Advantages and disadvantages of smoked oak

In the interior, smoked oak is particularly elegant and noble. The oak, which takes on a dark color in its processing, can be easily combined with other woods.

The dark clay forms when smoking, when the wood is steamed with ammonia-containing agents. The tint comes from the reaction between the ammonia and the naturally occurring tannic acid in the wood. For smoking, the European oak is often used, on the American red oak, the method is less applicable.

Appearance

The dark tint of the smoked oak appears in different shades. For example, smoked oak can be found in a hazelnut brown, but its brown color can go as far as the black. The degree of tinting depends on the amount of ammonia used for smoking, but also on the tannic acid, which is naturally present in the wood and affects the coloration. Especially dark smoked oak is reminiscent of antique oak furniture and can therefore be combined well with antiques. The tint of the wood does not affect the natural structures and color differences in the wood. The dark shades, however, are much less sensitive to light.

properties

Smoked oak is a weather-resistant wood. It is not prone to tearing and is rarely attacked by fungi or insects. In contrast to unprocessed oak wood, it is less brittle. Because the smoked oak is treated with ammonia, salts form in the wood, attracting moisture from the air. Nevertheless, smoked oak contains less natural moisture than untreated oak, the wood does not distort easily. The proportion of ammonia in the smoked oak is low and does not pose a risk to health. Smoked oak can be worked well, the wood is easily sanded, drilled and sawn. Before the wood is treated with glue or glue, it should ventilate sufficiently to lose moisture.

use

As smoked oak is very hard-wearing, this wood is used for the production of parquet floors, industrial floors and stairs, the manufactured products are characterized by a high quality. Because of its dark tint, smoked oak is also popular in the production of inlays and for various turning work. Because the wood is insensitive to external influences, it is also well suited for the production of high-quality garden furniture, also in boat building smoked oak is used.

Advantages:

• Insensitive to external influences such as light and weather
• local wood whose production does not pollute the environment
• very firm and robust
• easy to combine with dark coloring and an alternative to tropical wood

Disadvantage:

• • For sounding ammonia is used
  • the salinity in the wood is high