Pine tar

Pine tar: natural protection for wood and ropes

Pine tar, also known as Stockholm tar or pitch, is a natural protectant that was already in use during the Viking Age to caulk ships, by coating the wooden hulls to make them watertight, as well as to waterproof ropes and sail seams. Hence the names Swedish tar or Norwegian tar.

Even today, it is still used in the nautical world to protect the decks and hulls of wooden boats, but it has become especially widespread in gardens and homes as an eco-friendly and biodegradable alternative to many treatments.

This vegetable tar is a natural, sustainable, and easy-to-use product, obtained through the carbonization of pine, specifically by wood pyrolysis, a slow combustion process without oxygen.

From Norway to the Landes

Widely used in Scandinavian countries for centuries, pine tar is also frequently called Norwegian tar.

Over the centuries, due to international trade—notably via Holland, Sweden, and Denmark—as well as changing needs and manufacturing processes, the tar acquired many names such as tar, Stockholm pitch, pitch, or vegetable tar.

The presence of Pinus pinaster, the maritime pine, in the Gironde and Landes regions later allowed for the production in France of this natural oil used for wood protection. The natural pine tar we offer comes from the Landes.

Using pine tar

Being liquid, it is applied very easily and quickly to all outdoor wood in need of protection. It can be used for a garden shed, a deck, a door, or a window frame. Throughout the garden, you can also apply it to your fences and any wooden decorative elements.

It restores the wood's luster, revives and protects its colors, and imparts a "smoky" scent.

Treating wood with pine tar prevents it from blackening and rotting over time due to humidity. It also prevents drying out, as dry wood cracks and becomes permeable.

Historically, vegetable tar has other virtues and is also well known to arborists and livestock farmers, particularly for its antiseptic properties: it is often used to preserve horses' hooves or to protect wounds on trees.

Another advantage of pine tar is that it can be used, as the Vikings did in their time, to protect and waterproof a rope made of natural fiber: cotton, hemp, or jute rope. When coated this way, the rope will better withstand moisture and last longer for outdoor use. Useful for planting or around animals.

A 100% natural product

Guaranteed creosote-free (a highly toxic pollutant), harmless to the environment, and 100% biodegradable, this wood tar is eco-friendly and effectively protects any outdoor wood. It is an ideal replacement for more chemical treatments such as wood stain or autoclave pressure treatment.