Smoking or Fuming is a wood finishing process that darkens wood and brings out the grain pattern. It consists of exposing the wood to ammonia gas which reacts with the tannins in the wood. The process works best on European White Oak because of the high tannin content of this wood.
Smoking was an accidental discovery in England around 250 years ago after it was noticed that oak boards stored in a stable had darkened. This was caused by the ammonia fumes from the horse urine reacting with the wood.
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries smoking became popular with furniture makers. This technique was introduced to the US market by American furniture maker Gustav Stickley and a manufacturing technique was perfected in the mission style furniture line of the Stickley family business. Stickley also described a method of smoking the wooden architecture of an entire room by placing bowls of ammonia in the room and sealing it.
Smoking has an advantage over staining because it does not obscure the grain, it merely darkens it, creating a “Through and Through” color.
How will Smoked floors from Simply Oak™ inspire you on your next project….
SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL. SIMPLY NATURAL. SIMPLY OAK.
