Tar Paint Moss Green

TAR PAINT

The genuine and original

Tar paint is a traditional, breathable, and ecological option for protecting and finishing wooden surfaces, such as plank and log structures. It is especially suitable for outdoor use, for example, on log houses, houses with wooden external cladding, holiday homes, outbuildings, and fences. Tar paint is also used in public buildings, such as schools, kindergartens, and churches, as a protective and decorative coating for their wooden exterior cladding, as well as on the wooden cladding of industrial buildings. Authentic Finnish Puijo Tar paint provides natural protection for wooden surfaces.

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

1. Protection from weathering

• Water repellent: Tar forms a protective layer on the wood surface, preventing water absorption and reducing the risk of decay.
• UV protection: Prevents the 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. Natural and ecological

• 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 movement within the wood.
• Protects against weathering – Highly resistant to UV radiation and moisture.
• Antiseptic and anti-mold properties – Tar effectively prevents decay and mold damage.
• Long-lasting – Does not flake but wears away 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 for use over paints that form a film.
• Treatment: The best result is achieved by applying tar paint thinly several times.
• Also suitable for extending the lifespan of felt roofs and repairing micro-cracks in felt.

6. Preparation 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 flake or chip: Wear occurs evenly, so the surface can be maintained without complete removal of old paint. Usually, simply brushing the old paint surface is sufficient.  A new layer of tar is well absorbed into the old one.
• Long-lasting: When 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, even in zoned areas: Tar paint gives the wood surface a rich, deep, and natural tone that darkens beautifully over time.
• Available in different shades: Traditionally, tar paint is dark, but with pigments, shades such as gray (like weathered log), moss green, reddish, and brown tones, as well as charcoal black, can 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 together.

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

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

1. Woodworm (Anobium punctatum) – One of the most common wood-destroying insects, especially in old buildings and furniture.
2. House longhorn beetles and blue stain beetles (Hylotrupes bajulus, Callidium violaceum, etc.) – Insects whose larvae eat wood and can cause significant damage to structures.
3. Wood wasps (family Siricidae) – Larvae penetrate the wood and excavate tunnels within it.
4. Deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) – A larger and more dangerous destructive insect than woodworm, which especially attacks damp and decaying structures.
5. Ants (especially carpenter ants, Camponotus spp.) – They do not actually eat wood but can excavate it for nesting sites, especially in rotten or damp wood.

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

The fungicidal effects of tar are based on its chemical composition:

1. Phenols – Tar contains various phenolic compounds that act as natural fungicides, preventing 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 disinfectant 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. In addition, it provides good moisture protection, which is important because moisture promotes fungal growth.