DuroGrit - Tomorrow's UV protection for your outdoors

› What colour should I choose?

For optimal results, we recommend staying as close to the natural look as possible. Going lighter than the natural colour of the wood can reduce the durability of the protection.

• Grassland Beige is the natural look for pine, Douglas fir, larch and teak.
• Rocky Umber is the natural look for thermo pine & cumaru.
• Foxy Brown is the natural look for iroko & ipé.

› Preparation

- New wood

New smooth, planed wood has a hard, shiny surface called mill glaze, which prevents maximum penetration and adhesion of DuroGrit. To ensure optimal performance, this glaze must be removed. Clean the new wood with Exterior Wood Cleaner (check TDS before use) to break the mill glaze and allow proper penetration of DuroGrit.

• For (tropical) hardwoods (such as afzelia, iroko, cumaru, etc.), let the wood weather outdoors for about 4-6 weeks before surface preparation and coating. These species contain natural extractives or oils that can impede the penetration and/or drying of the finish.
• New, water-repellent pressure-treated wood must be allowed to dry and weather for approximately 6-12 months before surface preparation and coating.

If using Exterior Wood Cleaner and/or natural weathering is not possible, properly sand the wood with 80-grit sandpaper for decking and siding, and up to 120-grit for furniture, windows, and doors to break the mill glaze and open the wood pores.

- Untreated weathered wood

Thoroughly clean the surface with Exterior Wood Cleaner (refer to the TDS before use) to remove dirt and green deposits, and to open the wood pores. If the weathering is severe and the surface still appears patchy after cleaning, we recommend sanding the wood with 80-grit sandpaper for decking and siding, and up to 120-grit for furniture, windows, and doors to achieve a more uniform appearance.

- Renovation of older non-Rubio Monocoat coatings

Old surface coatings should be completely removed by sanding or chemical stripping before application. If sanding, finish with 80-grit sandpaper for siding and decking; for doors, windows, and furniture, you may sand up to 120-grit. Avoid sanding smoother, as smoother surfaces allow less product penetration, resulting in less intense colour and protection.

After sanding, clean the surface with Exterior Wood Cleaner (refer to the TDS before use).

- Renovation of Hybrid Wood Protector coated surfaces

Although Hybrid Wood Protector and DuroGrit are compatible in terms of adhesion, you must remember that DuroGrit is a transparent finish. This means any spots where the old Hybrid Wood Protector coating remains will still be visible. Additionally, not all Hybrid Wood Protector colours have matches in DuroGrit. In that case, it is best to completely remove the old Hybrid Wood Protector coating before applying DuroGrit.

Water-test: After the surface preparation (sanding or Exterior Wood Cleaner), allow the wood to thoroughly dry. To test readiness, sprinkle a few drops of water on the wood. The water should soak in within a few seconds. If it doesn't, do not apply the finish, as the wood is either not dry enough or not porous enough to accept the finish correctly.

› Brush application

• Stir the product thoroughly for a few minutes before use.
• Apply a generous coat of DuroGrit and distribute evenly to the surface using a high-quality, firm bristle paintbrush suitable for waterborne coatings. A hybrid brush (mix of natural and synthetic bristles) is recommended for best results.
• Work in the direction of the wood installation, ensuring to cover the full length of each deck board or cladding. For vertically installed boards, apply from top to bottom; for horizontally installed wood, apply from left to right (or vice versa).
• Work in small sections approximately 1 or 2 boards wide.
• Avoid stopping in the middle of a board; use natural breaks as boundaries to divide large areas into smaller, more manageable sections.
• Keep the leading edge wet.
• Allow to dry for approximately 3 hours. Complete curing occurs after 3 days (at 68°F / 20°C). For deck stain applications, allow 3 hours for light foot traffic under normal weather conditions, but wait 3 days before replacing furniture and resuming normal use.
• Note that low temperatures, poor ventilation, and high relative humidity significantly prolong the drying and curing process.
   

› Spray application

• DuroGrit can also be applied via spraying methods such as HVLP, Airless, or Airmix. Back brushing is not required.
• Use the standard DuroGrit version for brush application, manual spraying, and the industrial version for spraycoaters or vacuum coater applications or for manual spraying in indoor environments (see TDS Industrial DuroGrit, contact our Technical Service Team before use).
• Dilution is typically not necessary. However for the colours of the Great Plains Collection adding 20% of water will ensure a more ununiform spray pattern and make spraying easier. The colours of the Salt Lake Collection are more covering and usually don't require dilution. Keep in mind if you dilute, that the final coating grammage must then also be higher.
• Avoid spraying on windy or breezy days to prevent overspray from reaching nearby structures, vehicles, windows, stonework, or furniture, as it can be challenging to remove if not addressed promptly. Consider waiting for calmer weather conditions.
• Use cardboard or spray shields to help manage overspray.
• When using an airless sprayer:
  • Select fine finish tips between 010 (0.010") and 012 (0.012")
  • Use the lowest pressure that achieves a uniform spray pattern to minimise fogging and overspray (typically between 50 to 120 bar). Adjust pressure as needed.
  • Utilise filters between 50-100 mesh

› Industrial application

If you want to apply this product in an industrial manner, we advise you to get in contact with our technical care team.

› When and how to dilute DuroGrit?

Only dilute with water or Open Time Extender to adjust open time or characteristics. Never add other paints, stains or solvents.

› Maintenance

Cleaning instructions

Regular cleaning can be done with Exterior Soap (Ecospray) or All Natural Wood Cleaner (Spray). Do not use any other cleaning products or detergents as these might affect the protection!

Maintenance instructions

In general we recommend a yearly visual check-up just after winter season.

Please check for the presence of the following two points:

a. Dirt & green deposits; clean with low pressure water and a soft brush or use Exterior Soap/All Natural Wood Cleaner (consult Technical Data Sheet before use)

b. Fading of colours 

If necessary (concerning point b) apply a maintenance coat according to the instructions. First clean your wood with Exterior Wood Cleaner, then apply a layer of DuroGrit in the original colour. Depending on the degree of fading of the colour, dilute DuroGrit with maximum 40% water to avoid applying too much product and making the colour too opaque.

• Unevenly weathered surface? First repair localised areas by applying DuroGrit undiluted. Then apply a second layer over the entire surface, diluted with 20-40% depending on the condition.
• Too weathered? Sand the surface and re-apply DuroGrit.

The frequency of maintenance depends on the weather conditions, exposure, geographical situation, solar orientation, wood type (softwood vs hardwood) and colour. In normal weather conditions:

• Vertical surfaces: every 5-10 years
• Horizontal surfaces: up to 2 years