Natural oils are becoming increasingly popular for wood protection, as current trends emphasize a return to natural practices. Among the best known are linseed, tung and teak oil. In our research, we have investigated the possibilities of using neem oil, which has many positive effects, although the properties of wood protected with this oil have not yet been studied. Most of the tests were carried out on beech wood, but the resistance to blue stain and mould was also tested on pine and spruce wood. We found that the dynamics of neem oil uptake was the strongest in the initial phase of contact with the substrate and then slowed down significantly over time. The oiled surface was only water repellent for a short time, but still effectively reduced water uptake. Compared to other natural oils, the neem oil dried very quickly. The oiled surface retained the natural appearance of the wood, as the gloss did not increase and the colour changed only slightly. The surface treated with neem oil showed high resistance to most cold liquids and dry heat up to 60 °C. Neem oil protected the wood against blue stain to a certain extent, but at the same time accelerated the development of mould. Our research has shown that the surface treatment of wood with neem oil is simple, and that the properties of the treated surface are comparable or even better than those of the more well-known natural oils.
|
