Interview with Brent Hull
"Paint That Lets Wood Breathe"
In this episode, Brent Hull talks with Michiel Brouns, founder of Brouns & Co and a historic-building specialist from the UK, to explore why linseed oil paint—a material used for centuries—is one of the most effective, durable, and misunderstood coatings available today.
Michiel, whose background includes historic building surveying and traditional glazing, explains that linseed oil paint has long been the go-to choice for maintaining timber in older buildings throughout Europe. However, in the U.S. (and even in the UK until recently) many builders, architects, and homeowners simply aren’t aware of what it is or why it works so well.
Brent and Michiel dig into the building science that makes linseed oil paint fundamentally different from modern acrylic, latex, and petrochemical-based paints.
Modern paints create a plastic film around timber — much like wrapping your house in a plastic bag. When moisture inevitably finds its way behind that film, it becomes trapped, leading to blistering, peeling, and, ultimately, wood rot.
By contrast, linseed oil paint doesn’t form a plastic shell. It penetrates into the wood, allowing moisture vapor to wick out, but preventing bulk water from getting in. Michiel compares it to Gore-Tex:
Rain (large droplets) stays out.
Moisture vapor (tiny droplets from within the wood) can escape.
This one-way drying mechanism is key to why historic buildings survived for hundreds — even thousands — of years without wood decay. Michiel notes that the modern concept of “wood rot” became common only in the last 40–50 years, coinciding with the rise of synthetic film-forming paints.
They discuss striking examples from historic architecture:
Medieval timber-framed buildings in the UK
Scandinavian stave churches are over 1,000 years old
A 1450s house with an early-1900s addition, Brent visited, whose timbers looked bare yet were still completely sound
The reason? Moisture was never trapped.
The conversation also challenges the modern mantra “get good wood.”
Michiel reveals that good wood alone isn’t enough:
Even the highest-quality timber will rot if it’s sealed under plastic.
The real problem isn’t the wood — it’s the paint.
Michiel explains that linseed oil paint must be applied in thin coats, allowing each layer to absorb and cure properly. Uneven sheen (matte + glossy patches) after the first two coats is normal and expected, showing where the wood is drawing in oil at different rates. With a final thin finishing coat, the surface evens out beautifully.
He recommends:
One primer coat
Two top coats
Natural-bristle brushes
“Laying off” the surface after 20–30 minutes to remove excess paint
Treating knots with knotting primer
When Brent asks whether a black, west-facing door will bubble or fail as it did under modern paint, Michiel explains the answer is almost always no — because linseed oil paint continues wicking moisture outward instead of trapping it inside.
They also discuss the ideal pairing of linseed oil putty for glazing, creating a fully compatible, flexible, breathable system — essential for long-lasting windows and millwork.
Linseed oil paint represents old-school building wisdom rediscovered — the kind of durable, breathable, sustainable practice that helps wood last for generations. Instead of plastic coatings and short-lived modern products, this is a way back to long-lasting doors, windows, and historic craftsmanship, guided by centuries of proven results.
