Whether solid wood or plywood made from poplar or birch, wood in a camper is beneficial. It can be wonderfully protected with oils & lacquers. The prerequisite: They should be environmentally friendly and healthy for indoor living, and should not pollute the indoor air. Here are some tips & pointers on what to look out for. 

Article contents:

• Introduction to the topic – indoor air humidity in a campervan
• Emissions in a camper – what should you look out for?
• Treating solid wood & plywood in a camper
• Oiling surfaces – brief instructions
• What influence do temperatures have?
• Risk of spontaneous combustion of oils – what does this mean?
• Which product is right for my project?

Fitting out the interior of a campervan to be suitable for travel and durable is a technically demanding project. The right insulation is essential for getting later condensation problems at thermal bridges under control. Wet clothing, water vapor from cooking and, last but not least, the moisture we perspire – all of this leads to very high humidity in just a few square meters. And wherever surfaces are unusually cold, this moisture will condense out of the indoor air and drip off as condensation. Windows are particularly critical, as are uninsulated or poorly insulated metal surfaces. To prevent mold from forming on insufficiently ventilated built-ins, a great deal must be taken into account during construction.

First things first: High humidity in a camper cannot be solved with a surface coating - but it is still important. Highly closed-pore wood coatings applied on one side would inevitably be penetrated by moisture, turn milky and eventually even peel off. Therefore, more vapor-permeable surface protection systems are generally the better choice for wooden camper interiors & furniture. Modern water-based lacquers, but especially natural oils & waxes, are “open to diffusion” and have a clear advantage over conventional solvent-based lacquers. Whether you choose a lacquer or oil is more a matter of personal belief at this point, and naturally also a matter of personal taste.

EMISSIONS IN A CAMPER – WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK OUT FOR?

The issue of emissions is important in a camper. Life takes place here in a very confined space. And if the vehicle is not used as a daily driver, it may also remain parked for long periods, during which there is usually insufficient air circulation. Therefore, surface coatings should also meet high indoor air quality standards. Our lacquers & oils have been tested for indoor air quality and consistently meet the strict DiBT requirements from Germany and/or the baubook specifications applicable to ecological construction in Austria.

Harmful emissions must be strictly distinguished from the characteristic smell of oil. This typical odor develops during the oxidative drying of the oil and can dissipate only through intensive ventilation during the first few days after oiling. Put simply, it is comparable to the smell of garlic: It is initially unpleasant, but by no means harmful to health. Nevertheless, everyone should take this issue into account when selecting a product. 

All other selection criteria are no different from those that apply to furniture: What should the appearance be like? Like raw wood, colorful or more natural? Or in terms of feel: Should the wood remain perceptible or feel smooth and waxy? And last but not least, what needs to be protected: decorative cladding elements and fronts, or perhaps the worktop on which you work and cook.

The following table provides a good overview of our recommendations.  

TREATING SOLID WOOD & PLYWOOD IN A CAMPER VAN

Before we give you more tips, one thing up front: In addition to oil, you can also use lacquers to protect your camping boxes, furniture or wooden interior cladding. The choice of method is always a matter of taste. If you want to conceal the grain of the wood panel, it is best to use a film-forming color lacquer. If the wood's natural structure should remain visible, oils that protect the wood from within are a good choice. Depending on the wood's density and absorbency, more or less oil is required, with plywood being comparatively thirsty. Most wood and wood-based materials in campers are oiled and offer advantages, not least because they are easy to repair. That is why this blog is somewhat “oil-heavy”:

OILING SURFACES - BRIEF INSTRUCTIONS & TIPS

Whether it is new, untreated solid wood or plywood, the surface must be dry, clean, sound and free of release agents. Flaking coatings must be removed completely so that the oil can penetrate. The wood should be sanded progressively – we recommend a final sanding with grit 180.

Applying wood oils is quite simple. Apply the oil evenly in a thin coat in the direction of the grain using a brush, roller or cloth. After a short penetration time, remove and polish off excess oil that has not penetrated the wood. The most common mistake is failing to wipe off the excess or doing so too late. This can result in a sticky surface.

Depending on the type of oil and its application, one or two coats of oil are often sufficient. If you apply a second coat, the first coat should already have dried for several hours. In addition, intermediate sanding before the second coat is not necessary. The exception here is the water-based raw wood effect oil “Scandic-Oil”.

The oil generally takes several days to cure completely in the wood. During this time, the freshly oiled surface should be treated gently, protected from water and not cleaned with moisture. Good ventilation and daylight promote rapid curing - and the weather must also be right.

WHAT INFLUENCE DOES TEMPERATURE HAVE?

If you are currently planning to treat the wooden surfaces in your camper van, please also take the weather into account. Temperature has a significant influence on the drying of lacquer or oil. If it is too humid or too cold, drying is delayed in the best-case scenario. If it is too hot, the coatings “set” too quickly. An oil might not even make it into the interior of the wood. So it is not a good idea to apply a coating in sauna-like temperatures or to sun-heated wood. In general, the ideal temperatures are between +15 and +25 degrees Celsius.

At night, it should also be warmer than +8 degrees Celsius. In early summer, nights can still be uncomfortably cold, which is often overlooked. This can have consequences: During the day, temperatures are in the double digits and are even higher inside the camper. The pores of the wood are wide open and highly absorbent, so the oil penetrates deeply. Perfect – that is how it should be! But at night, temperatures cool down considerably. In this case, the pores tend to contract. They then push the fresh oil back out, causing it to settle on the surface as “oil beads”.   

This phenomenon usually occurs during the first few days while the oil is drying oxidatively. But once the oil has fully cured, it will no longer leave the place where it was impregnated, even with major temperature fluctuations.  

Tip: Observe the freshly oiled surface and remove and polish off oil beads immediately.

RISK OF SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION WITH OILS – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Packaging for oxidatively drying wood oils always carries a warning about the risk of spontaneous combustion. First things first: The oil itself is not self-igniting. Rather, oil-soaked cloths or sponges can spontaneously ignite due to heat buildup. Naturally drying oils cure by absorbing oxygen from the air. This generates heat, which is normally released into the surroundings and is completely harmless. However, in oil-soaked and crumpled rags, cloths or sponges, the heat cannot escape, meaning that they can ignite under unfavorable conditions. You should therefore never leave oily cloths or rags lying around carelessly; instead, soak them in water, hang them up outdoors and allow them to dry. Treated this way, they can be disposed of safely after drying. Alternatively, oil-soaked rags and sponges can be sealed airtight in a glass container. Water-based lacquers or oils, incidentally, are not prone to “spontaneous combustion”.

WHICH PRODUCT IS RIGHT FOR MY PROJECT? 

If you want to buy an oil or lacquer, the selection may initially seem huge and overwhelming.

The following table. provides a good overview of our recommendations. You can find selected products in this flyer.