What is Osmo?
Osmo is a line of wood finishing products from Germany that are acclaimed for their ease of application and ability to enhance and protect wood from scuffing, dirt stains and liquids while retaining a natural look.
The products within the line typically are called “Hardwax oil” have a combination of an oil that nourishes the wood and a hard wax that acts as a protective barrier against wear and tear. Unlike polys, hardwax oils do not crack, flake, peel or blister and can be spot repaired and/or renewed with no sanding required. (One product, Oil Stain, is a pigmented oil without wax that can be used as a first coat to color the wood. Oil Stain should be topped by a hardwax oil product for full protection.)
Osmo Interior Products:
Polyx Oil, Top Oil, Oil Stain and Wood Wax Finish are all intended for interior use - flooring, countertops, tables, shelves and other interior joinery projects. Osmo also has exterior products, including UV Protection Oil, which offers sun protection for vertical surfaces such as doors and fences, and Decking Oil, intended for horizontal outdoor surfaces on which water can pool, like decks, garden beds and benches. Here’s an explanation of the differences between the interior lines:
Polyx Oil:
Polyx Oil is Osmo’s most popular product. Polyx was originally developed as a flooring product, but nowadays we sell Polyx mostly for interior joinery projects. Polyx is safe for humans, animals and plants and meets the European safety regulation for children‘s toys, EN 71.3.
Polyx Clear comes in three sheens: Matte 3031, Satin 3054 and 3043 (two varieties - more on this below) and Gloss 3011.
Polyx Raw 3051 is a product that incorporates a tiny amount of white pigment to offset the amberizing effect of oil on wood, so that light-colored wood stays light. 3051 replaces Neutral 3041, which Osmo discontinued. 3051 achieves the same light effect but with less white pigment.
Polyx Oil is also offered in two additional varieties that we do not routinely stock because of low demand: Pure 5125 and Sprayable 3078.
Top Oil:
Osmo Top Oil is very similar to optimized for use on countertops, tabletops, butcher blocks and the like. As noted above, Polyx meets European safety standards for children’s toys; Top Oil exceeds this standard and is certified for food contact safety. Top Oil comes in two Clear sheens, Clear Matte 3056 and Clear Satin 3045 and two pigmented versions: Neutral 3025, which has a bit of white pigment to keep light colored woods light (and offset the amberizing effect of oil over time) and Acacia 3026, which uses a small amount of black pigment to make the grain pop.
Wood Wax Finish:
Wood Wax Finish is a pigmented line with Transparent and Intensive options. The idea is that a Transparent will add color but not obscure the grain, whereas the Intensive will partially obscure the grain because its formula has more pigment. You can literally feel the difference in weight in the cans - the Intensive line weighs more. Some colors like White appear in both options but appear different in keeping with the differences in the lines. Apply a topcoat of Polyx or Top Oil after the base coats of Wood Wax Finish. Click on the link to the product for color swatches.
The Transparent colors are Clear #3101, Lightly Steamed Beech #3102, Light Oak #3103, White #3111, Granite Grey #3118, Silk Grey #3119, Pine #3123, Birch #3136, Cherry #3137, Mahogany #3138, Cognac #3143, Ebony #3161, Oak #3164, Walnut #3166, and Oak Antique #3168.
The Intensive Colors are White-Matte #3186, Grey Beige #3132, Black #3169, Silk #3172, Pebble #3181, Snow #3188, Flame Red #3104, Colza Yellow #3105, Gentian Blue #3125, and Mint Green #3131.
Oil Stain:
Like Wood Wax Finish, Oil Stain is pigmented, but Oil Stain has no wax and should be topped with Top Oil or Polyx for protection. Oil Stain acts like a Transparent finish after one coat, but second coats become increasingly grain-obscuring.
The Oil Stain colors are White 3501, Silver Gray 3512, Graphite 3514, Jatoba 3516, Light Grey 3518, Havanna 3541, Cognac 3543, Tabac 3564, and Black 3590. There is also a Neutral 3519 that has a bit of white pigment to keep light colored woods light (and offset the amberizing effect of oil over time). Click on the product link for color swatches.
