Oiled Finish
Smooth as Glass
House number plaques with an oiled finish are wood signs which have been coated in a thin, shine-enhancing layer of oil. Many kinds of house signs and house number plaques are coated with lacquer, varnish, or polyurethane, for weatherproofing, color preservation, and an enhanced shine; but an oiled finish is easier to apply and more forgiving of mistakes. Thus, house number plaques and home signs with an oiled finish may be slightly cheaper and faster to produce than the alternatives, with a comparable lifespan and level of quality.
All wooden signs are one of two types of wood: open pore, or closed pore. Open pored wood means there are 'gaps' in the wood grain which can cause difficulty in staining, coating, or painting the wood. These are the vessels through which the tree gathered and absorbed water while it was alive. All trees have them, but they are more pronounced in open pored wood than in closed pored wood. Open pored wood types include oak, black locust, ash, catalpa, chestnut, elm, hickory, and mulberry. Closed pored wood types include willow, basswood, birch, buckeye, poplar, and maple.
Differences in Finishing
Most house number plaques with an oiled finish, you'll find, are crafted from closed pored wood. While an oiled finish can look excellent on any type of wood, it takes additional skill and care to do a fine job of an oiled finish on open pored wood.
All finishes are applied to house number plaques in the same basic manner. The surface must be sanded smooth and wiped free of sawdust before any varnish, stain, lacquer, or other finish can be used. A generous amount of finish is applied and spread across the entire surface, taking care to spread evenly and cover all parts. After this first layer has had ample time to dry and "set up", it is sanded slightly rough (to create a 'tooth' for the next layer to anchor itself onto) and re-painted with finish again.
This process is common use on timber house number plaques and home signs. The number of applications done depends on the buyer's end vision for the house number plaques. With marine varnish, for example, it may take six to ten applications over the course of a week or more to achieve the desired result. Some homeowners like a nice, thick shell of varnish on their house number plaques; others simply want a little bit of additional 'shine' on their house number plaques, for aesthetic appeal.
Oil vs. Water
The true benefit of using an oiled finish against a water-based finish is that of strength. House number plaques are expensive, and the smaller varieties, depending on the type of wood used, can be quite easily damaged. Therefore, giving house number plaques a thick coating of oil, allowing it to seep into the wood and harden, actually makes those house number plaques stronger in the process.
The combination of cost-effective aesthetic appeal, ease of use, and added strength is what continues to make the oiled finish an all-around winner. House number signs finished with oil are no better or worse than those finished with polyurethane; it's simply a matter of budget and personal preference.
Oiled Finish
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