Wood color modification with iron salts aqueous solutions: effect on wood grain contrast and surface roughness

Abstract Wood is a biosourced material with unique aesthetic features due to its anatomy and chemical composition. White oak wood surface color can be modified with the use of iron salts, which react with wood phenolic extractives, present as free molecules in wood porous structure. The impact of modifying wood surface color with iron salts on the final appearance of wood, including its color, grain contrast and surface roughness, was evaluated in this study. Results showed that following the application of iron (III) sulphate aqueous solutions on white oak wood surface, its roughness increased, which is due to grain raising after wetting of wood surface. The color modification of wood surface with iron (III) sulphate aqueous solutions was compared with a non-reactive water based blue stain. The contrast associated to wood grain that was expressed by the standard deviation of luminance values in wood images, also increased after application of the iron (III) sulphate aqueous solution on white oak wood surface. The comparison of contrast changes showed that wood samples stained with iron (III) sulphate on their curved surface had the highest increase in grain contrast compared to iron-stained wood showing the straight grain and to wood surfaces colored by a non-reactive water-based stain for both curved and straight grains.