Fumed Oak in Palos Verde CA
Posted on
10/12/2022
Fumed, or smoked oak is oak wood flooring which has been treated to change its color. Fuming or smoking involves putting the oak into an enclosed environment in which ammonia is introduced into the atmosphere. This enclosed environment might be a closed tank or a sealed tent or some type of container into which only a rather small amount of ammonia is introduced. The effect of the ammonia in the air is that the color of the wood is changed.
Fumed, or smoked oak is oak wood flooring which has been treated to change its color. Fuming or smoking involves putting the oak into an enclosed environment in which ammonia is introduced into the atmosphere. This enclosed environment might be a closed tank or a sealed tent or some type of container into which only a rather small amount of ammonia is introduced. The effect of the ammonia in the air is that the color of the wood is changed.
It is a common misunderstanding that fuming or smoking oak involves the application of the ammonia to the oak, but this is not the case. The change in color comes about from the wood's response to the presence of ammonia in the atmosphere. Basically what happens is that the ammonia causes the tannins in the wood to be brought to the surface. The closer the tannins are to the surface, the darker the wood will appear. The longer the wood is exposed to the ammonia, the darker it gets. The results acquired from fuming or smoking will range from a rich brown shade to almost black.
Basically, the intensity of the color as well as the tone of the color will depend upon the duration of time the wood stays in contact with the ammonia fumes. Durations of as little as twelve hours will provide a lightly fumed result and 72 hours a darker effect. Additionally, the higher the temperature in the chamber, as you would imagine, the quicker color change effects will appear, but not only that, the tone will be affected. Hotter temperatures typically present red tones and cooler temperatures green tones allowing for creativity when it comes to the fuming or smoking technique.
Like many things, it is believed that fuming was discovered by accident. Going back to the turn of the twentieth century, it is believed that the first discovery was made in horse stables. At that time, it was noticed that the beams above the horses were considerably darkened compared to the beams in other parts of the stable and this darkening process was connected to the ammonia in the horses' urine. Fuming or smoking as a wood treatment process became typical with arts and crafts furniture makers and to this day, is extremely popular.
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