Envirostain Formulation Guide
TINTS/DYES + Binders + Water = Custom Stain Perfection
ELTINT products are micronized pigments that are only soluble in water and suitable water-based binding agents. ELDYEs are universal dye concentrates that are suitable in water or alcohol binding agents. The ELBXX and EL3XX binders provide a wide range of effects suitable for inclusion in a variety of water-based stains. They can be combined in a variety of mixes to obtain any look and effect achieved with wood stains. You can obtain high contrast stains with high vibrance and/or uniformity with a very wide range of shades and colour effects.
Recommended stain base formulations are included below in this guide and in our stain charts.
ELBSS has a medium dry time and enhances grain pickup in spray stain applications. It gives lower uniformity of colour than the wiping stains and is added to the ELBWS wiping stain binder to increase contrast and pore marking.
Please see our product preparation guide below for recommended starting formulations.
The Tints:
The ELTINT Series are concentrated solutions of micronized pigments suitable for the preparation of water-based stains and glazes (patinas) for wood finishing.
ELTINTs are not meant to be used on their own. They must be diluted and/or mixed with binders and water before their use, depending on their application and the desired effect.
| Product code | COLOUR | SOLIDS (%WT.) | DENSITY |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELTINT01 | White | 52 | 1.46 |
| ELTINT03 | Yellow | 36 | 1.06 |
| ELTINT04 | Blue | 23 | 1.03 |
| ELTINT06 | Black | 28 | 1.06 |
| ELTINT08 | Red | 39 | 1.06 |
The Dyes:
ELDYE Colourants
Very little matches the vibrance of a dye stain. Dyes penetrate and colour the wood fibres giving ‘life’ to the colour that is different than a pigment based stain. Many of our original stain colours are based entirely on dyes for this reason.
The Envirostain system of ELTINT (Micronized Pigments), ES3XX (Uniforming) and ELBXX Binders is further enhanced by compatibility with universal dyes, the ELDYE series. Recommended usage levels vary, but generally should remain below 3-5% by weight of the final formula.
These universal dyes are glycol based and have industry leading light-fastness for dyes.
| Product code | COLOUR | SOLIDS (%WT.) | DENSITY |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELDYE02 | Orange | 17 | 0.98 |
| ELDYE03 | Yellow | 25 | 1.02 |
| ELDYE04 | Blue | 12 | 1.00 |
| ELDYE05 | Brown | 26 | 1.10 |
| ELDYE06 | Black | 27 | 1.07 |
| ELDYE07 | Bordeaux | 23 | 1.07 |
| ELDYE08 | Red | 17 | 1.07 |
The Binders:
The Envirolak Binders for stains (ELBXX and EL3XX series) offer a diverse set of water-dilutable carriers, each with varying properties that can be mixed and matched to give you and your customers the ability to manipulate the stain to obtain the perfect look for any application.
| Product code | NAME | GRAIN ACCENT | DRYING | UNIFORMITY | SPRAY | WIPE | ROLL | DIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELBWS | Binder for Wiping Stain | Excellent | Very Slow | Good | ++ | +++ | ||
| ES301 | Uniforming White Wiping Stain Binder | Good | Slow | Excellent | ++ | +++ | ||
| ES325 | Uniforming Antique Walnut Wiping Stain Binder | Good | Slow | Excellent | ++ | +++ | ||
| ES375 | Uniforming Walnut Wiping Stain Binder | Good | Slow | Excellent | ++ | +++ | ||
| ELBSS | Binder for Spray Stain/Pore Marking | Excellent | Medium | Low | +++ | ++ | ||
| ELBDG | Binder for Dry Glaze | Low | Fast | NA | + | |||
| ELBRC | Binder for Roll Coat/Glaze Adhesion | Excellent | Fast | Good | + | +++ | ||
| ELBDS | Binder for Dipping Stain | Low | Medium | Medium | + | + | +++ |
Spray Stain:
Start with 10-15% ELBSS Binder, add up to 10% ELTINT Micronized Pigments, up to 5% of ELDYES Dye Concentrate can be added if desired to increase vibrancy. Add Water to bring the total mix to 100%. ELBDG Binder can substitue some of the ELBSS Binder for improved uniformity.
| Spray (no wipe %) | Maple, Walnut, Beech, Birch | Oak, Ash, Acacia | Pine, Fir, Poplar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 70-90 | 70-90 | 70-90 |
| ELBSS | 10-15 | 10-15 | 10-15 |
| ELBDG (optional) | Up to 5 | Up to 5 | Up to 5 |
| ELTINT | Up to 10 | Up to 10 | Up to 10 |
| ELDYE | Up to 5 | Up to 5 | Up to 5 |
Spray Stain (ready-to-use):
Start with 85-90% ELSSB100 Spray Stain Base, add up to 10% ELTINT Micronized Pigments, up to 5% of ELDYES Dye Concentrate can be added if desired to increase vibrancy.
| Spray (no wipe %) | Maple, Walnut, Beech, Birch | Oak, Ash, Acacia | Pine, Fir, Poplar |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELSSB100 | 85-90 | 85-90 | 80-85 |
| ELTINT | Up to 10 | Up to 10 | Up to 10 |
| ELDYE | Up to 5 | Up to 5 | Up to 5 |
Application is by spray, either cup gun, HVLP turbine, pressure pot or air-assisted airless spray. For air-assist spray we recommend 04 or 06 tips, 15 PSI air and a fluid pressure that gives you an even spray pattern without tails or spitting (this will vary depending on your pump size). You are better to apply lighter passes, building the colour to the desired darkness until you know how the stain will react with the substrate.
Time to Overcoat: 20 mins
Suitable Topcoats or Sealer: EL100xx, EL300xx, ELAC500xx, ELAC550xx, ELSEAL500
Spray and Wipe Stain:
Start with 20% ELBWS Binder and add up to 10% ELBSS Binder for addditional pore marking and contrast or up to 10% of ELBDG Binder to improve stain uniformity. Add up to 15% ELTINT Micronized Pigment, up to 5% ELDYE Dye Concentrate can be added if desired to increase vibrancy. Add water to bring the total mix balance to 100%
| Spray and Wipe % | Maple, Walnut, Beech, Birch | Oak, Ash, Acacia | Pine, Fir, Poplar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 55-60 | 60-65 | 50-55 |
| ELBWS | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| ELBSS OR ELBDG | Up to 10 | Up to 10 | Up to 10 |
| ELTINT | Up to 15 | Up to 15 | Up to 15 |
| ELDYE | Up to 5 | Up to 5 | Up to 5 |
Application is spray on wipe off or wipe on wipe off, either cup gun, HVLP turbine, pressure pot or air-assisted airless spray. Apply a wet coat in a single or double pass, covering the entire area to be stained. Remove excess stain with a clean, lint-free rag, giving a final wipe in the direction of the wood grain.
Time to Overcoat: 20 Mins
Suitable Topcoats or Sealer: EL100xx, EL300xx, ELAC500xx, ELAC550xx, ELSEAL500
Hand Wiped Stain:
Start with 25-30% ELBWS Binder and add up to 10% ELBSS Binder for addditional pore marking and contrast or up to 10% of ELBDG Binder to improve stain uniformity. Add up to 15% ELTINT Micronized Pigment, up to 5% ELDYE Dye Concentrate can be added to increase vibrancy. Add water to bring the total mix balance to 100%
| Hand Wipe % | Maple, Walnut, Beech, Birch | Oak, Ash, Acacia | Pine, Fir, Poplar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 55-60 | 50-55 | 60-65 |
| ELBWS | 25-30 | 25-30 | 25-30 |
| ELBSS OR ELBDG | Up to 10 | Up to 10 | Up to 10 |
| ELTINT | Up to 15 | Up to 15 | Up to 15 |
| ELDYE | Up to 5 | Up to 5 | Up to 5 |
This version of the stain is better for wipe on and wipe off as it provides longer open time. Wet your lint-free cloth with the stain and wipe it evenly in circles across the face of the piece to be stained. Keep the rag wet with stain while applying to minimize drag lines and lapping. Remove the stain with a clean cloth, giving a final wipe in the direction of the wood grain.
Time to Overcoat: 30 Mins
Suitable Topcoats or Sealer: EL100xx, EL300xx, ELAC500xx, ELAC550xx, ELSEAL500
Uniforming Stains
As we all know, wood is a natural substrate and can have colour variations even on the same piece of wood. These three pre-tinted stain binders are designed to give maximum colour consistency and uniformity when applied, even when working with different species of wood
ES301 – Envirostain 301 Uniforming White Binder
ES325 – Envirostain 325 Uniforming Antique Walnut Binder
ES375 – Envirostain 375 Uniforming Walnut Binder
We selected these three colours (white, medium brown and dark brown) to use on their own when diluted with water or to be tinted further with ELTINT and ELDYE colourants to match almost any stain colour while maintaining excellent colour uniformity.
Uniforming Stains: Start with 50% of ES301 or ES325 or ES375 Uniforming Binder, add 50% water and you have a ready-to-use uniforming stain.
| Spray & Wipe % | All SPECIES |
|---|---|
| ES301 or ES325 or ES375 | 50 |
| WATER | 50 |
Uniforming Stains: Start with 85-90% of the Ready to use Uniforming Stain made in table above, add up to 10% ELTINT Micronized pigment to reach the desired colour, up to 5% ELDYE Dye Concentrate can be added to increase vibrancy.
| Spray & Wipe % | All SPECIES |
|---|---|
| Ready to use Uniforming stain from above | 85-90 |
| ELTINT | Up to 10 |
| ELDYE | Up to 5 |
Application is spray-on/wipe-off or wipe-on/wipe-off, either cup gun, HVLP turbine, pressure pot or air-assisted airless spray. Apply a wet coat in a single or double pass, covering the entire area to be stained. Remove excess stain with a clean, lint-free rag, giving a final wipe in the direction of the wood grain.
Time to Overcoat: 20 Mins
Suitable Topcoats or Sealer: EL100xx, EL300xx, ELAC500xx, ELAC550xx, ELSEAL500
Dipping stain:
Start with 10-15% ELBDS Dipping Stain Binder, add up to 10% ELTINT Micronized Pigment, up to 5% ELDYE Dye Concentrate can be added to the pre mixed Binders to increase vibrancy. Add water to bring the total mix balance to 100% Any leftover stain will require using preserving additives for long term storage.
| Dipping % | All SPECIES |
|---|---|
| WATER | 75-80 |
| ELBDS | 10-15 |
| ELTINT | Up to 10 |
| ELDYE | Up to 5 |
Dip stains are very efficient in medium-large production settings with complex three dimensional products such as chairs and other furniture. A quantity of material is poured into a suitably sized vessel then the piece to be finished is “dipped” into the stain and removed to drip dry while it blends in, no wiping is required. Dip stains can also be poured over a piece depending on the geometry of your dip tank.
Time to Overcoat: 2 hours
Suitable Topcoats or Sealer: EL100xx, EL300xx, ELAC500xx, ELAC550xx, ELSEAL500, ELSEAL550
Dry Glaze from ELBDG Binder to be removed with scotch brite or sandpaper:
Start with 40% ELBDG Dry Glaze Binder, add up to 10% ELTINT Micronized Pigment, add water to bring the total mix balance to 100% To improve the adhesion of the glaze/patina to the base coat add ELBRC Binder for glaze adhesion. The more ELBRC you add, the tougher it will be to remove, but the better the glaze will adhere to the underlying finish. If you intend to leave heavy glaze lines, use more ELBRC (5%).
| Dry Glaze % | All SPECIES |
|---|---|
| WATER | 45-50 |
| ELBDG | 40 |
| ELBRC | Up to 5 |
| ELTINT | Up to 10 |
Dry Glaze Base from ELDGB100 to be removed with scotch brite or sandpaper:
Start with 90% ELDGB100 Dry Glaze Base, add up to 10% ELTINT Micronized Pigment.
| Dry Glaze % | All SPECIES |
|---|---|
| ELBDG | 90-95 |
| ELTINT | Up to 10 |
Dry Glaze (or patina) is used to highlight an existing stain or solid colour panel by accenting the profiled areas. Dry glaze is applied via spray; cup gun or HVLP are common, but larger production runs could use airless or air-assist pumps. Apply a medium coat, allow it to dry (30-60 minutes depending ambient conditions) and then remove by sanding or more commonly using Scotch Brite pads to leave the glaze in the profile.
Dry Time, Before scuffing off: 30-60 Mins
Time to Overcoat: 30-60 Mins
Suitable Topcoats: Depends on system used, but usually EL300xx or EL500xx over solid colours and EL100xx over itself in a stained system.
Wet Glaze (removed with a rag/brush):
Start with 20% ELBDG Dry Glaze Binder and add up to 5% ELBRC Binder for Glaze Adhesion, add up to 10% ELTINT Micronized Pigment, add water to bring the total mix balance to 100% Sand surface with 320 grit or marroon scotch brite prior to applying the wet glaze, use a rag or brush to remove the majority before it dries.
| Wet Glaze % | All SPECIES |
|---|---|
| WATER | 60-65 |
| ELBDG | 20 |
| ELBRC | Up to 5 |
| ELTINT | Up to 10 |
Wet glaze can be applied by spray or by hand-wiping and is then immediately removed by wiping with a rag or by brushing with a paint brush to give an antiquing effect.
Dry Time, Before wiping/brushing off: Immediately
Time to Overcoat: 2 hours
Suitable Topcoats: Depends on system used, but usually EL300xx or EL500xx over solid colours and EL100xx over itself in a stained system.
Rollcoat Machine:
Start with 40% ELBRC Binder for Glaze Adhesion/Roll coat, add up to 20% ELTINT Micronized Pigment, add water to bring the total mix balance to 100%
| Roller Coater % | All SPECIES |
|---|---|
| WATER | 40 |
| ELBRC | 40 |
| ELTINT | 20 |
Time to Overcoat: 2 hours
Suitable Topcoats: Depends on system used, but usually EL300xx or EL500xx over solid colours and EL100xx over itself in a stained system.
Roll by Hand:
Start with 10% ELBWS Wiping Stain Binder, add 25% ELBSS Spray Stain Binder and up to 20% ELTINT Micronized Pigment, add water to bring the total mix balance to 100%
| Hand Roller % | All SPECIES |
|---|---|
| WATER | 45 |
| ELBWS | 10 |
| ELBSS | 25 |
| ELTINT | 20 |
Time to Overcoat: 1 hour
Suitable Topcoats: Depends on system used, but usually EL300xx or EL500xx over solid colours and EL100xx over itself in a stained system.
Steps to Stain matching:
1) Get sample to match (dry or wet)
- What species of wood is it on?
- What topcoat is on it currently?
- What species are you matching it onto?
- How will it be applied?
- What coating is being applied on top? (Sealer/Topcoat)
2) Look for something close in our Stain Charts. This should be your starting point formula for the colourants, base may change depending on application.
3) Select and make the Base
- Based on your answers in 1) you can select the suggested starting formula for your stain base from species and application method
- Mix water and binders in suggested ratios
4) Add ELTINT and ELDYE products according to the formula from 2)
- Add the colourants in the prescribed ratio by weight
- Use the listed densities if you need to do this by volume
5) Check the colour using your substrate and application method
- Apply at least one coat of clear (sealer or topcoat) to see the appearance of the final colour
6) Adjust formula using colourants/base to desired final colour
- Repeating step 5) as required
7) Record your final formula for future use and reproduction
- If possible, store a standard, either wet or dry if this colour is likely to be manufactured again
Light Fastness:
Despite being produced for interior furnishing, ELTINT Series products have high light fastness.
| ELTINT01 White | ELTINT03 Yellow | ELTINT04 Blue | ELTINT06 Black | ELTINT 08 Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 6/7 | 8 | 8 | 6/7 |
Light fastness refers to the blue scale for wool, tests carried out on full colour shade (from 1 to 8 where 8 indicates the maximum light fastness).
COMPATIBILITY AND SOLUBILITY:
ELTINT Series are compatible with the most common painting systems used in the wood industry: in addition to having a high stability and solubility in water, they are highly compatible with diluent blends such as water/glycol ethers, water/alcohols, water/ketones.
Mixing with products other than water and binder should be done only rarely in unique situations (extra fast dry times, sap staining, etc.)
In the table below you will find the stability of diluted ELTINT pastes:
Where: ⬄ indicates stable solution; ⇩ indicates an unstable solution, with separation of phases that do not return homogeneous even after stirring.
