserably. Hence my links to products from French manufacturers. Syntilor and V33 being my favourites, but I'm using some Luxens paint at the moment which looks good too.

[Quillan]

[quote user="sid"]

I would never use an exterior paint brought from UK, or I should say "never again". They fail miserably. Hence my links to products from French manufacturers. Syntilor and V33 being my favourites, but I'm using some Luxens paint at the moment which looks good too.

[/quote]

A person I know of visits the UK every year and brings back paint for his shutters. Personally I am a lazy 'B' and use Bondex, guaranteed for nine years. I have only painted mine twice in ten years but then his paint is cheaper than mine.

[Théière]

[quote user="sid"]

The saturateur I linked to is good for decking and so would work for a staircase from a non-slip point of view.

I'm always sceptical of products recommended in UK when applied to the vastly different temperature ranges we have here. It's much damper in UK and for longer periods so the protection from wet is quite valid, however our winters are more extreme and the summers far hotter, and I find that it's this huge temperature range which causes failure in paints for example. I would never use an exterior paint brought from UK, or I should say "never again". They fail miserably. Hence my links to products from French manufacturers. Syntilor and V33 being my favourites, but I'm using some Luxens paint at the moment which looks good too.

[/quote]

Understandable as each property region let alone Country and property direction brings it's own set of challenges but then again recommending products from France which haven't evolved is just as bad. The products I linked to are NOT from the UK they are from Holland and Germany and as AkzoNobel are also part of the ICI group they have enough experience to produces products suitable for the job. And the Germans make good things too.

The thing is Q, not that your neighbor buys English paint but what English paint, I painted my shutters with the best oil based (before the EU banned it) gloss and that's 4 years old and in good condition on all the hardwood shutters. The softwood gates haven't fared quite so well so they will need a rub and recoat next spring. 

 

[sid]

I am this week repainting shutters (a mix of hardwood and pine) after 6 years. I painted them in 2006 with V33 satin microporous paint and they still look good with no cracking or flaking and I'm only doing them now as a precaution (and slight change of colour for OH). I think this product has "evolved" and is proven. Ask a pro what he would use, I did.

Initially in 2004 I used some Weathershield Exterior gloss by that shaggy dog company which I had brought with us when we moved and which I used in UK with no problem for many years, but the gloss finish went off after less than 12 months, and the paint peeled a year later. The saving in price isn't worth the hassle of al the extra work involved in having to strip (what's left) back again.

Actually I now prefer the more usual satin finish, and I notice that those houses with shiny woodwork are usually owned by Brits as even the French "peinture brillante" is not really glossy.

Sikkens have a French website where the Cetol product is described as "lasure", so nothing new there. I've used Sikkens wood finish in UK for hardwood window frames but haven't seen it in any of the stores I use here. I believe in using products which are easily obtainable especially if I may need another tin to match towards the end of the job.

I've had a similar experience with metal (ferrous) paint. My preference used to be for Hammerite, but I've been disappointed with it's durability here on railings and gates, particularly where there is rust present. In the direct sunlight the metal gets very hot, 40C or more, but in winter it can be -15C, and I now use French paint; quite expensive, but I don't want to be doing the painting every couple of years - I've got 40 metres of old-fashioned railings (100 years old plus) fronting onto the road and it's a nightmare of a job; in the three weeks it took me to paint this year I had time to calculate that there was 780 metres of ironwork to be painted both sides!

[Théière]

Pros do have a vested but I agree about shaggy dog paint, over priced and not that great, just look at the problems they are having with their gloss white yellowing, handy for me as I know it will match in with the rest of the olde gloss white in a few weeks [:)]

It seems 5 years is probably about the time for most re coats but I will watch my shutters with interest as that was proper oil based paint, the gates have suffered at the round tops but that's end grain so always tricky. I have no faith in aqua gloss or satin. How can it be Eco when it takes twice as much paint twice as often?

Cetol is a lassure but it contains nano particles of titanium I believe so UV is kept off the timber and that will help any wood work survive longer, it stops the timber graying and the clear version allows the natural beauty to show through rather than relying on a pigment to try and protect it. Osma is similar but an oil.  Since the EU wally's interfered with paint many formulations have changed, Hammerite being just one, not the product it once was, I now use Combi Colour from Rustoleum but the Fer paints in France seem similar. With that amount of railings you do want to get it right first time [blink]

[marmite]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies took a bit of a time for me to reply as we have to pop into the local Mc donalds to get the wifi connection, yes we are in France!

Will try an area using Linseed oil and turps (thanks Sid) to see what it looks like. The staircase would I suppose be classed as rustic.

[Bill]

Hi Marmite,

 

  if the staircase has never had anything on it, you may do well  just to leave it..

 

some will say, its a bit like lime, where breathability and nature will  look after your Oak.. slapping oil and paint may trap moisture into it.. , thats when rot can start . Perhaps  someone else will correct me..

 

 

rgds

Bill