The paper deals with the properties of a beech wood surface treated by CO2 laser engraving. The studied concerns were the discoloration, changes to morphology assessed through roughness and waviness parameters, and surface wetting with standard liquids (water and diiodomethane), with the aim of determining the wood surface free energy. The results have confirmed that the studied properties of the beech wood surface varied significantly, which were affected by the laser beam power P and raster density n. With increasing P and n, the lightness L* (expressed in CIE L*a*b* color space) decreased significantly. We also observed significant variation in the color coordinates a* and b*. At 8% laser power, the roughness and waviness parameters measured parallel as well as perpendicular to the grain increased proportionally with the increasing raster density. However, 4% laser power was not associated with distinct changes. Increasing the raster density reduced beech wood surface wetting equally with water and with diiodomethane. This was reflected in the higher contact angle values. The wood surface exhibited higher hydrophobicity at 4% laser power. At this power, the increasing raster density was reflected in the decreasing surface free energy, due to its polar component decrease. At 8% laser power, the changes in surface free energy were very minor from the practical viewpoint. The results suggest a potential good adhesion between film-forming materials and wood. However, the gluing performance may be negatively affected by the high roughness attained at 8% laser power and at higher raster densities.

The work investigates the effects of CO2 laser parameters (laser power and raster density) on wood mass loss in oak wood and impacts on its morphology, chemical structure, and surface properties (colour and hydrophilicity). The energy amount supplied onto the wood surface with a laser beam under different combinations of the irradiation parameters was expressed through a single variable—total irradiation dose. The mass loss was confirmed as linear-dependent on the irradiation dose. With the mass reduction, the roughness was enhanced. The roughness parameters Ra and Rz increased linearly with the mass loss associated with the increasing irradiation dose. The FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) spectroscopy also detected chemical changes in the main wood components, influencing primarily the wood colour space. Conspicuous discolouration of the engraved wood surface was observed, occurring just at the minimum laser power and raster density. The additional increasing of laser parameters caused a novel colour compared to the original one. The detected dependence of wood discolouration on the total irradiation dose enables us to perform targeted discolouration of the oak wood. The engraved surfaces manifested significantly better wettability with standard liquids, both polar and non-polar, and higher surface energy values. This guarantees appropriate adhesion of film-forming materials to wood. Identification of the changes in wood surface structure and properties, induced by specific CO2 laser-treatments, is important for obtaining targeted discolouration of the wood surface as well as for the gluing or finishing of the surfaces treated in this way.