Wood finishes are applied to give serviceability such as water, stain and dirt repellence, as well as to enhance the appearance of timber.  

They fall into two general categories. Water based finishes which form a film on the top of timber, or Wood oils which penetrate into timber and harden within it, making the timber water & stain repellent.

There are variations on these two categories, such as urethanes and polyurethanes which can be water or oil based, and water-modified oils which combine water with an oil. However the eco friendly wood finishes we sell are best looked at through the two broad categories of water based finishes and natural wood oils. 

Water based wood finishes are often more suitable than oils on very absorbent timbers such as pine, plywood and cork. They avoid the yellowing that can occur with oils on these light coloured timbers, and can give a more resilient surface on these softwood timbers.

Natural wood oils on the other hand are often more suitable for hardwoods because they bring out the rich beauty of hardwoods and give good resilience on these dense timbers.

Again, there are exceptions and variations to this general rule but this is a good starting place to view each of the wood finishes we offer below.