Tar paint red (dark red)

TAR PAINT

The genuine and original

Tar paint is a traditional, breathable, and ecological option for protecting wooden surfaces, such as plank and log structures. It is especially suitable for outdoor use. For example, for log houses, plank-clad houses, holiday homes, outbuildings, and fences. Tar paint is also used in public buildings, such as for the protection and paint of wooden exterior claddings of schools, kindergartens, churches, and for wooden claddings of industrial buildings.

Tar paint is a traditional wood treatment agent with several advantages, especially for building wood cladding and log houses.

1. Protection from weather effects

• Water repellent: Tar forms a protective layer on the wood surface, preventing water absorption and reducing the risk of rot.
• UV protection: Prevents harmful effects of sunlight and slows down the graying of wood.

2. Breathability and moisture regulation

• Does not form a film: Unlike many modern paints, tar paint does not seal the wood surface but allows moisture to evaporate, which prevents mold and rot.

3. Naturalness and ecological aspects

• Non-toxic and biodegradable: Made from natural raw materials, such as wood tar, linseed oil, and pigment. Contains no plastics or synthetic compounds.

4. Properties of tar paint

• Maintains the natural moisture balance of wood – Does not prevent moisture from moving within the wood.
• Protects from weather stress – Highly resistant to UV radiation and moisture.
• Antiseptic and mold-inhibiting properties – Tar effectively prevents rot damage and mold.
• Long-lasting – Does not peel, but wears off naturally over the years.

5. Suitability for plank and log surfaces

• New surfaces: Suitable for both planed and sawn wood. Sawn surfaces absorb tar paint better.
• Old wood: Can also be used on previously tarred or untreated wooden surfaces. Not recommended over paints that form a film.
• Treatment: The best result is achieved by applying tar paint thinly in several coats.
• Also suitable for extending the lifespan of felt roofs and repairing micro-cracks in felt.

6. Manufacturing and application

• Ingredients: Traditionally made from pine kiln tar.
• Application: A brush is the best tool. Heated tar (40-65 C) penetrates deeper into the wood.
• Drying time: Depends on weather conditions and wood absorbency, but can be several days or even weeks.

7. Easy maintenance

• Does not peel or flake: Wear is even, so the surface can be maintained without complete removal of old paint. Usually, just brushing the old paint surface is enough.  A new layer of tar absorbs well into the old one.
• Long-lasting: Well-maintained tar paint can last for decades. You save due to less frequent maintenance painting. Maintenance painting is also easy to do yourself.

8. Traditional and beautiful appearance

• Suitable for old and traditional buildings, as well as new and modern buildings, including in zoned areas: Tar paint gives the wood surface a valuable, deep, and natural shade that darkens beautifully over time.
• Available in different shades: Traditionally, tar paint is dark, but with pigments, shades such as weathered gray, moss green, reddish, brown, and charcoal black can also be achieved. You can mix tar paints of different colors. For example, if you want a very dark brown, you can mix black and dark brown tar paints.

Tar paint is a good choice if you want a durable, natural and traditional paint finish for wooden surfaces.

Tar paint and other tar-based substances specifically protect against the following destructive insects:

1. Common Furniture Beetles (Anobium punctatum) – One of the most common wood-damaging insects, especially in old buildings and furniture.
2. House longhorn beetles and Violet tanbark beetles (Hylotrupes bajulus, Callidium violaceum, etc.) – Insects whose larvae eat wood and can cause significant damage to structures.
3. Wood wasps (Siricidae family) – Larvae penetrate wood and carve tunnels inside it.
4. Deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) – A larger and more dangerous destructive insect than the common furniture beetle, which primarily attacks damp and decaying structures.
5. Ants (especially carpenter ants, Camponotus spp.) – They don't actually eat wood but can excavate it for nesting sites, especially in decayed or damp wood.

Tar protects against destructive insects in several ways:
✔️ Its strong smell and chemical compounds repel insects.
✔️ It penetrates the wood and makes it less attractive as an egg-laying site.
✔️ Tar contains natural antiseptic and fungicidal substances that prevent mold and decay, which in turn reduces attractiveness to destructive insects.

Tar's fungicidal effects are based on its chemical composition:

1. Phenols – Tar contains various phenolic compounds that act as natural fungicides and prevent the spread of mold, decay fungi, and other microbial growth.
2. Cresols – These are antiseptic compounds that kill bacteria and fungi, protecting wood from decay and other microbes.
3. Guaiacol and other tar compounds – These have disinfecting and preservative properties that slow down wood degradation.

What does tar paint protect against?

🔹 Molds (e.g., Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Penicillium)
🔹 Decay fungi (e.g., brown rot and white rot fungi)
🔹 Blue stain fungi (e.g., species of the genus Ophiostoma, which stain wood bluish and weaken its structure)

Tar paint prevents the growth of these organisms by making the wood surface unfavorable for their reproduction. Tervamestari recommends it. In addition, it provides good moisture protection, which is important because moisture promotes fungal growth.