Color properties of tannin-treated wood

The color-changing effect of tannin, which is a sustainable and environmentally friendly material used in wood preservation, was studied on varnished and un-varnished wood samples. For this purpose, walnut tannin was applied on samples prepared from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and walnut (Juglans regia L.) wood in accordance with ISO 3129 (2019) standard with a brush, and then samples were coated with polyurethane varnish and water-based varnish according to ASTM D3023-98 (2017) principles. Color changes were determined according to ASTM D2244-21 (2021). The obtained data indicated that the highest value in the red color tone (a*) was observed in Scots pine+tannin+polyurethane varnish (PU) (14.4) and the lowest was in Scots pine+control+unvarnished (Uvr) (6.5). The highest value for the yellow color tone (b*) was observed in Scots pine+tannin+PU (34.1), the lowest was in walnut+control+Uvr (14.4), and the highest color lightness value (L*) was obtained in Scots pine+control+Uvr (77.0), and the lowest was obtained in walnut+tannin+PU (18.9). The tannin application, which darkened the wood surface, increased the a* and b* values in both wood types while decreasing the color lightness values 60% to 70%. Tannin application caused a noticeable decrease in total color changes in Scots pine.