Every time you buy wood, you burden yourself with the maintenance that you would have to do for the wood to retain its look, several years down the line. Be it wood doors, wood window, wood decking, cladding or wood roof, wood needs upkeep to be able to last long.
Availability of wood such as Accoya wood has greatly reduced these worries and the maintenance that needs to be undertaken. A point to note for maintenance is that the finish of the top coat on the wood makes a world of difference. So, there are no surprises that the quality of this coat also matters.
All relationships start with communication andunderstanding. So, to establish your relationship with wood, lets dive into the details of wood maintenance.
Good quality timber
Let’s assume you opted for a piece of uncertifiable timber, coated with dubious paint/dye. You might have to spend a significant amount of time, money, and effort to upkeep that wood. This effort does not even compare to the smell your house will reek of every time you refresh the quote. So, the first step to maintain your interior and exterior wood is to only opt for a certifiable, stable and durable timber, and a good quality premium coating that is built to last.
Regular cleaning
Wood, like any other material in your house, can be a receptacle for dust. This dust makes your wood look dull and old. When you don’t clean regularly, large dust particles on the wood surface can act as an abrasive, stripping off the protective coating over the wood. This in turn will expose the raw grain to the elements, increasing the risk of damage to the wood. This issue is particularly significant in timber which has not been treated and coated properly such as the timber which is just heat treated (seasoned). Seasoned is just a fancy name for saying the wood was cooked in an oven with some pressure, this may help temporary moisture control but does nothing to help long term stability and termite, fungal resistance.
Refresh that coat…
All materials have a life cycle, and the lifecycle of the coating is an indicator for the need of a refresher coat. Coating for internal wood applications typically stays for a longer duration than the coating for external applications. Dubious coating in the market can have a life of 6 month or lesser under extreme external conditions. Even the best coatings need a re-application to safeguard the wood grain and to keep the look fresh. You may not even realize that the coating has stripped off, owing to you seeing the wood every day, it is a good idea to contact your wood supplier/vendor to check the coating occasionally. This again highlights the importanceof opting for a vendor that can provide an extended service.
Keep the water off!
If you’ve opted for a water-resistant wood product, you don’t have to worry about this. But if you’ve chosen a sub-par wood, then water is the enemy. Wood warping happens primarily due to moisture absorption and retention. Un-treated or even seasoned wood is quick to absorb the water it encounters, so you’re better off cleaning the moisture off quickly with a microfiber towel, and no, putting it in rice won’t work in this case! This issue significantly reduces the versatility of seasoned wood for external applications. It is quite annoying to have your door get stuck during monsoons,this unfortunately may also happen due to the moisture in the air! So, the best remedy to prevent this would be to procure wood like accoya, with 50 years warranty on dimensional stability.
In essence, wood requires some maintenance, from time to time. You can, however, control the time duration in between by opting for a higher durability grade wood, and always ensuring that the wood coating used is of a matching quality too.
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