Smoked Oak — Glossary entry
Category: Glossary entry
Oak timber darkened to deep brown through ammonia fumigation.
Smoked oak is produced by fumigating oak timber with ammonia (sal ammoniac) in an airtight chamber. The ammonia reacts with the natural tannin in the oak to produce a deep, dark-brown to near-black colouration — entirely without chemical dyes. A distinction is made between chamber smoking (surface colouring, only a few millimetres deep) and core smoking (coloured throughout, so even scratches reveal no light layer). Smoked oak is more UV-stable than natural-coloured oak and resistant to pests.
Related terms
Related terms: Oak, Solid Wood Tread (Step Board), Hardwax Oil, Staining, Heartwood.