Alligator Boya Launches Wood Protection System

Why Wood?

Wood is the oldest, most natural and warmest material in our lives for centuries. If maintained regularly, it does not disappear over time and becomes more valuable as the years pass. As a product, wood is healthy, practical, natural, easy to work with and has aesthetic qualities. It is environmentally compatible, consumes little energy and has high fire resistance. After necessary treatments, the material becomes long-lasting and has high thermal and sound insulation properties.

Wood Has High Load-Bearing Capacity

Wood is a sufficiently durable and light material that reduces the load transmitted to the building's supports and foundations. Due to its resistance to tension and bending, it carries more load than reinforced concrete and steel. Because of this property, spans of up to 250 m can even be crossed without columns.

Wood Is Resistant to Weather Conditions and Earthquakes

Wood is extremely resistant to weather conditions and corrosion. The Greek Orphanage building in Büyükada, 100 years old, 8 stories high and 100 m wide, is one of thousands of examples. In addition to its lightness, wood is a structural material that is resistant to shock impact and has vibration-absorbing properties, making it resistant to earthquake effects. Even if the structure is damaged as a result of an earthquake, the risk of loss of life is lower than other structural elements due to its lightness.

Wood Has High Fire Resistance

Due to its heat-insulating and charring properties, wood resists fires for longer periods. While a thick piece of wood burns, the outer surface temperature is 1,000°C while the inside is still 40°C. For this reason, buildings made of thick structural material such as columns and beams do not collapse immediately in a fire and can withstand 30-90 minutes. For steel, this period is 15-25 minutes.

An Environmentally Friendly Product with Renewable Sources

Wood is the only structural material with renewable sources. With this feature, it requires little energy for production and processing, making it the best structural material offering a solution to today's environmental and energy problems.

A Decorative, Environmentally Friendly and Healthy Product

Wood is a material that serves different purposes with thousands of different types, patterns and color structures. With its superior thermal and humidity insulation properties, wooden buildings provide the healthiest environment to live in.

How Is Wood Protected?

As a natural structural material, wood needs to be protected to maintain its integrity for many years. This protection becomes especially important in exterior facades where wind and weather conditions are harsh. Harmful sun rays, water, moisture and biological pests accelerate wood deterioration. For this reason, the selection of wood to be used on exterior facades and correct construction, as well as its protection through proper application using appropriate products, is very important. In addition, correct paint selection, avoiding putty, and impregnation of wood material (introducing chemical substances into wood through different methods and extending service life) in accordance with usage requirements are necessary.

Correct Wood Selection

One of the traditional methods used to extend the service life of wood involves using the right wood in the right place. If wood is to be used on exterior facades or in load-bearing systems, it should be selected from naturally durable species such as Cedar, Oak and Chestnut. The interior of these types of wood, namely the heartwood, contains natural protective substances against fungi and molds.

Correct Cutting of Selected Wood

For wood used on exterior facades, the real danger is rainwater entering the wood. Cutting wood across the grain facilitates water entry into the wood. Cross-sections have greater water absorption capacity than longitudinal cuts. In species with low permeability, water ingress into the wood is even faster. For wood-destroying organisms to live and develop, they need oxygen, heat and water. For this reason, if wood is kept dry (moisture content below 20%), rot can be controlled to a certain extent.

Correct Construction Choice in Design

Good design minimizes wood's contact with water. In old Turkish houses, one reason for keeping eaves wide is to protect wooden facades from the effects of rain. It is very difficult to keep wood material dry throughout its service life. Wood material used outdoors can easily be exposed to rot due to precipitation, while wood material used indoors can be exposed to rot due to faulty plumbing or roof leaks.

Correct Paint Selection

To make the correct paint choice for wood, we must first know what we are protecting the wood from. On exterior facades; paints that are resistant to sun and external conditions, especially on surfaces where wood is in direct contact with water, should prevent water penetration but allow water vapor that has entered to escape. Breathable paints with micropores should be used.

What Should the Right Product (Paint or Varnish) Protect Wood From?

Wood must be protected to the maximum extent from sunlight, water and biological pests.

Protection from Sun

Due to the lignin structure that makes up the chemical composition of wood, it absorbs and breaks down UV rays. This deterioration increases wood's sensitivity to water. Since broken-down lignin dissolves in water, it washes away with rain and causes cellulose, which is a food source for microorganisms, to accumulate in lower areas. This is why color fading occurs on the upper parts of wood and organism-caused graying occurs in the lower sections. To prevent this drawback, paints and varnishes that reflect light without allowing it to penetrate into the wood should be applied to wood surfaces.

Protection from Water and Moisture

On large wood surfaces, it is difficult to completely prevent water entry due to connection points and small cracks caused by seasonal wood movement. For this reason, protecting the wood surface with a paint or varnish that has breathability and water-repellent properties is the best solution. On surfaces where non-breathing wood paint and varnish have been applied, water vapor cannot evaporate and escape, causing wood to rot from inside and become irreparable. In such cases, repair costs are several times higher than paint costs.

Protection from Biological Pests

When the moisture content in wood exceeds 20%, especially fungi, molds and other biological pests easily invade the wood. To provide high protection against such pests, products formulated with special chemical protectants should be used.

Correct Product Selection According to Surface Types

When selecting paint or varnish to be used, evaluation according to surface type is important.

Stable Surfaces

For large single-piece surfaces, water-based breathable or thin solvent-based products should be used. Because on large areas, cracking or expansion problems are not clearly visible, and water leaking from unnoticed holes or cracks can be more easily expelled through a breathable product. One of the biggest mistakes made in our country is the application of non-breathing thick solvent-based products to large wood surfaces on exterior facades.

Moving Surfaces

These are door-window areas. These areas are the points that retain the most water. On these surfaces, it is recommended to apply products with the lowest water permeability and thick solvent-based applications. Additionally, in Europe, special metal plates are installed as additional measures on window systems. Putty and low water vapor permeable paints should not be applied to wood used on exterior facades because cracks that cannot be prevented in large-surface wood will allow water to enter inside, and since this water cannot evaporate and escape, fungi develop and cause wood rot. For this reason, linseed oil, filler and putty should not be applied to wood on exterior facades. In Opaque Paint System preferences, the secret to long-lasting durability lies in using products as a system package. To provide long-term high protection on your wood surfaces, it is important to apply Impregnation (Alligator Wood Impregnation), Primer and Top Coat Paint in order. Correct product selection and application are very important in wood painting. The negative effects of application errors and inappropriate product selection will not be evident immediately after application but rather at later stages or during renovations. For this reason, when making a selection, it is important to consult with experts on the subject and choose the correct paint or varnish that will meet the expectations of the usage location.