Wooden furniture in a bathroom is exposed daily to various aggressions related to humidity: standing water, steam... Not all furniture reacts the same way to moisture. Their natural resistance depends on the type of wood chosen but also on the protection of the wooden furniture achieved with a finishing product.
Which type of wood for bathroom furniture?
There are different wood durability classes ranging from 1 to 5. These classes represent the resistance of wood to humidity:
- Class 1: wood must be exposed to a humidity rate below 20%.
- Class 2: wood can occasionally be exposed to a humidity rate above 20%.
- Class 3: wood can frequently be exposed to humidity levels above 20%.
- Class 4: in addition to being exposed to humidity above 20%, class 4 woods can also be in contact with fresh water.
- Class 5: these are the most durable woods. They can even be in contact with salt water.
For bathroom furniture, class 1 woods should be avoided. Classes 2 to 5 are suitable. Exotic woods (class 4 or 5) such as teak are particularly suitable for the protection of wood in a bathroom. Teak is highly recommended for under-sink wooden furniture, which is especially exposed to humidity and water splashes. Higher-class woods naturally resist humidity better, but they still need to be protected to keep your wooden furniture in good condition for as long as possible. To learn more, you can check out our article on protecting teak in a bathroom.
Waterproofing your wooden bathroom furniture to protect it
Why protect wooden furniture in a bathroom?
If the wood is not protected, water will cause damage such as stains or warping. To keep your wood in good condition, protecting wooden bathroom furniture is essential.
To prevent wood from warping due to water, the effective solution is to waterproof your wooden furniture to stop water from penetrating. Several protective products can provide a water-repellent barrier to your bathroom furniture.
Within the Anova Bois range, we recommend using varnishes for wooden furniture. These film-forming products create a thin protective film on the surface of the wood, making it resistant to external aggressions such as water and humidity.
Which varnish for wooden bathroom furniture?
For a humid room such as a bathroom, we recommend the VPT500 Worktop Varnish from our range, which provides enhanced protection against water to waterproof bathroom wood. If your furniture has imperfections, we recommend choosing a matte varnish, which hides flaws better than a glossy finish. The wood varnishes from Anova Bois offer protection for wooden bathroom furniture while maintaining the natural look of the wood.
It is important to take precautions depending on the type of wood in your bathroom:
- If your furniture is made of tannic woods (oak, chestnut) or exotic woods (teak, ipe…), applying any finishing product may cause tannins (chemical substances naturally present in some woods) to be released, resulting in yellow-black stains. To prevent this, it is recommended to use an Anti-Tannin Primer such as PAT400 Anti-Tannin Primer before applying a varnish.
- On all other types of wooden bathroom furniture, you can apply (before the wood varnish) a pore filler primer such as BP400 Pore Filler Primer to improve adhesion and reinforce the protection of wooden furniture against water and humidity.
To protect wooden furniture, bathroom wood varnishes are very easy-to-use products. They are applied in thin, even coats along the grain of the wood. You can consult the varnish instructions here.
