Finishing a walnut trestle dining table and definitely prefer the look and feel of an oil finish. Have used pure tung oil, tung oil blends and danish oil. Was wondering if anyone has experience with any of the “new” oil finishes like Rubio monocoat, Odie’s oil or another oil finish. Looking for a finish that has better resistance to water but doesn’t look like varnish.
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Replies
Pure tung oil has always been my go-to but it leaves a bit of a sheen so I finish with wax applied with a scotch-bright pad to scratch the surface. I do not like the smell while it cures.
I recently used Walrus Oil brand oil and wax on a cutting board and loved it. It’s a beeswax, coconut oil and mineral oil blend. The wax has the same ingredients, just more wax. Food safe and virtually no smell. Recommended for countertops so I see no reason one wouldn’t try it on a table. Good luck.
The « new » oil finishes are blends of linseed oil, mineral spirits and wax. What makes them user friendly and a little more durable than a pure oil is likely the wax . I suggest that before settling on one brand, you read the ingredients list, oil is sometimes a lesser ingredient.
Chris Schwarz tells how to make your own, in the attached recipe, with raw linseed oil, beeswax and limonene (orange solvent). I modified it by using hemp oil. I just purchased carnauba wax and plan to try it in a blend with beeswax. Carnauba is harder than beeswax and produces more shine. I've also experimented with dark tung oil.
Appreciate the responses. From what I have read these newer oil blends all have a "hard" wax component that judging by comments adds some extra protection over pure oils. I am going to have to pick one to try. Walrus, Rubio, Odie's or Osmo?
All of a sudden, wax is "extra protection?" We always had the ability to wax our projects, there was no need to put it in the finish. And wax is poor protection. It's fragile. It is easily renewed, which you will absolutely have to do. But if the op is looking for something with extra protection, wax isn't really it.
I use Osmo on pretty much everything.
The only issue is that it does not provide a particularly high degree of protection against water spills - fine if they are mopped up immediately, but will mark a surface if left.
This is a very tedious video but it explores several hardwax oils and their resistance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHEGIgtTlM0
Yes, these are flooring products, yes, they provide protection against most things, but they are not a thick film of polyurethane either. I've never used it on a dining table, though I know people do.
I don't bother with the 2 part version - just the Polyx oil.
For me, Osmo wins out because it is so easy - just a very thin coat rubbed well in with a white or grey scotchbrite pad, and buffed off. A second coat can build sheen if really needed, but it's generally surplus to requirements. It also looks great, smells great, feels well, great both during and after applications, and claims to be non-toxic. If it reveals pigtails or some other sin, just sand and reapply either when wet or after curing -it won't show.
Although a can is very expensive (about 3 times the price of water based poly), a little goes a very long way so it works out more or less the same price or possibly cheaper. I prefer the satin version - it's hard to tell the difference between that and matte, but the slightly gloopier product is easier to apply.
Nearly every question about finishing is addressed in Understanding Wood Finishing by Rob Flexner. He also addresses how to find the ingredients in new products. Because there are only so many oils, so many solvents, so many lacquers, many "new" products are more new marketing than new function. Flexner's book helps cut through the fog of marketing. It's fun in many cases to try a home brew. Orange solvent can be substituted for VOCs such as toluene or mineral spirits. Try various proportions of an oil, a wax or waxes, a water based poly and an orange solvent. The sky is the limit.
Heh, I was going to protest as this book is over 30 years old, but a quick check on amazoid I see the 3rd Edition was just published two years ago.
Time for me to upgrade my own copy!
Yep, the 3d edition is worth buying.
I agree with this sentiment. I totally agree that Rubio/Osmo are just well marketed oil and wax finishes, but I still use them. I like them bc 1) I am too lazy to mix my own and found that osmo gives really good results 2) it is very easy to make spot repairs which is important to me bc I don’t have a clean finishing area and my lighting is terrible so I often need to make spot repairs.
So if you’re looking for beautiful results with little thought grab a can of osmo satin or something like that. But like others have said it isn’t high protection, but easy repair that is the large benefit here. For higher protection and good control over sheen I am a fan of the 1/3 tung oil, 1/3 poly, 1/3 mineral spirits mix with a wax top coat.
The video compares leading brands of oils is great - in the category of product comparisons it stands out as an honest piece of “tradesmen journalism”. Most videos of its kind are influencer campaign driven or hipster entertainment, Marc Spagnuolo has solid insights that can help all but the most experienced among us. Hats off to him. And thanks to many here for their insights - I just learned a bunch more reading this thread. Thank you!
My go-to for walnut is one coat of Osmo 1101 then Lakeone Dark Oak wax. For me, it really comes out nice.
I use a number of products including Osmo. Used that recently for a Maple butcher block counter and was came out nice almost like no finish - but that is what I wanted. I used Minwax Antique Oil for first time on a Walnut picture frame and it came out really really nice. I got it because I knew it add some warmth to the Walnut... would use it again. Maybe try it out on some samples.
As someone noted, many oil finishes have no oil at all. Danish Oil and Minwax Antique Oil are wiping varnishes. Oil based varnish diluted with thinner -- no oil at all.
I'm not disparaging them, at all. If you like the look, they're very good and widely used finishes. They're just not oil.
absolutely true and so hard to convince people otherwise.
My go-to is Tried and True varnish and I mix in some spar varnish for extra protection. I get a wonderful hand rub rubbed finish with this method. Can’t take credit for it, it’s what Chris Becksvoort does. Best of luck.
That Walrus Oil blend sounds like a great alternative for finishing. Being food-safe and low on odor makes it an excellent choice for a dining table. Thanks for sharing this option!
Christian Becksvoort had a FWW oil talking about Tried and True oils. After having tried other oils out there, I have reached the same conclusion as Becksvoort. Tried and True is my go to oil finish if I am going to use an oil finish.
I love the polymerized Tung oil from Sutherland Welles. It comes with either a mineral spirit or botanical thinner, Matte, Satin and High gloss. You can just but the High Gloss and thin it to your desired finish. For the dining room table they also have an assortment of hard finishes to withstand daily living.
They may be a bit pricey, but you can call and Mary will tell you exactly what you need, and how to do it.