But it’s not just any moss green. The material used in this picture is called water based wood stains. It is an eco-friendly wood dye product and its main feature is already given away in the name – it uses clean water as solvent.
It means that the water based wood stains don’t contain any VOC (volatile organic compounds) hence they don’t cause allergies and don’t pose any danger to the environment.
Eco products don’t have to be boring. If you shop around, you can easily find 20 or more various tones, starting from natural wood hues and ending with some vibrant colours like green, blue and red.
There are a few things to remember when applying water based wood stains. Firstly, the eco dyes will need at least two or three coatings to ensure an even result. Because water doesn’t stick to wood as easily as chemical solvent, you have to ensure the surface is clean and properly prepared.
Preparing the surface is not difficult:
- Cleaning. If necessary, clean soiled surfaces with an eco-friendly cleaning product.
- Sanding. Start with a rougher sandpaper and continue with finer papers. Not too fine, though, otherwise you might close the grain and make it difficult for the stain to stick. Sand in the direction of the grain.
- Grain raising – dampen the surface with a sponge or with a spray. When it has dried, apply a medium-rough sandpaper.
- Clean with a vac.
- Now apply the water based wood stain (dry properly between applying another layer)
The result is amazing. You can still see the grain and the character of the wood, and you can achieve a vibrant, contemporary look!
