Expert: Greg Scholl - 2/28/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi Greg,
I bought a farm-style dining table with barn wood pine planks. The top was very bumpy so I had someone drum-sand it flat. Then I refinished it from completely unfinished, but am concerned that now it is sticky.

I used Watco Danish Oil in a medium walnut and LOVE the color. After three coats, though, I was unsatisfied with the finish. The color only soaked into the wood with no polished effect when dry. I used the Watco as directed. Then I applied Formby's Tung Oil finish as directed and am satisfied with the polish except the slight tackiness. It has only dried for 8 hours and is quite humid out. Does it need more time to cure or is this tackiness the permanent?

I have a poly-urethane spray but am afraid to use it. I want more of a rubbed-on natural finish. Do I have to strip and start again? If so, can I use mineral spirits and steel wool? Any suggestions?

ANSWER: Hi Courtney, yes, any oil finish will take days to cure, especially when it's humid. An oscillating fan can be placed on the piece to force the air movement around the top, and that will help dry it....typically, in the best of conditions, each coat will need 24hrs minimum before the application of the next. Unfortunately, because Pine , (especially OLD Pine) is SO soft, it will continue to soak up the oil finish for MANY coats, one reason why it may not be the best choice. I would have suggested you seek out WaterLox, which is a modified Tung oil/Varnish finish that excels in drying predictably and has better water resistance than Tung oil alone....hope that helps- post back if need be...you can get the WaterLox and apply a few coats over the Formby's, BUT only when the Formby's has cured well...maybe after a week or so...Oil finishes are among the easiest to apply, and offer pretty good protection, but there are drawbacks, one being that they take very long to dry and then cure....on the plus side, a new coat can be applied down the road to "freshen" the look and protection, after just a simple cleaning......regards- Greg

http://www.waterlox.com/desktopmodules/fathomecom/Catalog/ProductDetail.aspx?ct=

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks, Greg. I ended up letting it cure and love the oil finish. If it doesn't hold up I may consider the WaterLox. In the meantime, can you recommend a cleaning method for the oil finish? Thanks so much!

Answer
Just a damp rag followed by HAND DRYING EVERYTIME....should maintain it....you can clean it any time and just apply another coat pretty much anytime.....just be aware that it does eventually "build" to a varnish, film type finish, increasing the Gloss as the film thickens. It can also be waxed with Butchers wax or a furniture wax, but once you start waxing a large table top, you'll see that it needs maintenance, leading you to want to wax it again.....and again.....an....you get the idea.........an oil based polish like Guardsman, Weimans, Old English, etc.....one WITHOUT Wax or Silicones ( it will tout that on the label) is the best choice (for OCCASIONAL use)...and wiping these OFF is as important as applying evenly.ALL of these will make things SHNY...so if that's not something you want from your oil finish...don't use it. ANY spray on polish in a can will contaminate the surface for refinishing as well, so that needs to be cleaned off really well with mineral spirits or a prep wash before any additional coats are added. You can use the Waterlox right on top of what you've done as well.It's a modified Tung oil/varnish finish that offers much better water mark resistance and durability. (it can also get shiny with more than 5 coats or so.  Greg