"Fuming" wood (exposing wood to ammonia vapors) is a finishing technique that has been known for centuries. As the technique, which turns many woods dark, has gone in and out of fashon, the process has been enhanced and refined. Instead of leaving a piece of assembled furniture in a horse barn, where the horses' urine gave off ammonia, today lumber and veneer are fumed in large vacuum chambers; Instead of just the surface of the wood being colored, the color now goes all the way through.
Any wood containing tannin may be successfully fumed, with the concentration of tannin controlling the color. We most commonly think of oak as a fumed wood, but planewood, eucalyptus, sapele and many other woods produce beautiful fumed lumber and veneer. Many of the fumed veneers we carry are FSC® Certified.
For a datasheet on fumed veneers click here: To view an article on the chemistry of fuming woods click here.
