SHRINK WRAP TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO WOOD
You may have heard about all the advantages of shrink-wrapping. However, what exactly is shrink-wrapping and is it something you should use to protect your unfinished wood products before finishing them with paint or sealer?
Osborne Wood Products offers shrink-wrapping for all of your items, so that you can be assured the wood will not crack/split until you are ready to finish them. Included in the shrink-wrap is a small silica gel pack that helps preserve the items within the shrink wrap in their original condition.
Shrink wrap is a plastic film that you can wrap around nearly any object, no matter what the size or shape. Heat is then applied to the surface, which causes the plastic to shrink. As it shrinks, it conforms to the shape of the object and seals itself.
When heat is applied to shrink wrap, it creates a very tight seal. This plastic seal then fully protects the shrink- wrapped contents. Once sealed, the items are no longer vulnerable to the damage that can be caused by dust, dirt or moisture.
This can be especially useful in protecting unfinished wood products from variations in moisture and temperature, which can cause wood to shrink and/or expand. Wood is a natural material that reacts to changes in its environment, and these changes can cause gaps, warping, cracking, splitting buckling and checking.
In the wintertime, dry air can dramatically affect unfinished wood, and can suck enough moisture from the wood to do permanent damage. In addition, moist air can cause wood to swell and expand and create an unattractive appearance. If your wood products are stored for even short periods of time in places with very high or very low moisture content, the legs can be damaged.
By putting a moisture barrier around unfinished wood, the moisture remains in the wood until the item is painted or sealed. When a wood product is painted/sealed on all of its surfaces, moisture and temperature variations are usually eliminated. Finishing also enhances the beauty of wood and protects it from rapid temperature / moisture variations
Shrink wrap is made from a very sturdy, durable plastic. It is difficult to tear or puncture. Unlike other materials, shrink wrap does not become brittle or weaken when it is in the sun or extreme cold. Once the shrink wrap has been heated and sealed over your objects, it will not loosen or sag.
As an added bonus, shrink wrap plastic is recyclable; when you’re finished with it, you can toss it in with your other plastic bags to be recycled and remade for future uses.
Producing a beautiful, finished wood product requires paying attention to details like shrink-wrapping, and will help you produce a masterpiece that can be handed down for generations.
