UV resistance of white stained surfaces in furniture

Living like the people in the far north of Europe – Scandinavian-style furnishings have had a huge influence on contemporary interior design, creating warmth and cosiness through the use of white stained wood.

Yet there is a good deal of work behind this simple and effortless look. Any carpenter will be able to tell you that applying white wood stain presents a particular challenge! There are various factors that can increase the risk of blushing and of the surface losing its homogenous appearance.

Our ADLER application experts therefore decided to take a closer look at this topic. Read on to find out how you can achieve good UV resistance when applying white wood stains and what factors you need to be aware of.

Steps

Select wood

Before you start preparing the surface, you need to be sure that you have chosen the right type of wood. There are various challenges that need to be addressed, depending on the type of wood you use. While woods such as spruce or beech will take up the stain to a varying extent, oak can sometimes contain a lot of tannin. Lightfastness is also an important indicator when choosing wood for furniture building. This determines the level of resistance against UV radiation of the surface to be treated and will be decisive when it comes to the look and durability of the piece of furniture. In addition, a certain degree of evenness in terms of colour and grain can make a key contribution to the ultimate look of the surface, whilst also visibly preserving the natural structure of the wood.
Pre-treatment

Have you decided which type of wood you want to use? Then you'll need to give the wood the appropriate pre-treatment. Sanding with the right grit size is crucial to ensure perfect results. Softwoods are usually sanded with a step-by-step increase in grit size, using 100 / 120 / 150. With the most common types of hardwood, however, the step-by-step sanding process starts with grit size 120 and is then increased from 150 up to grit size 180. The roughening up of the surface leads to better absorption of the stain and means that any areas of unevenness or roughness and any residues of adhesive or paint can be removed. Here too, it's important to pay attention to the particular properties of the wood in question.
Choose the right stain system

The stain system also needs to be well-matched to the chosen type of wood. In particular, it's important to consider whether you are going to stain a softwood or a hardwood. We would recommend using Arova Spritzbeize if you want to apply a white wood stain on oak. Arova Spritzbeize is the perfect product if you want a stain that is easy to apply and gives you an even stain finish. This hardwood stain, which contains lightfast and micronized pigments, ensures an especially calm and tranquil stain effect.
Applying the stain

"Evenness" is the key word here. To ensure good insulation of the natural ingredients in the selected type of wood and to prevent blushing, the chosen stain should be applied very carefully and as evenly as possible. To get the best possible results, it is also extremely important to choose the right spray gun and a suitable nozzle. You should also make sure that you use the recommended quantity, as stated on the Technical Data Sheet.
Tinting the varnish

To counteract yellowing from UV rays, the ADLER application experts recommend tinting the subsequent coat of varnish. To tint the varnish, you can use ADLER's colour concentrate Solva Tint. This creates a homogenous surface and evens out any areas of wood where there is a variation in the extent to which the stain has been absorbed. The piece of furniture should then keep its appearance for years to come.
Intermediate sanding

After the recommended drying time, the surface should be sanded again. This will shorten any wood fibres that have become raised up after the first coat and also ensures good adhesion for further coats of varnish.
Top coat

The final step is to apply the topcoat. Here too, we recommend tinting the varnish. Protect your piece of furniture with a lightfast varnish system. The ADLER furniture varnish PUR Antiscratch creates a very robust surface and is highly popular due to its outstanding durability. Mix the varnish with 0.5 – 1% Solva Tint Polarweiß in order to increase the UV resistance of your piece of furniture.
Finishing & Conclusion:

Want to stain your wood white? No problem, providing you pay attention to certain factors. Varying degrees of absorption of the wood substrate and the impact of UV rays can result in yellowing of the piece of furniture over time. It is therefore important to choose the right stain system and to apply it evenly. By tinting the varnish system used, you can increase the light protection properties of the stained wooden surface and prevent darkening of the wood.