Finishing

Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring is delivered in a prefinished state ready to install. The finish is:

• Vegetable Based Oil—from Timberman of Denmark, it compliments the naturally occurring extractives in the wood.
• 2 coats—each piece of flooring is coated twice.
• UV Cured—each coat penetrates the wood and is cured dry using Ultraviolet light.
• Matte Finish—really emphasizes the warmth of the wood.

Hunter Lake Tamarack Floors are all pre-finished using vegetable based oil supplied by Timberman of Denmark. Why choose an oil to finish the wood as opposed to the more common polyurethane coatings used by most manufacturers of prefinished hardwood flooring in North America? The answer lies in the nature of the wood. Tamarack is a species which has a relatively high concentration of naturally occurring extractives (oils) in the wood, and can present certain problems when treating it with polyurethane coatings. If the extractives begin to leach out of the wood over time, they can cause the finish material to swell and eventually breakdown. Treating the wood with oil instead, however, allows the natural and introduced oils to blend with no negative effects.

Wood and Oil Treatment:

The earliest form of preserving wood known to man was to coat wood with oil. This would slow the process of decay and wear, and allow different colours to be introduced. When oiling wood surfaces, the wood is impregnated with oil as deep as possible without leaving a visual coat of oil on the surface. It is desirable, however, for the surface to look oiled and not dry or grey. Therefore, the saturation of the wood is of great importance. The challenge facing Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring was to select an oil that could be used in a standard automated Ultraviolet (UV) lacquering finishing line which would meet the desired performance standards.

Timberman UV Oil:

Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring selected Timberman Denmark A/S UV Oil for a number of reasons:

Company Reputation: The firm has specific expertise in UV oil coatings for wood flooring, and its mission is to provide environmentally safe products of award winning quality. The company makes a variety of oil products for use with wood, and actually manufactures finished wood products using its coatings in the process. Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring also shares the same vision of creating environmentally friendly products from renewable resources.

Product Composition: Timberman UV-Oil is based on a combination of vegetable oil components specially developed for production of hard-wearing wood floors. The oil has a solid matter content of virtually 100%, which means it is a solvent-free product. It penetrates the grain of the wood ensuring a satisfactory impregnation of the wood. This is different than polyurethane which creates a tough coat on the top of the wood protecting the underlying wood. As such, there is no surface coating to “breach”. Rather, the finish is incorporated into the cells of the wood. It creates a matte or satin effect which emphasizes the natural warmth of Tamarack.

Suitability for Automated Laquering Equipment: Timberman UV-Oil is designed for industrial finishing on a UV-oiling or lacquering line. The first coat of oil is the UV-Oil base coat which is applied with hard roller coaters. It is then exposed to UV-light which cures the oil inside the wood. The wood is then extremely lightly sanded with 380 to 400 grit abrasive, and a second coat of UV-Oil top coat is applied and cured dry inside the wood with UV light. This is actually much less oil than is required when applying manually, but the finish is of equal or greater quality due to the UV curing.

The Environmental Choice:

This combination of products and technique ensures a consistent penetration of the wood which is uniquely well suited to the species and application. It creates a strong, hard-wearing finish which is easy to care for and maintain with the traditional maintenance system, i.e. soap, wood cleaner, and maintenance oil. It is highly resistant to water stains and dirt, and water does not leave spots or discolour the surface. As well, the end product, Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring, is made entirely of natural products which taken together are completely biodegradable. This is a winning combination of quality, value and performance-a lifetime investment for your family to enjoy.