It all depends on the substrate!

Native timber

First of all, it's important to choose the right material, as not all types of wood are equally well suited to being coated. Caution is needed in particular when coating woods that are highly resinous, such as larches: there may be areas where the coating is not able to penetrate the wood to a sufficient degree – not only will this look unattractive, it also impairs the effectiveness of the coating in terms of its wood preservation properties. The best choice for wooden facades is therefore a native softwood such as fir or spruce: these woods are less dense, allowing the varnish to penetrate deep into the wood. Furthermore, they can be sourced from sustainable native forests without requiring long journeys for delivery and they are also very cost-effective. "If there are nevertheless some resin deposits in the wood, they can be removed using ADLER Nitroverdünnung or ADLER Wasch-Verdünnung which are free from aromatic hydrocarbons," Unterberger recommends.

Rough exterior

Planed or brushed, chopped or rough-sawn – there are many different types of timber that can be used for facades. But which is best? For Martin Unterberger, the answer is clear: "The rougher the surface, the better the coating can penetrate the wood. This gives you a good look and improves effectiveness in terms of wood preservation." Whilst wood that is planed is not only made smoother but often also compressed, rough-sawn wood offers the most receptive surface for a coating. Incidentally, rough-sawn surfaces work especially well with decorative finishes such as ADLER's Pullex Platin: the shimmering metallic pigments, which give the wood a fashionable look, can develop to their full extent with this kind of surface. For a rustic look, the wood can also be brushed or chopped. If a planed surface is nevertheless required, the capacity of the wood to absorb the coating can be improved by means of micro-corrugation.

Well-coated

Once the substrate has been prepared and any residues of sanding dust have been removed, it's time to apply the coating. For best results, the wood should be sufficiently dry to allow it to absorb the coating material to the best possible extent. "Ideally, the level of moisture in the wood should be below 15% – we use the following rule of thumb: if it has rained, you should wait at least three days before applying the coating," Unterberger explains. Apropos coating: ADLER's wood varnishes are suitable for use with all commonly used coating techniques, from flow coating and dip coating to the Vacumat coating technique, but the best results are achieved when they are applied by machine or by hand, as the coating is then worked into the wood to a better extent.

Wide selection

This leaves only the final question: which coating shall we use for our wood? At ADLER, users are spoilt for choice – our water-based Lignovit range and our solvent-based Pullex range offer a wide selection of products for all areas of application: efficient 3in1 systems, fashionable greying effects and decorative finishes, and environmentally friendly and sustainable coatings which are free from chemical wood preservatives. In case of doubt, ADLER's customer advisors for architects and field sales representatives can make appropriate recommendations and will also help you to choose the right colour. Because depending on the substrate used, the colour may look quite different on the wood from the way it looks on the colour chart – rough-sawn wood absorbs coatings to a greater extent, meaning that colour pigments become more concentrated and colours appear darker. Martin Unterberger therefore makes the following recommendation: "Test the varnish on a small area or do a sample on the actual wood to be used, so that you can see the exact shade you will achieve." Doing this means that all the preparations have been made to give you the perfect coating results – and with ADLER's high-quality products, you will be guaranteed to get a beautiful surface that is well protected for many years to come.

ADLER – paint runs through our veins

With 630 employees, ADLER is Austria's leading manufacturer of varnishes, paints and wood preservatives. Founded in 1934 by Johann Berghofer, this family business is now managed by a member of the third generation, Andrea Berghofer. Every year, 21,000 tonnes of paint leave the Schwaz plant and are delivered to customers in more than 30 countries worldwide. ADLER has sales subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia; their sole production site is the ADLER-Werk Lackfabrik in Schwaz, Tyrol (Austria). ADLER was one of the first companies in its sector to be 100% climate-neutral (since 2018). The company has been able to reduce its carbon footprint to a minimum through a wide range of measures. ADLER offsets any unavoidable residual emissions through the purchase of recognised climate protection certificates, thereby helping to finance new climate protection projects.