Osmo LED Smart-Oil

How can a hard wax oil be water based?

The base is a natural linseed oil that has been engineered to be carried in VOC-free water liquid for application ease. This means you have the richness of an oil finish, but with no smell or long cure time.

How long does it take to dry and then to cure?

ZERO seconds. After a few passes of the Osmo UV LED Smartlight Lamp the finish is 100% cured, ready for maximum usage and wear. This means you can refinish a surface on a restaurant table and it be ready for use immediately, or remove all the drying racks in your workshop as the surface will be ready to be assembled immediately, saving days or weeks of waiting.

Traditional Hard Wax Oils can take up to two weeks to fully cure, Lacquers and water based finishes up to one week. This is a game changer for professional wood finishers.

Does it yellow the wood?

Yes, just like oil based hard wax oils like the Osmo Polyx Oil, the LED Smart Oil warms or honeys the grain, making it pop. If you’re looking for a more neutral tone, the Natural colour keeps the grain light, leaving a light touch of white in the open grain.

How wear and stain resistant is it?

The LED Smart Oil has been put through Osmo’s rigorous DIN Standard (The German Wear Standard for Wear Testing) scientific testing (which is performed on every batch produced).

What’s the sheen?

With one coat the finished sheen is around a 10-20% Matt. A second coat increases the sheen level to a 40-50% Satin finish. There aren’t sheen options in the LED Smart Oil which means on hard wearing surfaces like floors and worktops, the finish will need to be satin as two coats are required.

Can it be used on floors?

Yes absolutely, the LED Smart Oil has been developed to meet the same certification as the Osmo Polyx Oil, making it perfect for floors, table tops and worktops.

Is it smelly?

Not at all! As a waterborne product, there are zero VOCs and no smell.

How do I clean and maintain the surface?

Anti-bac sprays break down the binders in the majority of finishes, causing the finish to go sticky (this is what you find in bars and restaurants). Only thick industrial 2-part bar top lacquers are truly resistant to commercial anti bacterial sprays. However, wood oil friendly anti-bac sprays do exist and are coming soon to Restorate. These kill bacteria, clean but look after the hard wax oil or varnish.

Is it food safe for kitchen surfaces?

Yes, the LED SmartOil is 100% food safe for all kitchen worktops and chopping boards.

Do you need to use the Osmo Smartlight Lamp?

Yes you do. The Osmo LED SmartOil has been developed to cure at a certain UV wavelength and power that can only be achieved by high power, highly calibrated, specialist equipment. The Osmo UV LED Smartlight Lamp is unusual in that there aren’t many portable lamps of this intensity available.

Will the oil cure without the Osmo UV Lamp?

In short, no. The LED Smart Oil will stay wet on the surface as it requires the UV lamp light to cure the formula.

How do you apply the LED Smart Oil for best results

Thinly!
But first sand to a P180 grit on most woods such as Pine, Oak, Beech. P120 for dense woods like Walnut, Mahogany and Cedar, and P80-100 (followed by a wipe of methylated spirits) for oily, super dense exotic woods like Teak and Iroko. This helps the oil absorb into the wood grain.

The LED oil coverage should be in the region of 50m per litre, per coat. We, and Osmo, recommend working it into the wood grain with a white scrubby pad or the AbraClean on a 150mm orbital sander on larger surfaces, followed by wiping off excess in the direction of the grain with a cotton cloth. When there are no wipe marks, use the UV lamp to cure.

Can you mix colours?

You can! In fact customers already have been getting creative with dark first coats and light second coats to leave a lighter tone in the grain. If you like the tone of one coat, use a clear one for the second coat.