Untreated wood turns silver grey
Platowood’s wood is hydrothermally modified. This gives the wood a lifespan of at least 25 years and allows it to be used outdoors without finishing. This means no maintenance other than annual cleaning. Under the influence of sunlight, weather and wind, the wood weathers naturally. This weathering does not affect the durability of the wood, but gives it a silver-grey tint.
The grey shade of the wood may vary. When the wood gets wet from rain, it becomes darker. In a location with high particulate emissions, the shade will be permanently darker. And in sunlit locations, the wood will turn more silver-grey.
The duration of the ageing process is difficult to indicate, as the process of ageing depends on the amount of direct sunlight and other weather influences. In an open beach location, ageing will be complete in a few months, while in densely built-up or wooded locations, ageing may take several years.
Ageing in focus
For the community building Xaverianen in Bruges, POLO Architects chose untreated Platowood Fraké. Photos were taken on-site in December 2019. The building was completed in July 2020.
For the beach houses in Cadzand, MVSA Architects selected untreated Platowood Fraké. The houses were placed on the beach in March 2017, and by August 2017 they had already fully weathered.
