At PP Møbler, we only use water-based glue, which today is as good as glue based on organic solvents when cabinet making.
For most tasks, we use ordinary one-component carpenter’s glues. For particularly demanding tasks, such as moulding, we use a water-based two-component glue, where a hardener is added before the glue is used. The glue is hardened by high-frequency sound waves.
Glue in itself cannot secure durability in the furniture. However, quality in the joints can. Mostly, it is not even necessary to use glue, which is made to give strength such as e.g. two-component glue. But a well executed joining glued with ordinary carpenter’s glue will in principle be even stronger than the wood itself.
PP Møbler’s preferred surface treatment for light wood species such as ash, beech, oak, or maple is soap. The finished piece of furniture is treated in a solution of white soap flakes and luke-warm water. When the surface dries up, it is sanded down with fine sandpaper, finishing of the treatment.
The white soap flakes is a natural product, which both in manufacturing and use has very few environmental disadvantages. The soap treatment applies the wood some grease, making the surface more resistant to dirt. After the treatment, the wood seems naked exactly as it did before the treatment, with a silky soft feeling to it.
PP Møbler only uses biological castor oil when oil treating the pieces. Light wood species are treated with white castor oil while darker species are treated with transparent oil unless otherwise specified by the customer.
As lacquer, castor oil enhances the wood’s colour, but the surface becomes dimmer. The oil thus preserves the natural surface of the wood.
Lacquer is usually chosen for furniture often subjected to dirt. Lacquering means that the wood is applied a thin plastic-like membrane, making it easy to clean. The disadvantage is that lacquered furniture covers up the looks of the wood material and it is difficult to renovate if it is damaged or bear marks of wear and tear.
We use water-based lacquer on light wood species such as ash and oak. This is of particular advantage to the environment compared to using acid-based lacquer. Water-based lacquer brings out the nuances of the wood, maintaining a very natural look.
Using acid-based lacquer on light wood species has a tendency to come out yellowish. This is an unfortunate feature, which only is getting worse over time.
On darker wood species such as mahogany, it is not possible to reach a satisfactory result using water-based lacquer. Therefore, we use the most environmentally desirable acid-based lacquer on the market.
After lacquering, each piece of furniture is also treated with oil.