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January 23, 2021
STAIN PART TWO – OSMO STAINS
Last week, we left you with some tips and tricks about getting started with staining: how to prep for it and what kind of stain will serve your project best! This week, as we gear up to actually getting into the staining process, we’d like to give you a little introduction to our very favorite stains by Osmo. We’re super excited to offer Osmo products at Decorner; they’re top-notch, with lots of beautiful colors and finishes for all kinds of products. What excites us most about Osmo, though, is that their products are made with natural oils and waxes, adding that eco-friendly boost that is so important to us here at Decorner!
In Part 2 of our staining series, we’ll introduce you to Osmo stains, give you a better idea of what they’re about and what makes them a great, sustainable choice, and we’ll give you a good sense of the different products we offer and how you can apply them to your own DIYS!
ABOUT OSMO
To talk about Osmo’s origins, we’ve got to go way back – almost A HUNDRED. AND FIFTY. YEARS. Osmo began as a wood and building materials company in Germany, in 1878, and began creating wood finishes in 1964. We love a brand that is constantly striving to improve on their products, and that’s definitely true for Osmo – they’ve spent the past thirty years prioritizing sustainability in their products.
Wood finishes can be very toxic – not just in terms of fumes while applying and disposal, but in terms of the way they contribute to the air quality of your home. That’s where VOC (volatile organic compound) regulations come in. VOCs are gases that are emitted from certain liquids and solids, and materials like stains, paints and even floorings are subject to regulations that outline what’s safe for your home. Osmo uses natural oils such as sunflower, soya, linseed and thistly oils as well as carnauba and candelilla waxes in its finishes, and contain little to no solvents, from product to product. These materials are not only natural, but also renewable, which is a huge tick in the plus column. Osmo absolutely smashes VOC regulations thanks to these sustainable regulations, creating stains that are safe for humans, animals and plants – even children’s toys!
The natural oils in Osmo finishes also have the benefit of being highly absorbable, which is exactly what you want from a stain – the better the stain penetrates the wood, the better protection it will offer. When we talk about protecting the wood, we don’t just mean from spills and oxidization, though that’s very important. Wood needs to be protected from both absorbing and expelling moisture too quickly, as that can warp the wood and cause it to dry out and crack. Finishes offer protection to keep the integrity of the wood so you can enjoy your piece for a good long time. The hardwax oils in Osmo products are responsible for the superior protection; because they both penetrate deep into the pores and lay on the surface, they protect from within and from the outside. There’s another benefit to the exceptional absorption – that means a can of Osmo stain goes almost twice as far in term of square footage as an ordinary can of stain.
Now that you know a bit about Osmo and why we love their work, here’s a brief introduction to the different Osmo products Decorner offers!
POLYX-OIL 3051 RAW: LIGHT AND NATURAL
It’s pretty much all in the title here: this finish offers a natural look, leaving the wood without the “wet-look” sheen that many stains and lacquers create. It’s perfect for light woods, like Birch, Ash, Oak and Maple, and in signature Osmo fashion, won’t peel, crack or flake. It offers great protection without drastically altering the appearance of the wood or depositing any color, which makes it the perfect finish for a piece in which you want the wood to be the focus. It’s also perfect for solid wood and plank wood flooring.
TOPOIL: PROTECTION FOR WORK SURFACES, INCLUDING KITCHENS
Osmo Topoil is a finish suited for kitchens, not only safe for humans, pets and plants, but also safe for direct contact with foods. It’s made of hardwax oils and is especially tough and durable. Like the Polyx Oil, it doesn’t deposit any sheen, allowing the surface to retain its matte look, while making it resistant to household stains as well as cleaning materials. If granite or marble isn’t the look you’re going for in your kitchen, the Osmo Topoil is the perfect choice for your butcher block island or wood countertop.
UV PROTECTION OIL: DEFENSE AGAINST UV RAYS
The UV Protect oil is a transparent satin top coat for exterior wood. It can be used on already treated woods as well as alone to protect surfaces from damaging UV rays. With all the benefits of the finishes above (microporous, water-repellent) it prevents the greying process and contains biocides to fight mould, algae and fungal attacks. This stain is a great choice for doors, windows, shutters, fences – all kinds of vertical exterior surface. The best part? It’ll extend the time needed between renovations, which is a great time and energy saver for you.
WOOD WAX FINISH: COLOR AND PROTECTION IN ONE
The Wood Wax Finish is a satin-matte color-depositing interior finish that enhances the wood’s appearance while offering all the protective benefits of the other products mentioned above. It combines oils and hardwaxes in one product and is incredibly easy to apply. It comes in several natural wood colors, but also caters to the more adventurous DIY-er – we’re super excited about the green and the blue stains, and can’t wait to use them on a project soon to show you just how beautiful they are – stay tuned!
Whatever your project may be, our favorite thing about all of these products is that they’re safe, they’re sustainable, and they’re low maintenance. All of these are easy to apply, and protect and smooth the wood in a way that when you’ve got to fix a spot, or it comes time to reapply, you don’t have to sand the piece down in order to prep. Osmo offers eco-friendly stains that you can feel safe and comfortable welcoming into your home, that are exceptionally efficient, good for your project AND your wallet. We also love that they avoid solvents like citrus oils that can cause allergies – this is a small but very conscientious step that our customer-focused business really appreciates!
The final installment of our three-part series on staining will come out next week, and it’ll walk you through the process of actually staining and give you tips to help make your stain come out looking like a pro did it - no splotchy messes for you! Sponge, rag or brush - does it make a difference? How long between coats, and - do I sand? No problem! We’ll give you instructions on how best to apply your Osmo stains - and others, too, don’t worry - in our next blog post.
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