Wood Facade Paints – How to Choose the Best Paint and Shade for Your Wood Facade?
The wood facade is the calling card of any home, constantly exposed to various external factors—rain, snow, UV radiation, rapid temperature changes, and frost. Therefore, it is essential to choose a wood facade paint that can protect the wood from harsh weather conditions for a long time while preserving its natural properties.
Wood Structure and Moisture Regulation
To select the most suitable paint for a wood facade, it's important to understand how external conditions impact the wood's physical and mechanical properties. Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning it absorbs and releases water vapor (moisture) depending on the surrounding humidity levels. Wood contains microscopic pores and capillaries that allow water vapor to enter and exit. During dry weather, wood contracts as it releases moisture, while in humid conditions, it expands as it absorbs moisture from the environment. These changes occur throughout the wood's lifespan, regardless of whether it is painted or treated in other ways.
Given these factors, wood facade paint should create a hydrophobic protective layer that repels water droplets while allowing the wood to "breathe" and release water vapor through its pores. This helps maintain a stable microclimate within the wood, preventing excessive moisture absorption that can lead to damage, rot, and mold.
Additionally, facade paint should be able to form a highly flexible coating that adapts to the wood's mechanical movements and moisture-driven changes, fully preventing cracking and peeling.
Properties of Linseed Oil Paint
Linseed oil paint has been known for centuries. Made from cold-pressed linseed oil combined with natural mineral pigments for the desired shade, it offers unique protective properties against UV radiation. Linseed oil paints have several distinct qualities compared to synthetic paints.
When linseed oil paint is applied to wood, it begins to oxidize upon contact with air. This chemical reaction, known as polymerization, forms a durable and flexible coating that deeply penetrates the wood. This protective layer is hydrophobic, meaning it repels water droplets.
The molecules in linseed oil paint are up to several times smaller than those in synthetic paints, allowing them to penetrate wood pores and capillaries easily. This ensures deep absorption into the wood, filling the pores and creating a protective layer from within. This unique property of linseed oil paint provides excellent adhesion and protection against moisture and mold.
The layer of linseed oil paint forms a highly flexible coating that adjusts to the wood’s mechanical movements and moisture-induced changes, fully preventing cracking and peeling.
Comparison with Synthetic Paints
Synthetic paints often create a thicker, harder, and less flexible layer that may block water vapor from escaping through the wood’s pores. As a result, this can lead to cracking, peeling, and even wood deformation, damage, and rot.
In contrast, linseed oil paints allow the wood to release water vapor freely while protecting it from external conditions.
Choosing a Facade Paint Shade
The shade of paint in a catalog or on-screen can differ from the actual color. Additionally, the shade may vary slightly after application and drying, influenced by factors like lighting or the type of wood. One of the advantages of our range of linseed oil paints is the availability of color samples in 200ml sizes. This allows you to order and test one or more shades to find the most suitable one for your facade and environment. Surfaces painted with our linseed oil paint can be repainted in another shade without limitations, allowing you to experiment until you find the ideal color.
Easy Restoration
Another significant advantage is the easy restoration of the linseed oil paint layer. When the facade begins to lose its sheen over time, it can be easily refreshed by applying a layer of boiled linseed oil, which not only restores the shine but also provides additional moisture protection. Boiled linseed oil is significantly less expensive than linseed oil paint, providing substantial long-term savings.
One of the greatest benefits of linseed oil paints is that there’s no need to remove the existing layer if you wish to repaint the surface in a different shade over time, significantly saving time and resources.
Sustainability
Linseed oil paints have been used for centuries in our climate conditions. Even today, well-preserved wooden structures painted over 100 years ago can still be found. Today, linseed oil paints are also widely used in restoration, renewing historic wooden facades, windows, doors, and other wood structures. The components of linseed oil paint have remained largely unchanged since the 16th century when it first became widely used in construction and craftsmanship.
Allbäck linseed oil paints are 100% natural paints for wood, suitable for both interior and exterior use, from Sweden. No solvents or stabilizers are used. They are particularly suited for wood facades and have been tested for over 30 years in the harshest climates of the Nordic countries and beyond.