The Complete Colour Guide to Durogrit (and how to apply it)
It’s the season to protect your exterior wood and we have the product to do it.
Introducing DuroGrit, our new exterior oil with FibreGrit technology and a revolutionary new way to finish and protect your exterior wood.Our new exterior oil is suitable for all external wood applications, including deckings, furniture, gates, fences, sheds and garden houses. It’s a sustainable, wood-based and water-soluble oil that colours and protects all exterior wood in one single layer, much like our beloved Oil Plus 2C.
FibreGrit Technology
The FibreGrit Technology, where added wood fibres give the oil its unique structure, provides the perfect combination between a saturating and a breathable monocoat system. For more technical information and advice, please see our product page.
DuroGrit will change the exterior finishing industry, not only due to the revolutionary technology, but also due to the colour selection and ease of application. In this blog, we will look at the different colours and how to apply them!
What colours are available
Like all our incredible products, we have a range of beautiful colours, ranging from natural to daring! You have two brilliant collections to choose from: The Great Plains Collection and The Salt Lakes Collection. The latter focuses on pink, blues, whites and greens, whereas The Great Plains aims to provide a more natural look for your exterior wood.
The Great Plains
From more natural shades, to darker hues, in this collection, you’ll find:
- Grassland Beige is our more natural shade, like Oil Plus 2C in Pure. It enhances the grain while keeping it looking fresh and enhanced.
- Rocky Umber is a more chocolaty brown and perfect for those looking for a traditional shade for their cladding or furniture.
- Foxy Brown has a tinge of yellow to it, depending on the wood type you apply it to. On Iroko, it looks more brown, but on woods like Pine and Douglas it gives a pine-looking effect.
- Steppe Look, on the other hand, has an orange, almost red, hue to it, especially on Larch and Douglas. It gives a real warm feel and will enhance that sentiment on your exterior wood.
- Bison Brown is the first of our darker colours in the range. It’s a dark brown that emits any of the lighter tones in the wood. It works well on all wood types, if you’re looking for a deep, rich colour. It especially looks good on Teak and Thermo Pine.
- Charred Black sits somewhere between Bison Brown and Saddle Black. It has more black tones than brown, and produces a dark colour on the wood. It doesn’t change too much depending on the type, but does enhance the warm or cool tones that the exterior wood naturally has. It’s perfect for those wanting a dark grain on their gates or fencing.
- Saddle Black is our darkest shade, alike to our WoodCream in Bold Black. It gives that oiled look without taking away from the natural beauty of the wood. Your cladding, sheds and pergolas will be a black shade, but the natural grain will still be visible. We love this look for modern exteriors looking to go darker!
The Salt Lakes
This collection is for those daring to change the colour of their exterior wood just a little more.
- Sutton Grey is the first of two greys in The Salt Lakes collection. It gives a driftwood effect to all wood types and highlights the natural greying of wood (without having to age the wood at all).
- Atacama Grey is the second grey in the collection. On some woods, this hue gives a freshly sanded look, especially on Pine and Larch. It lightens the wood only slightly and Atacama Grey is perfect for those looking to highlight the white and grey tones of their exterior wood.
- Tuz White is the only white shade in the collection. It lightens the wood and enhances the white tones. It is a beautiful choice for those opting for a modern or Scandinavian look for their outside furniture or structures.
- Utah Pink is an amazing option for those who want to add a pink tinge to their exterior wood. This shade makes your exterior wood a pale pink and is a subtler way to add more colour to your garden.
- Salinas Blue changes colour depending on the wood type. For example, on Pine and Larch it has greener tones, but on Douglas that light blue colour really comes through. It resembles the colours of pebbles on the beach or a lake as the sun first hits it in the morning.
- Salt Lake Green aligns itself with tranquil tones and will bring a calming atmosphere to your exterior projects. We see this colour being popular on doors, garden houses and pergolas.
- Rubio Monocoat Green is a personal favourite of ours - this dark green colour is very on brand! However, it’s a beautiful choice for those looking to enhance their garden houses and gates with a deep, rich green.
Why you should pick certain colours
Now, we do have a system to try to ensure you pick the best colour for you and your project. Below is a guide on what colours work best on certain woods. For example, Salinas Blue on Iroko and Grassland Beige on Thermo Pine is not recommended. Whereas, Foxy Brown on Ipé and Grassland Beige on Pine and Larch are our favourites for a natural look. You can follow this guide or get in touch with us for any colour recommendations.
We recommend Grassland Beige as the go to for a natural look. For this product, we've deemed the natural look as when the wood gets wet - we've aimed to achieve this hue.
How to apply Durogrit
Lastly, we will look at how to apply DuroGrit - trust us, it’s easy!
On new wood
- Allow the new installed wood to weather outdoors for about 4-6 weeks (except oak).
When this is not possible, sand the wood scratch-free with a screen 80 grit to open the wood pores. Allow already installed new wood or wood containing natural wood extractives (oak, red cedar, redwood etc.) and especially hardwood (ipé, teak, merba etc.) to weather outdoors for about 4-6 weeks. This will allow the water-soluble substances to come out of the wood and will allow the wood to absorb the DuroGrit better.
- Clean the surface with Exterior Wood Cleaner and let it dry. First wet the wooden surface with a fine mist of water from a garden hose. Clean the surface with Exterior Wood Cleaner and a stiff bristled nylon scrubbing brush (wear gloves and eye protection). Do not allow the solution to dry. Thoroughly rinse the cleaning solution residue with clean water until all foaming residue is rinsed away. Allow the surface to dry completely.
- Apply DuroGrit. Only work in frost-free and dry conditions and avoid application of DuroGrit when rain is expected within 10 hours of application. Stir the product a few minutes before use. Apply the product evenly to the surface with a soft, synthetic brush made for water-based products. Work in the direction of the wood installation, always covering the full length. For vertically installed boards, this means from top to bottom and for horizontally installed wood from left to right (or vice versa). So never stop in the middle of a board but only at a natural break (e.g. a seam, edge, staircase, etc.). Work in small sections of about 1 or 2 boards wide. Always apply sufficient product and brush again afterwards to avoid start/stop and brush marks (remember not to exert too much pressure on the brush).
- Let the surface dry for about 3 hours.
Complete curing takes place after 3 days (at 20°C (68°F)). Keep in mind that low temperatures, low ventilation and high humidity significantly slow down the drying and curing process.
On wood that needs renovating or has older and non-Rubio Monocoat products on
- Remove all residues of old applications.
Remove all residues of old applications by sanding the surface scratch-free. End with a screen 80 grit, do not sand smoother. The smoother you sand, the less product can penetrate in the wood and the less intense the colour (and protection) will be. Is your wood too dirty to start sanding right away? Then first clean it with either water or Exterior Wood Cleaner (see step 2 for instructions). By already removing a lot of dirt beforehand, your sandpaper won't get clogged up right away when sanding.
- Clean the surface with Exterior Wood Cleaner and let it dry. First wet the wooden surface with a fine mist of water. Clean the surface with Exterior Wood Cleaner and a stiff bristled nylon scrubbing brush (wear gloves and eye protection). Do not allow the solution to dry and thoroughly rinse off the cleaning solution residue with clean water until all foaming residue is rinsed away. Allow the surface to dry completely.
- Apply DuroGrit. Only work in frost-free and dry conditions and avoid application of DuroGrit when rain is expected within 10 hours of application. Stir the product a few minutes before use. Apply the product evenly to the surface with a soft, synthetic brush made for water-based products. Work in the direction of the wood installation, always covering the full length. For vertically installed boards, this means from top to bottom and for horizontally installed wood from left to right (or vice versa). So never stop in the middle of a board but only at a natural break (e.g. a seam, edge, staircase, etc.). Work in small sections of about 1 or 2 boards wide. Always apply sufficient product and brush again afterwards to avoid start/stop and brush marks (remember not to exert too much pressure on the brush).
- Let the surface dry for about 3 hours.
Complete curing takes place after 3 days (at 20°C (68°F)). Keep in mind that low temperatures, low ventilation and high humidity significantly slow down the drying and curing process.
For those looking for industrial application, please get in touch with the technical team!
Tip: Maintain a wet edge to avoid overlaps. Errors created during application (start marks, brush marks, overlaps, …) can be touched up on the wet surface up to 15 minutes after application (depending on the weather conditions). Apply a little extra DuroGrit on the mark. Put some pressure on your brush so the product that has already been applied dissolves and mixes with the new one. Finally smooth out until you no longer have brush marks.And there you have it - almost everything you need to know about DuroGrit.
