Painting guide

Hands-on tips

Painting your house with pine tar paint is an experience. Listed below are some hands-on tips on how to use what we refer to as nature’s own paint.

NATURE’S OWN PAINT

Pine tar paint is a natural product. Using it leads to a stylish, durable and beautiful result. Painting with pine tar, you provide the wood with natural protection from whatever the weather brings as well as from mould and other nasty things. In addition, pine tar keeps the wood from drying out. Wood painted with pine tar lasts a long time with no need to repaint.

Pine tar paint from Auson comes in a number of colours. They all have in common that they come straight from nature.

Pine tar paints from Auson consist of pine tar, turpentine and colour pigments – nothing else. The tar protects and strengthens the wood, while also yielding a matte, beautiful colour. Use pine tar paint for your facade – and for your roof, fence, porch, jetty and other wooden constructions outdoors. Pine tar paint has a characteristic scent that stays for about a month after painting. The scent is more noticeable the very first days after painting.

PINE TAR COMES FROM NATURE

Pine tar paint is a natural product. Because of this, the hue may vary slightly depending on the date we made the paint. See label on lid. If you have cans with different dates, you should mix them with each other to avoid hue differences. For black and black-brown pine tar paint, you do not need to think about this.

Always stir well before painting, since the colour pigment gathers near the bottom during storage. Stir regularly while painting, too. This is particularly important for the pine tar vitriol, as it’s thinner than the other pine tar paints and therefore needs more frequent stirring. Otherwise the colour pigment will gather at the bottom and you will end up with an uneven colour on your facade.

BEFORE YOU PAINT

The pigmented pine tar is ready to be used on unplaned wood. For planed wood, and also if you intend to spray paint, we recommend an extra dilution of 10–20% turpentine. Pine tar paint must always be thin enough to be applied with a brush in thin layers. Thick layers may cause cracks in the surface with time. Please note that Pine Tar Vitriol already contains turpentine and needs no further dilution.

A huge advantage of pine tar is that no primer is needed. It’s important to remove algae and mildew and make sure that the wood is dry before you start painting. Wood surfaces that have already been treated with our pine tars only need to be cleaned of dirt and dust. A wire brush should be used on wood that has previously been distemper painted to get rid of any flaking paint. Finish off by brushing the entire surface with a softer brush or broom.

It might also be a good idea to check the weather forecast when planning your painting. We recommend that you paint in warmer weather, at least 10°C. This makes the tar thinner, and it’s more easily absorbed into the surface.

WHEN YOU PAINT

Use a wide brush, approximately 70–100 millimeters. Paint as you would with a regular paint and avoid applying too thick layers. Be sure to stir well before painting, since the colour pigment tends to gather near the bottom during storage. Repeat this continuously while painting. This is especially important when it comes to pine tar vitriol, which is thinner than the other pine tar paints and therefore needs more frequent stirring. Failure to do this may give your facade an uneven hue. Remember to paint the end parts of the wood as well.

Paint twice, if the wood has not been treated before. Otherwise once is enough. Please note that very dried-out and porous wood may need two to three times more paint.

Coverage:

• For Red Pine Tar, Black Pine Tar, Brown Pine Tar, Green Pine Tar and Black-Brown Pine Tar, 5–8 m2 /litre depending on the surface.
• For Pine Tar Vitriol, 6–10 m2/litre, depending on the surface.

AFTER YOU HAVE PAINTED

We recommend that you paint again after 5 to 10 years. On sides where the wood is not as exposed to the elements of nature, you can wait much longer. This variation simply has to do with things like weather, wind, wood quality and where you live. The intervals between painting grow gradually longer the more times you apply pine tar paint. The tar strengthens and protects the previous layers.

WOOD TREATMENT WITH PINE TAR OIL FROM AUSON

Are you tired of discoloured wood on your porch? Pine tar oil prevents the wood from drying out, starting to crack and absorbing water. Nor will the wood turn black as the years go by, which is the case when using regular wood oils. Instead, pine tar oil preserves the natural grey hue of the porch wood at the same time as cracking is minimized. Pine tar oil provides a lasting protection and a stylish surface with the wood pattern intact. The wooden deck will remain beautiful for a long time, and renewed treatment every two or three years will be enough. Pine tar oil also works great for fences, untreated outdoor furniture and pallet rims.

BEFORE YOU START

Clean the wood thoroughly before starting the treatment. Remove dirt and old oil residue from a previously treated surface with an adequate detergent. Using a high-pressure cleaner will also work, as long as you don’t chip the wooden surface.

Then make sure the wood is completely dry; ideally, the surface should be left to dry in the sun. Don’t initiate the treatment too early in spring.

WHILE YOU WORK

Use a paint roller or brush. The pine tar is easily absorbed by the wood. Wipe off what’s left on the surface and pay extra attention to oil that may remain on knots where the pine tar might be less absorbed. Use a rag soaked in turpentine or denatured alcohol and wipe off as you keep treating the porch wood. Clean the brush with denatured alcohol or turpentine.

Coverage: 6–10 m2/litre depending on the surface.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Fresh wood should be treated again after around 12 months. The pine tar has a natural brown colour and will provide a slightly darker surface that will gradually become lighter from sunlight and weather. The surface regains its natural hue after a few months. This may take a little longer with less exposure to sun.

TRADITION AND INNOVATION SINCE 1928

Auson AB is a family-owned Swedish company, founded in 1928. We are currently the leading suppliers of pine tar products in Scandinavia. Pine tar is a natural product that to this day remains the best way to protect and care for wood. According to many, it’s the most beautiful as well.

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