EXOKAIRE^TM for Wood Surfaces

One of nature's greatest gifts to mankind is wood.  No other material has provided so much through the centuries.  Not only does it provide food, shelter, energy for warmth and cooking, clothing, tools and 10,000 other products, but it renews itself naturally.  Had we not been provided this wonderful resource, we would have been forced to invent it.  Trees take our waste carbon dioxide and provide the much needed oxygen our world requires for life.

In construction of dwellings, architects consider the use of wood for several reasons. Firstly, pound for pound, wood is stronger than steel.  Unlike steel, it is also resilient. Secondly, wood has more than 10 times the insulating capability of steel or aluminum and is five times more effective as an insulator than concrete or cinder block. Thirdly, the conversion cost of wood (in other words, the cost of manufacturing products from the raw material) is much less than for any other materials.  Also, the expenditure of energy for conversion is less when converting wood. All these factors are important to potential users who are making decisions on material selection. 

Technical aspects aside, wood is often chosen as a construction or decorative material because it gives the feeling of closeness to nature. It gives the irresistible warmth that is often lacking in today's modern cities. However, when we have decided on using wood, we realised that we need to give it some form of protection against the environment. That is when we have to cover the natural surface of the wood with lacquer or paint. All these are good, but it deprive the user to enjoy the natural appearance of wood.

EXOKAIRE^TM for wood is a nanotechnology product. It impregnates bare wood surfaces resulting in water and oil repellent properties. And since it is not a thick coating on the surface, the natural wood appearance remains. In addition, the coated wood surface can age over time, giving it the "antique" appearance.

A piece of wood is cleaned and dried.



A normal piece of wood when sprayed with water.
The wood will absorbed the water and surface is hydrophilic.



This piece of wood is dried and half covered with masking tape.



Immediately after coating, the wood just look wet.



The wood is left to dry naturally.



Upon drying, the masking tape is removed.



The treated side is very slightly darker in tone.



Water is sprayed onto the wood surface.
It can be clearly seen that the treated side becomes hydrophobic.



Water beads up nicely on the treated side.



When the wood is sloping, the water on the treated side beads up and rolls off.
Water on the untreated side is absorbed and stays on the surface.


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