A Selfbuild Project in the Outer Hebrides Gets the Osmo Treatment
A self-build couple off the coast of Scotland turned to Osmo UK when they were looking for a wood finish that would provide a natural look and protection to their stunning new oak staircase.
In December 2017, Sarah and Ian submitted a purchasing application for a plot of land in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, with the plan of building their dream family home. Eight months after submitting the application, the couple were finally the plot owners and the self-build project could begin.
It wasn’t until 2020 that attention turned to the interior of the two-storey property and around October time when the oak balustrades were installed up the staircase. Wanting to treat the handrail and spindles with a high-quality wood finish, Sarah turned to Instagram to find a suitable product and found that others had used Osmo UK products and recommended Polyx®-Oil to her.
“We weren’t keen on having a shiny varnished finish. We liked the colour of the natural oak and wanted to maintain this if possible. We were advised that the Polyx®-Oil Raw Matt finish would provide us with the natural look that we were after.”
Sarah, Homeowner.
Polyx®-Oil 3044 Raw is lightly tinted protective finish that provides an original, untreated appearance. This finish is designed to retain this appearance by using a small number of white pigments to neutralise the permanent ‘wet-look’ that develops after application of a clear finish.
To prepare the surface, Sarah and Ian sanded the wood gently and then rubbed it down with a microfibre cloth to remove any dirt. When it came to the application, the duo started the process by using a brush. This took a long time as they were being extremely careful and were wary of leaving any white residue. They decided to switch to a cloth, and at this point, progress was much faster.
Sarah was impressed with how a little goes a long way with the Osmo finish. Once applied, she left the finish to dry for more than 24 hours, even though it didn’t need this amount of time – it didn’t take very long to dry.
“It probably took me around three hours to apply one coat using the cloth as I wanted to be thorough and careful throughout. I would definitely recommend applying the finish with a cloth as opposed to a brush but be careful not to leave any residue as this will leave white marks.
We are very happy with the end result. The finish provides a very natural look, which is what we wanted, and it protects the wood from grubby fingerprints – something that was needed in our household with two boys running around.”
Sarah, Homeowner.
For more information about Polyx®-Oil, head over the the product pages or contact the Osmo Advice Team directly on 01296 481220.
To find out more about this self build project, follow West Coast Build on Instagram.