How do I finish this table?
February 22, 2010 9:49 PM   Subscribe

How do I properly finish my new dining room table?

I just bought this table. It is completely unfinished, and I want to ensure it holds up against water stains and general wear and tear, but I'm not particularly crazy about darkening it an insane amount.

The reviews at CB2 suggest tung oil and/or beeswax. What do each of these components do for wood? What specific beeswax finish should I look for?

Do I need to sand the table? What grit? How to start?

How do I begin the oil/waxing process? Just pour on rag and rub in? How do I ensure I'm applying it consistently?

Finally, does tung oil protect or just darken?

Someone on Flickr posted before and after photos, apparently with just a beeswax treatment.

I'm fine with that amount of darkening, but I definitely don't want to stain the wood or get it too much darker than that. I just want to seal it and protect it.

I'll be laying down a plastic drop cloth. What other equipment and instructions do you have for me to make this as idiot proof as possible? How many coats, what tools to apply with, etc?

Thanks!
posted by disillusioned to Home & Garden (10 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Are you using pure tung oil or polymerized tung oil? Do you, or anyone in your family/friends/social circle have a nut allergy?

We use linseed oil on our handmade timber furniture mixed about 60/40 with turps. We just brush it on with a brush, or a piece of foam tied to a stick. Then wipe over with a piece of rag to remove the excess and catch the missing bits. Occassioanally we will do a second coat later that day if the weather has been very hot and dry, and the timber is very old. Then, sometimes, we rub it over with beeswax using an old rag for a silky looking finish but not always. Depends on our whim.

Linseed makes the timber darker than tung, but how much darker it will all depend on the timber type itself.

When making kitchen benches, cutting boards etc for clients we often suggest that they give the timber a rub over with olive or safflower oil when the timber looks a little dry rather than linseed. This will ensure the timber is food suitable.

No need to 'roughen up' the timber with sandpaper if it has been sanded to a smooth finish. The oil soaks in rather than adheres to the surface like paints, lacquers and varnishes.

Depending on the climate, amount of sun, heat etc the table will experience, you will want to reapply the oil every so often (once a quarter, once a year, whatever). It shouldn't take too long.

Tools: cheap paint brush, rags, container to hold oil mix, cover for floor, gloves if you want.
Quantity: a table top that size will take maybe 120mls (4oz) max of oil in one application. Maybe much less. Don't buy a big container of oil.
posted by Kerasia at 10:30 PM on February 22, 2010 [1 favorite]


I would turn the table upside down and apply whatever you are going to use to the bottom first in a 6 inch square. That way you will know if it is making the wood too dark, too light or just right. Let it sit for a day or two and rub it out to see how it looks.
posted by Old Geezer at 10:39 PM on February 22, 2010


I would say you absolutely should not use tung oil.

It is notorious as a skin sensitizer among woodworkers.

I got a finish I was pretty happy with by grating a block of beeswax onto a raw wood table with an old cheese grater, melting and spreading it out with an old clothes iron I bought at a thrift store, and then using a heat gun and a cloth to get it to soak in as much as possible and wipe off the excess.

A hair dryer might have worked, but they blow much harder than a heat gun on the high setting.
posted by jamjam at 10:52 PM on February 22, 2010


I know you spent a lot of money on this table and you want it to last a long time.

First, sand the table to desired smoothness- 180 to 220 grit sandpaper is usually sufficient for wood. Then, what you need to do is go to the grocery store or pharmacy and buy yourself a bottle of mineral oil. They keep it in the "injury aisle" near the ace bandages and the epsom salt. Mineral oil has been traditionally marketed as a laxative, but it is great for waterproofing wood and leather. Mineral oil is petroleum based so it won't yellow like wax, and it won't go rancid like vegetable oils or animal fats. Plus it is far cheaper than tung oil, linseed oil, or mink oil.

Application is easy. Pour generously and wipe in with a cotton rag. The wood will soak it up to it's saturation point. If there is any excess, it can be wiped off with a dry rag. Wait a day or two and apply a second coat. The color of the finish will be a hair darker than the raw wood.
posted by at the crossroads at 11:03 PM on February 22, 2010


Wax protects against hardly anything at all. It will make spilled liquids bead up on the surface briefly so that you have time to wipe them off, but that's about it. You will have to reapply periodically.

Some types of "oil" finish can provide a fair bit of protection if you apply enough coats to build a glossy film on the surface of the wood. Most "Tung oil" finishes are actually thinned varnishes, and some contain no tung oil whatsoever. This is because real, pure tung oil is expensive, very slow to dry and requires many coats to provide significant protection, whereas thinned varnishes cure faster and can build a protective film much more quickly.

When you're done with this, don't imagine that you've made your table bulletproof. Compared to modern industrial finishes, the products you're considering are all quite delicate. If you want the table to remain in nice shape, treat it gently. Use coasters for cold drinks, and maybe place mats.
posted by jon1270 at 5:10 AM on February 23, 2010


I stripped and refinished furniture for 15 years. If the wood is not bare, you first need to strip it with furniture stripper to get it clean. You can email me for directions, if you want.
If it is bare and ready to refinish, I recommend sanding with 120 to 180 grit paper and then apply natural "Watco Danish Oil" with a brush. Follow the directions on the can. You'll need at least 3 coats. On the 1st coat, while it is still wet, sand your table with 220 grit wet/dry paper, dipping the sandpaper frequently into the Danish oil itself. Again, you can email me for more specifics if you want. Watco claims their oil penetrates deep into the wood and hardens it. It doesn't sit on top of the wood. If you can't find this oil at a local store, you can order it online here. After 15 years of using this product and many others, I believe it is the best. As for the possibility of it darkening the wood, if you put a little water on the bare wood, that is the color it will be after you use the natural Danish Oil.
Just my $.02.
posted by luvmywife at 6:25 AM on February 23, 2010


I'm also a big fan of Watco Danish oil. I have used it on furniture and musical instruments and it has lasted well. See here for a fairly detailed description and do be aware that Watco-infused rags are the oily rags that they warn you about. Dispose of them properly (Watco recommends immersing them in water).
posted by plinth at 6:43 AM on February 23, 2010


I just used Danish oil on some pine countertops. Darkened only slightly, and is a pretty tough finish. Another recommended product that I'll probably try is Waterlox. I've used a mixture of boiled linseed oil & turpentine on woodwork; it gives a lovely finish, but takes some drying time, and a lot of coats. It has to be boiled linseed oil. Danish Oil and Waterlox are quite similar, but have something in them that makes them dry faster, so you can build up a few coats in a reasonable period of time.
posted by theora55 at 7:56 AM on February 23, 2010


Tried and True. Polymerized linseed oil. It's basically Watco minus the petroleum distillates (which help Watco dry faster).

Application is a snap. Rub it on, let it sit for an hour, rub it off. Two coats for a good enough finish, three and up for depth and lustre. Not a super hard finish like you might find on the table at the local sports pub, but durable enough. Dings and scratches mend easily with another coat, or just a bit more oil rubbed into the defect.

I've used the Varnish Oil (linseed oil + tree sap, more or less) on a number of projects, including this dining room table.

Oh. Tried and True finishes are completely foodsafe.
posted by notyou at 10:51 AM on February 23, 2010


Response by poster: Drying time isn't a concern as I have about a week before I move in, after the table arrives.

I'm concerned with protecting it but showing off its natural character and I don't want to darken too bad... just beeswax isn't sounding like the way to go, so maybe the tung oil on the back might work, or waterlox...
posted by disillusioned at 10:18 PM on February 23, 2010


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