All CUTEK® wood oils are sold as clear, and if applied without an added CUTEK® Colourtone they will cause the timber to quickly lighten naturally into a beautiful silver patina on exposure to sunlight and UV.
Note:
CUTEK® oils diffuse deeply into timber and will continue to provide moisture protection and improve dimensional stability even if the CUTEK® Colourtones are not added, and the wood becomes weathered and grey.
If you would like to retain the colour of the timber you’re working with for longer, you MUST add a suitable Colourtone to the clear oil. Choose one of our Colourtones which have been specifically developed to closely match many popular wood species or to alter the appearance entirely.
For best results, select a CUTEK® Colourtone that stays close to the natural shade of the coated timber.
Important:
CUTEK® Colourtones are only to be used with CUTEK® Extreme CD50 and CUTEK® Wood Preservative. CUTEK® Colourtones are not compatible with and must not be mixed into CUTEK® Interior or any third-party product.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please read prior to selecting and applying any CUTEK® Colourtones to wood.
- Before using any CUTEK® Colourtone, it is important to test a free CUTEK® sample sachet on the exact timber you intend to coat, in the exact manner you intend to coat it (brush, lambswool applicator, roller etc).
- Before using any CUTEK® Colourtone such as Grey Mist or White Wash, please watch this video.
- CUTEK® Colourtones are transparent and can vary, these variables include (but are not limited to): the age and porosity of the wood, species, variance in grain and colour, situation, design and structure, aspect, differing exposure to the weather, application technique, and adequacy of preparation.
- Due to the variance in pigment, application technique, exposure etc., CUTEK® Colourtones can weather differently over time.
- For best results, when using a CUTEK® Colourtone you should only apply two coats initially. If exposed to the weather, perform the third coat (your first maintenance coat) 6 months after the initial application, and then inspect the timber annually from that point onwards.
Understanding Colourtones
It is important to understand that CUTEK® timber oils are a unique penetrating oil system designed to enhance the natural colour and grain of wood. CUTEK® oils are sold clear and can be used to protect the timber from moisture and moisture related movement such as cupping, warping and splitting. Using just the clear oil will protect the wood, providing stability and structural integrity while allowing it to naturally lighten and produce a silver weathered patina over time. The soft natural lightening and silvering of the wood represents a low care option and is becoming an increasingly popular way to leave wood in weather exposed settings.
Wood projects using clear CUTEK® oil that have silvered can easily be returned back to the wood’s original colour using CUTEK® Restore and high pressure washing, followed by further applications of clear CUTEK® oil. However, if you desire to maintain the original colour of the ‘freshly oiled’ wood then you need to purchase a CUTEK® Colourtone to add it to clear a CUTEK® oil.
What to expect when using Colourtone
Most wood care products on the market leave a build-up of material on the surface of the wood. In the short term, this provides more colour, but in the long term, the finish can be prone to peeling and flaking which requires time and money to repair. The CUTEK® system is unique as CUTEK® Colourtoned oils will fade over time rather than peel or flake. The initial CUTEK® Colourtone build on new smooth wood projects only offers subtle amounts of pigment that enhance the wood. Timber that’s fully exposed to the weather will lighten faster as the wood acclimatises over the first six months. A maintenance application after this initial weathering period will provide greater Colourtone build as the wood becomes rougher and more porous.
How to increase colour build on new wood
New wood is milled smooth and often has a mill glaze, which will greatly restrict the initial colour build. Better results can be achieved by creating a rougher surface and preparing the wood using CUTEK® Restore in combination with a high-pressure washer. Sanding the new wood to 80 grit will give even better results as it removes mill glaze and creates a much rougher surface, which will enable higher colour build. Note: The rougher the surface of the wood, the greater the colour build and durability. Rough sawn or heavy brushed wood profiles will take more oil and colour so much bolder colour contrast can be achieved. The amount of mill glaze, if any, that is present on any job can vary significantly depending on species density, and machining method used.
Note: Sanded surfaces should be vacuumed or washed thoroughly to remove all loose wood and dust.
How to Choose the Right Colourtone
Choosing the right CUTEK® Colourtone
Our CUTEK® Colourtone system is formulated to enhance your original wood colour or to modify it to suit your design specifications. With this in mind, you need to think about what look you are trying to achieve, and then select the colour that best suits your timber type as well as your design aesthetic. If you are not sure about how a Colourtone will look on your specific timber, make sure you use a free sample on your actual project timber to make sure that the Colourtone you have selected will meet your design expectations.
If you are trying to match your wood’s natural colour and keep it looking natural for longer, here are some things to think about:
What is the natural hue of your timber? Is it more Golden, or Brown, or Red, or a combination? Is it a pale tone, or is it quite a vibrant colour naturally? We have multiple colourtones available in each natural wood hue (brown/gold/red/grey), but each has a different pigment combination and colour saturation that will make a difference to how it will look on various timber types. Please consider our recommended timber species and CUTEK® Colourtone Pairings table (found in the next tab).
For a good idea of what a Colourtone could look like on your timber type, use our Colourtone Visualiser above. While the visualiser will give an indication of the potential look, it is essential to test a free sample on the exact timber you intend to coat.
Changing the original colour of any wood
For horizontal walk on surfaces such as decking, we recommend you select a CUTEK® Colourtone that is the closest match to the wood you have selected, rather than attempt to change the colour. You can talk to any of our stockists for advice.
For cladding and screening, a much higher build of colour can be achieved which can completely change the original tone of the wood. Even very light wood coloured species can become an almost solid Black, Grey, Red, Brown or Gold if the wood surface is suitably rough and more coats or a higher pigment loading has been added.
In some circumstances you can double your CUTEK® Colourtone to achieve bolder effects on rough or brushed wood. We advise that you contact us to discuss this option in more detail as we want to ensure you have the best information possible.
NOTE: We recommend ordering a to see what your chosen CUTEK® Colourtone will look like on your specific timber PRIOR to starting your project.
