Our love affair with Osmo began about 4 years ago with the promise of a finish that would leave timber looking and feeling like real timber. Over these last few years, we have discovered many other things to love about Osmo such as the fact that it protects the wood really well, it is easy to maintain and food safe which is especially important if you have little people eating at your dining table. With our gaining awareness of sustainability and making eco-responsible purchases, it is the longevity of the furniture provided by this finish that has become its most valuable feature.

Why is a finish needed?

Any wood used to create a piece of furniture needs to be finished or cured to protect the timber and nourish it. The finish creates a barrier to protect the timber from absorbing liquids otherwise it becomes damaged and discolored. Even water left on raw timber can damage the surface by causing the timber to swell. As timber expands and contracts with the changing environmental temperatures and moisture levels, it requires nourishment to ensure it is flexible. If the timber becomes too dry, it starts to get brittle and splits.

Deeper Protection

Finishes such a two - pack create an impenetrable barrier against liquids and stains. This is all good an well until there is a scratch or wear and tear. As the barrier is just sits on the top of the timber, as soon as it is damaged, any liquids and stains will go straight into the raw timber. The benefit of an Osmo finish however is that it forms two levels of protection with the oils penetrating into the timber and the waxes sitting on the top. If there is damage to the top layer of the finish, the deeper layers of the timber are protected by the oils to avoid permanent damage to the timber. It is also these penetrating oils that nourish the timber to ensure that it is adaptable.

A repairable surface is the ultimate sustainability

It has always been our mission to create furniture for our clients with the longevity of design and construction that will see it last for decades. Our motivation for this is to contribute in our own small way to reduce landfill and the resources that would be used to create a replacement. We ensure longevity by using the best quality timber, glues, fillers, finish and construction methods. With Osmo, it is not only a high performance finish that prevents damage occurring in the first place, it also is repairable. In the case of a small scratch, an application of the maintenance spray will quickly make it disappear before your eyes and keep the wood protected. With larger damage such as a jar of beetroot sauerkraut with juices gathered around the bottom left on a dining table top overnight (yep, Ill blame that on baby brain), the surface can be either spot sanded or resurfaced with the finish reapplied. This means that a piece of Osmo finished furniture can last indefinitely and still look as beautiful as when it was new!

Ease of maintenance

With our busy lives these days, many clients have been concerned about the maintenance of a natural oil and wax finished piece of furniture. They didn't want to add another task to their already long to do list. With Osmo, the care of the finish is very quick and simple. For a heavy use piece such as a dining table, timber vanity or kitchen bench top, the wash and care product can be made up in a spray bottle and used every day to clean the surface as required. Every 3 months or so for a high use piece of furniture, the spray wax cleaner which contains some of the original finish, needs to be applied to refresh the finish and ensure that it is still a barrier. This can go out to 6 months or a year for surfaces that are not often wiped.

To speak to us about your own piece of forever furniture, please contact us here.