I applied an oil finish to my deck and did not wipe off the excess. It has been about three weeks since the oil was applied and its still tacky. The wood was sanded and dry at the time the oil was applied but apparently not all the oil was absorbed. Is there some way to remove the excess?
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What oil finish did you apply? Waiting 3 weeks isn't going to help when it comes to removing the excess. Typically, there are instructions on the can for application proceedures. Applying more oil may interact with the existing and allow you to clean it up. Depending on what you used, a solvent, such as mineral spirits, (paint thinner) may help. Hopefully, you only have to deal with certain areas and not the entire deck. The manufacturer is the best source for info on their products.
Now is the time to call in all your favors--try mineral spirits, or even lacquer thinner with a maroon 3-M pad and hope that that works. If not, you may have to use chemical stripper to remove the "oil". That is messy, thankless task, especially since you are kicking yourself about getting into that situation when you know better. DAMHIKT. Depending on the size of deck, and the wood, a power washer may be helpful in removing stripper after it has lifted the finish. You may then have to sand a bit more,to ensure you have a surface that will accept a deck finish.
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