Special Problems with colouring the wood?

A WIDE RANGE OF SHADES

THE INDIVIDUALISATION OF THE FLOOR MEANS ‘FULL SPEED AHEAD’

Marie-Claude Conversy (Tover - I)

Tover, an Italian company, is a reference in the field of colour development, among others. For years, the company has been committed to sustainable work, respect for the environment and the safety of both user and end consumer. Renowned for its investment in R&D, Tover has often pioneered the development of new products, such as the launch of an isocyanate-free twocomponent lacquer. Export manager Marie-Claude Conversy:

"A good illustration is how we generate 80% of our own energy through a system of photovoltaic cells on the roof of our company. It shows how we look beyond things like renewable raw materials and how we work inclusively. That's why we apply strict sustainability codes and environmental regulations and only work with certified suppliers who respect all European standards. We like to find those suppliers as close to us as possible, preferably in Europe. In addition, we focus on the safety of the user, only supplying water or oil-based products.”

"If you look at our range of colours, then I must immediately highlight that this is more than just a range, but real colour systems. We don't talk about products, but about systems, and that's how we achieve excellent results. A number of things are always central to these systems: ease of use, speed of use and security.”

"For colouring wood on site, we offer four systems. The first is called l'Olio 100% and is, as the name suggests, entirely based on natural, vegetal oils and hard waxes, available in 30 standard shades. Then there is Tintoretto D., a coloured oil base which can be overcoated with a two-component water-based lacquer to guarantee high durable protection to the floor. The third system is totally different and is composed of Belle Epoque, a water-based stain in some fifteen colours to be applied as first layer and overcoatable with an oil for a two-tone finishing. Finally, we offer Uniqua Paint, a coloured water-based lacquer with a matt effect, that totally covers the grain of the wood and is available in white, black and many grey shades."

"The huge success of colouring illustrates what we are noticing during this pandemic. We have all re-discovered the importance and the pleasure of our home and colours represent that desire of a new life. The time of uniformity, with pre-made products, is completely over! Now it's about creating an inviting, unique environment, in which our colour systems fit in extremely well. Finally, I would like to emphasise our constant involving of all our partners in the whole company strategy, it is no coincidence our slogan goes as follows: 'Be part of it'. We offer them more than just good products and prices, but also a close relationship with the 'own' Tover people."

In the testimonial by Tover in the frame piece with this article, one element in particular just cries out for attention: Colouring floors is particularly trendy just now. People have been paying much more attention to the interior and therefore also the floor, certainly during the pandemic. Whilst sitting at home, we’ve noticed that this trend, which was already clearly in evidence, is gaining even more speed. In addition to that, we’ve noted that more and more consumers are abandoning floorboards which are prefinished in the factory and they’re falling in masses for colouring their wooden floors.

Personalisation is the magic word

This colouring trend is certainly no coincidence, but is part of a wider social framework. People want to stand out and, as time goes by, mainstream gets more and more sidelined. At the moment, it’s all about maximum individualisation of everything, and therefore also the interior. This individualisation trend should not be separated from the technological advances of recent years. These include the advance of digitalisation and the countless affordable solutions which it has yielded. Think here, for instance, of a floor covering like carpet. Whilst in the past you had to order at least hundreds of metres of the same item because otherwise it was not viable to run the machines, nowadays a separate run is possible for literally a small part of an impressive living room, something that project developers have capitalised on eagerly for elements such as personalisation in the hotel industry. Here’s a completely fictional example: the floor with carpet decorated solely with the head of your four-footed friend Max. It’s all possible and, moreover, you no longer have to spend a fortune on it.

Welcome colour

We’re also seeing a number of trends in floors which are of interest to us. The first one is that a world of colour is opening up where nothing is too insane. In particular, we notice a shift in demand for a number

of permanent fixtures on the market. For instance, it’s absolutely clear that after a decade of white and off-white we’ve changed direction.

What we’ve established is how there’s a clear yearning for light, very pale, and ‘bygone’ shades, which are representative of what you could call ‘mild wear and tear’. These very light colours often go together with effects which you achieve with the wood. For instance, you can brush the fibres to create a more or less pronounced relief or you can even achieve clear deterioration (bumps, deep scratches, ‘rough sawn’ effect, etc.). Furthermore, you cannot ignore a modest, yet unmistakable return to dark shades. These stand out in either smoked shades of oak or imitation dark exotic sorts such as ipe and teak, shades which you easily get on oak.

Each fibre has its own nuance

What happens is that a stain, a distressing agent, or an active chemical product comes into contact with the wood and modifies the original shade. The coloured (or, rather, tinted) oil gives each fibre ‘its own’ nuance. The effect is completely different, effective, and elegant with the intention of creating contrast and antithesis. We’ll take the renowned train carriage floor (‘plancher de wagon’) as an example. This is given a shade of grey and polished with a shade or a metal complex and then treated with a white oil to create a sort of chalk effect.

And so, can we stain all floors in every possible colour just like that? The answer is quite clear: be very careful! For instance, the first mistake to be avoided is the incorrect preparation of the wood. Colour or shade can only be applied properly on wood which has been sanded perfectly. In addition, a very slender finish (grain 120 or even 150) is recommended for a stain or distressing agent. Make sure you don’t sand the wood too finely because you shouldn’t close the wood pores. Indeed, that would impede the proper impregnation of the oil into the wood and restrict the strength and intensity of the required shade.

It’s also important to avoid any sediment. Some products dry quickly, whilst others need more time before you can apply the chosen finish. Finally, you should check with the supplier whether or not the products used are perfectly compatible.

Alternatives to oak

In the previous edition, we mentioned how suitable oak is for colouring. However, that doesn’t mean that other wood sorts are not possible. For instance, you can also apply stains, coloured oils, or wood shades to chestnut or pine wood whereby certain very pronounced grain patterns highlight the effect. Coloured oils often disappoint with exotic wood, so the preference is for natural oils with no pigments or oils in the original shade of the wood in question (e.g. a shade of black, dark chocolate, or wenge will reinforce the appeal of such a floor). Do not apply any oil paints to beech because any colour will conceal the fine grain almost completely.

Take account of discolouration over time

Obviously, we hope that a colour will retain its shade with the passage of time, but here, too, you have to consider a number of factors. Be sure to tell customers not to assume that the colour of a wood sort will remain unchanged throughout its entire lifespan. All wood sorts witness a change to their original shade over time: Oak turns brown, pine and chestnut yellow, padauk turns pale, etc.

An added stain cannot prevent this phenomenon. For instance, a ‘medium oak’ stain on new oak will not prevent the gradual discolouration towards ‘dark oak’. It’s also technically and economically neither efficient nor reasonable to add an anti-UV agent which temporarily limits the discolouration. Nevertheless, the use of a white colour or a shade of pastel will provide a natural anti-UV effect because this pigment forms an excellent filter for sun rays.

Sources: Blanchon, Lecol, and Tover.

What’s on the market ?

Bona

NEW! - Bona Pure Colour is a hard elastic, water-based, and durable dual-component PUR coating for renovating elastic floors in high-traffic commercial and industrial rooms. You can also use it on wooden floors, such as for marking zones on sports floors. If you use it on a wooden floor, it will be necessary to apply a Bona primer first (such as Bona Intense). Bona Pure Colour is heavily pigmented and the moderately dark to dark colours are applied in only one coat. Thanks to the accelerated drying properties, a second coat, if necessary, could be applied one hour later. Bona Pure Colour is available in a wide range of RAL and NCS colours. - Heavily pigmented for excellent coverage - Ultra-rapid drying - Rooms are soon available for use again - Wide range of popular standard colours

Blanchon

Blanchon presents a full range of products for colouring, decorating, or distressing parquet and wooden planks. There are two ranges of tints, one range of distressing materials, and several reagents for specific effects on the floor. Aquateinte 2K is a 2-component tint in a watery phase which is perfectly stable when exposed to light and has been made and developed specially for parquet floors. It is very easy to apply. This serves for the immediate cover of any finish in the watery phase (without excessive damp), six tints of wood and six tints from pure white to deep black. Wood colour is ideal for small rooms (rooms, offices, etc.). It dries quickly and leaves no odours. Here there are 12 tints of wood, white, and black and five tints of grey. Aging Wood yields an exceptional aged wood effect by highlighting the grain. This product serves for all sorts of wood and the creation of endless patinas and spheres, which are mainly in harmony or on the other hand in contrast to the Blanchon Oil-Waxes. There are 10 shades available, six of them grey.

Ciranova

Natural and untreated finishes are most coveted, but colouring is also on the up. Customers often opt for grey, brown, or white floors, depending on the interior and chosen style. Thanks to their reactive stains, they can offer a wide range of distressed finishes. Reactive stain reacts to the tannic acid in the wood and is used mostly on oak. With a finish with their invisible and natural PLUS range, you get a natural and unique result. Reactive stains can also be finished with a coloured Hard Wax Oil MAGIC, which offers infinite colour options. If you want a more even and intense colour, you can use the new waterborne pigment stain Aquastain. This new stain is not reactive and can be used on many different wood sorts and finished afterwards with an oil or a varnish. If you don’t want a pre-colouring, you can simply colour a wooden floor using a coloured Hard Wax Oil Magic or their single-coat oil UN1CO.

Chimiver

ECOSTAR 2K COLORATA is a two-component water-based polyurethane colored lacquer for wooden floors with high elasticity, hardness and high chemical and mechanical resistance. ECOSTAR 2K COLORATA has to be over-varnished with ECOSTAR 2K. ECOSTAR 2K COLORATA is available in RAL, NCS colors and on request. ECOSTAR 2K COLORATA catalysed according to the indicated ratio and mixed thoroughly, has to be applied on wooden floors that have been filled, sanded with 120 paper grit and vacuumed. Apply ECOSTAR 2K COLORATA using a 6 mm mohair-roller, after 12/24h previous sanding with 220 paper grit, it is possible to apply a second coat of ECOSTAR 2K COLORATA. The floor treated with one or two coats of ECOSTAR 2K COLORATA, depending on the desired coverage, has to be overvarnished with ECOSTAR 2K previous sanding with 220 paper grit.

Tover

Tover offers several innovative and versatile colouring systems to create extremely personalized finishing: Belle Epoque, our waterbased stain available in 15 shades of gray, sand, light or dark brown, overcoatable with our hardwax oils, neutral or coloured, for countless two-color effects or with our lacquers for the strongest resistance. Tover can also supply water-based reactive stains offering an aged gray, black or bleached appearance to treated wood: Bosch Vej, Ciair and Fossil. And let's dare to use a base oil available in more than 30 colours for a rustic or contemporary wood effect, overcoatable with our water-based two-component Tintoretto Design lacquer or even our Uniqua Paint, a lacquer with full matt effect lacquer available in all RAL colours. With Tover, changing the colour of your wood floor will be as easy as pie!