Osmo 420 finish on oak, can I lighten?

[Sunshine2025]

I had an oak porch installed 3 months ago and I love it, but I loved the shade of the oak way more before it was treated with Osmo 420 Matt clear oil. As it was a transparent oil, I thought the colour change would be slight but it significantly darkened the oak and gave it a pine tinge. I thought I’d get over it and was just grateful it would protect it but 3 months on, I still look at the pre oil pictures and wish I’d not had the oil added. The thought of sandpapering it lightly has cross my mind but I’m guessing that would be madness?! Any tips appreciated. The colour of the oak before was such a beautiful creamy colour.

 

[Sunshine2025]

 

[sugarpear1356]

I think light sanding could help mellow the tint, especially if it's just on the surface, but do a small patch test first! You might also look into products like Osmo's wood reviver or a lighter tint oil next time.

 

[d@rkr00m]

I had an oak porch installed 3 months ago and I love it, but I loved the shade of the oak way more before it was treated with Osmo 420 Matt clear oil. As it was a transparent oil, I thought the colour change would be slight but it significantly darkened the oak and gave it a pine tinge. I thought I'd get over it and was just grateful it would protect it but 3 months on, I still look at the pre oil pictures and wish I'd not had the oil added. The thought of sandpapering it lightly has cross my mind but I'm guessing that would be madness?! Any tips appreciated. The colour of the oak before was such a beautiful creamy colour.

I agree with @sugarpear1356 honestly, man, lightly sandpapering won't really help. The oil penetrates the wood, it's not just a surface film. To remove it effectively and get back to that "creamy" color, you'd need to fully sand the wood down through the oiled layers, which is a massive, dusty job on a whole porch

 

[w0odshap3r]

I had an oak porch installed 3 months ago and I love it, but I loved the shade of the oak way more before it was treated with Osmo 420 Matt clear oil. As it was a transparent oil, I thought the colour change would be slight but it significantly darkened the oak and gave it a pine tinge. I thought I'd get over it and was just grateful it would protect it but 3 months on, I still look at the pre oil pictures and wish I'd not had the oil added. The thought of sandpapering it lightly has cross my mind but I'm guessing that would be madness?! Any tips appreciated. The colour of the oak before was such a beautiful creamy colour.

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Unfortunately, any oil-based finish, even a clear one, will enrich the grain and give the wood a warmer tone. That's just what happens.
The ambering you're seeing is common and Osmo 420 is an excellent product for protecting your porch.
I'd have to advise you against sanding though.
It's a massive amount of work, and you'd have to remove every trace of the oil to get back to that original shade, which is nearly impossible.
More importantly, you'd be left with an unprotected porch that would quickly gray and check from the sun and rain.
Right now, the most practical advice I can give is to just embrace the new color.
It still looks good and your porch is protected from the elements!

 

[y0ng3r]

My man, let sun and weather lighten it over time, or if you can't live with it, strip it and use something like Osmo Raw (3044) which is designed to keep the untreated look