How to paint Osmo – with sample photos

I have painted Washin water-based urethane varnish and Watco oil finishes, but there is one paint I hadn’t tryed – Osmo. The reason is simple. They are expensive! I paid to know why.

What is Osmo?

Osmo is wax. Once it is paint, it soaks in wood and gets hard. It does not only color but also protects wood from being scratched and water.

Osmo CansAfter I painted, I thought Osmo took both good sides of Watco and water-based urethane varnish. Watco can remain wood’s touch. Water-based urethane varnish can protect surface very well without maintenance.

Osmo is syrupy

Osmo is syrupy. I mixed just in case, the inside was not hard though. The temperature was 12 Celsius degrees. It smelled like shoe polish. I felt as if I were painting watery shoe polish!

Syrupy OsmoThe price of Osmo and Watco

I compared their price.

Paint Unit Price Ammount for one paint Price per 100ml Price per 1m2
Washin Water-based urethane varnish 130ml JPY 1000 (USD 10) 2.8 m2 JPY 770 (USD 7.7) JPY 360 (USD 3.6)
Washin pour stain 130ml JPY 500 (USD 5) 2 to 3.5m2 JPY 500 (USD 5) JPY 143 to 250 (USD 1.4 to 2.5)
Osmo 375 ml JPY 4000 (USD 40) 7.5m2 JPY 1066 (USD 10.6) JPY 533 (USD 5.3)
Watco 200ml JPY 1000 (USD10) 3m2 JPY 500 (USD 5) JPY 333 (USD 3.3)

I don’t think this comparison concludes anything because the characteristics like touch and color are different.

How to paint

The label says “Paint once to complete.” I dug into the manufacture’s website, and concluded from my tests that the steps should be the following.

  1. File surface
  2. Paint Osmo with brush
  3. leave for 20 minutes
  4. Wipe Osmo
  5. Leave for 12 hours

For better result, I added extra steps.

  1. Paint Osmo Normal Clear (Not Extra Clear)
  2. Leave for 12 hours
  3. File surface

I tell the detail steps.

File surface

File wood’s surface well. I filed with 240 grit sandpaper when I painted Watco, but it was because I did wet sanding after that. Because Osmo needs only one paint, Filing is very important.

I recommend filing with 400 grit sandpaper in the end. See “The beginner is oil-finishing with Watco” for how to choose sandpaper and number.

Paint Osmo with brush

Osmo has to be painted with a brush.

Brush for oil paintI was painting with a rag first, but I found I made spots lately.

Paint with a brush. It is basic. (…) For furniture, if you rub well, you don’t need to wipe. (…) Use Osmo pads (or steel wool #000) to file for smooth result. – Osmo Color FAQ A01

There was another tip.

Use a brush (a brush is recommended) or Osmo hand brush (Doesn’t look like it is sold outside Japan). If you paint with a rag, the rag absorbs the paint itself so that the paint becomes thinner. – Osmo Color FAQ A19

There are much information at Osmo’s site. You should look at it before painting.

Wipe Osmo

The FAQ A01 says “if you rub well, you don’t need to wipe.” But I think we should wipe after paint because painting Osmo evenly is difficult.

Osmo is syrupy, and it doesn’t spread. I was first planning to paint only once, so I didn’t wipe after the paint. The result was… there were some spots of color and light reflection.

Leave for 12 hours

Osmo Color dries up in 12 hours. at 20 Celsius degrees. – Osmo Color FAQ A07

Paint Osmo Normal Clear

I painted Osmo normal clear to add durability after wiping.

File surface

After varnish dries up perfectly, file the wood with one of 400 to 1500 grit sandpaper. The word “wipe” is more precise. Wipe once or twice like as if you stroke. The touch becomes smooth immediately. Don’t wipe anymore or you will shave the paint.

Professionals file with 1500

I bought pieces of wood at a furniture factory. When I lighted up the pieces, they reflected like a mirror. Wow – this is pros’ work.
Professional-SandingThis piece should be filed with 1500 grit sandpaper Because when I filed with 2000 grit sandpaper, it reflected more, and when I filed with 1000 grit sandpaper, it reflected less.

I said “file the wood with one of 400 to 1500 grit sandpaper.” There is no answer to this. I feel touching wood on 400, while 1500 is really smooth.

Wood and color examples

I tested these combinations.

Wood / Paint 3101 Normal Clear 3164 Oak 3163 Walnut 3161 Ebony
SPF 1 8 15 22
White Lauan 2 9 16 23
Red Lauan 3 10 17 24
Oak 4 11 18 25
Birch 5 12 N/A N/A
Japanese Beech 6 13 20 27
Juglans 7 14 21 28

I checked the surface for 3 times: 2 to 3 hours after paint, 1 day later, and 1 week later. There were no differences on the color. (Smell and wetness were different.) The following pictures are taken before paint and 2 to 3 hours after paint.

The sample pictures were taken with these steps:

  1. File surface
  2. Paint Osmo with a rag
  3. leave for 2 to 3 hours

The steps are different from the ones I said before. I was wrong when I took pictures. Because I think the pictures should be enough good for your information, I uploaded my pictures. See pictures of White Lauan with Ebony and its comment.

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear

SPF

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Before Osmo 3101 Normal Clear After

The surface got to reflect.

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear ReflectionSoft wood absorbs paint unevenly. The reflecting part should be soft. See “Watco brings out the best of characteristic” in “The beginner is oil-finishing with Watco” for more.

White Lauan

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear White Lauan Before Osmo 3101 Normal Clear White Lauan After

Red Lauan

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Red Lauan Before Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Red Lauan After

Oak

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Oak Before Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Oak After

Birch

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Birch Before Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Birch After

Japanese Beech

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Japanese Beech Before Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Japanese Beech After

Juglans

Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Juglans Before Osmo 3101 Normal Clear Juglans After

 Osmo 3164 Oak

SPF

Osmo 3164 Oak SPF Before Osmo 3164 Oak SPF After

White Lauan

Osmo 3164 Oak White Lauan Before Osmo 3164 Oak White Lauan After

Red Lauan

Osmo 3164 Oak Red Lauan Before Osmo 3164 Oak Red Lauan After

Oak

Osmo 3164 Oak Oak Before Osmo 3164 Oak Oak After

Birch

Osmo 3164 Oak Birch Before Osmo 3164 Oak Birch After

Japanese Beech

Osmo 3164 Oak Japanese Beech Before Osmo 3164 Oak Japanese Beech After

Juglans

Osmo 3164 Oak Juglans Before Osmo 3164 Oak Juglans After

Osmo 3163 Walnut

SPF

Osmo 3163 Walnut SPF Before Osmo 3163 Walnut SPF After

White Lauan

Osmo 3163 Walnut White Lauan Before Osmo 3163 Walnut White Lauan After

Red Lauan

Osmo 3163 Walnut Red Lauan Before Osmo 3163 Walnut Red Lauan After

Oak

Osmo 3163 Walnut Oak Before Osmo 3163 Walnut Oak After

Birch is not available (Sorry, I used up birch.)

Japanese Beech

Osmo 3163 Walnut Japanese Beech Before Osmo 3163 Walnut Japanese Beech After

Juglans

Osmo 3163 Walnut Juglans Before Osmo 3163 Walnut Juglans After

Osmo 3161 Ebony

SPF

Osmo 3161 Ebony SPF Before Osmo 3161 Ebony SPF After

White Lauan

Osmo 3161 Ebony White Lauan Before Osmo 3161 Ebony White Lauan After

The painted one has bright part on the left and right edges. This is because I was painting with a rag first. Actually, other samples were also painted with a rag, but this one has worse result. Use a brush to avoid this problem.

Red Lauan

Osmo 3161 Ebony Red Lauan Before Osmo 3161 Ebony Red Lauan After

Oak

Osmo 3161 Ebony Oak Before Osmo 3161 Ebony Oak After

Birch is not available (Sorry, I used up birch.)

Japanese Beech

Osmo 3161 Ebony Japanese Beech Before Osmo 3161 Ebony Japanese Beech After

Juglans

Osmo 3161 Ebony Juglans Before Osmo 3161 Ebony Juglans After

There is a BIG scratch in the middle. It should be there before I painted, but can you see it? I can’t.

If you are interested in this post, check all posts of “Painting.” For example, I posted these articles.

  • Maintaining grayed wood deck
    This is a record about maintaining wood deck and what tool I needed. It took one and a half year because I tested the whole process.
  • The beginner is oil-finishing with Watco
    I found Watco by chance in the store. I thought the word “oil finish” sounds like craftsman-like, and something craftsman-like would make goods better, which was a lighthearted attitude.
  • A total beginner started to learn paintings for woodworking
    As I processed Raspberry Pi cases and dimmer, I thought using wood would be a good idea because wood can be bought easily at fewer prices. Also making furniture is one of my goals. This is why I started to learn paintings.

This post is also available in: Japanese

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