Do I Need a Pre-Treatment?
Here’s the scenario…you’ve found the perfect wood, you’ve finalised your project design, and sanded to a 150 grit - now it’s time to oil. However, you may find yourself asking…what happens now? One of the most important aspects of the oiling process is preparation.
When it comes to wood finishing, preparation is EVERYTHING. From sanding, to cleaning, to prepping the wood, every stage is vital in ensuring you have the optimal finish from our wood oil.
As well as having preparation products, like our Cleaner, WoodPrep and Tannin Primer, we also have pre-treatments. But are these essential in the wood finishing process?
What is a pre-treatment?
A pre-treatment is an extra step in finishing your wood. Our pre-treatments are water-based and provide an additional aesthetic to your project. They are designed, so that you have even more colour possibilities!
Our pre-treatments colour the ‘background’ of the wood, thus changing the look of the project. Oil Plus 2C impacts the grain, whereas our pre-treatments change the aesthetic of the wood altogether.
What pre-treatment is right for you?
At Rubio Monocoat, we offer many varied colour possibilities for your wood, and our pre-treatments add to this.
We offer two different pre-treatments and both have different benefits to your wooden projects. Pre-treatments take out the original colour of the wood and change the aesthetic completely. You still see the grain, but it will change the ‘back’ colour too.
The first is Pre Colour Easy which is designed to create a special effect and contrast (if you want it) on your wood. You have fourteen different colours to choose from, including a black, white, brown and grey.
Pre Colour Easy is perfect for those looking for a matte look, whether that be black or white or another colour offered in the range. For example, you can use Nordic White as a base, then use one of our white oils over the top - this will create a matte white look.
Next up, is our Pre-Aging, which aims for a more smoked/aged look on your wood. There are ten options ranging from a dark beige to a bluer hue. The Pre-Aging range is designed for those wanting to create an aged look on wood, without using harmful chemicals.
Please note that both do not offer protection just on their own. Oil Plus 2C must be applied over the top to protect the wood; the pre-treatments create only an aesthetic look. If you want to keep the colour looking as similar to the pre-treatment as possible, we’d suggest Oil Plus 2C in Pure, which is our non-pigmented option.
Pre Colour Easy takes 12 hours to dry, whereas Pre-Aging can take up to 24 hours. These extra steps and drying times should be factored in when finishing your projects. It’s important that you test an area of the pre-treatment first, to ensure there is no colour transfer. Applying the Oil Plus 2C before one of these products is dry can result in an uneven and unsatisfactory result.
Both products will also raise the grain as they are water-based, so you may need to denib the surface before applying the oil.
What pre-treatment is the most popular?
Our most popular pre-treatment is our Pre Colour Easy in Intense Black. It’s perfect for those looking for a matte black finish. You can combine it with Oil Plus 2C in Pure to keep it looking as close to the original black colour as possible, Black to darken the grain even more or Charcoal to create a blue hue.
