Oil for oak

[KelvinM]

Good morning. Just a quick ask for recommendations. I am handing some oak plank doors and I'm looking for oil recommendations. I usually use Danish oil but that changes the colour of the wood slightly. I'm looking for something that keeps as much as possible the silvery/grey colour.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Toby Newell]

Tung oil is the best you can get (v experienced French polisher here)

All other drying oils are inferior, but may dry faster.

I apply around 10 coats. I dilute the first 3 or 4 coats with 50% gum turpentine, you can use much cheaper white spirits if you wish.

The trick is wipe off after 5 mins, 10 mins and an hour.

Also make sure the surface is very clean and very smooth.

I would sand to P120 grit, very thoroughly. You can water wash with warm water then when dry go over lightly with a P180 grit.

You want the grain partially burnished but not totally closed over.

Never use wire wool to abrade, especially outside on oak unless you like blavk iron stains.

Instead use a P180 net abrasive, old P180 abradive and / or scotchbtlrite cloth of similar grit.

After water washing and final sanding you can apply a coat of transparent penetrative wood preservative for more protection against algae, moss and mildew.

You will really need to sand down the first few coats, the last few will only need the lightest of denibs.

I use Liberon but Mylands is trustworthy too.

Tung oil will allow your wood to breathe and silver, it just retards the process and reduces the speed of weathering. Recoat once or twice a year after a wash with warm, clean water and a light rub down with scotchbrite.

Danish / Teak / Decking oils are technically high oil content varnishes, called 'spar varnishes' (from coating ship mast spars) or 'long oil varnish' mismarketed as being true drying oils as many people have a sniffy attitude to oil varnish for some bizzare reason.

They are normally average to low quality consiting of weak linseed, soybean, sunflower and other cheap oils with non cobalt and non polyurethane siccatives. They are pretty much various shades of rubbish.

Some of the better ones may contain 5 or 10% tung oil.

Tung oil is one of the first known wood finishes and has been used by the Chinese (who were the architects of wood finishing) for over 3.000 years.

All my kitchen worktops I do and my self made furniture are finished with it.

PS: All finishes will darken the wood and increase the contrast, because, physics. Wipe a cloth over a dark grey blackboard and it goes deep black, same thing. Also all oils go yellow-orange over time, especially in the sun (like oil varnishes)

 

[KelvinM]

This is fantastic. Thank you for such a comprehensive reply.

 

[Toby Newell]

Pure tung oil is considered by many wood finishing master craftsmen to be the King of finishes. Only downside is the need to apply 10 to 20 coats and not the three everyone suggests.