Expert: Greg Scholl - 5/30/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have a houseful of Danish modern teak furniture. For years I have been using coconut scented teak oil that I have purchased at a boat store. They no longer carry this oil. I used the standard teak oil that they carry but the fumes have made me sick. The smell lingers in the house for days. I need to oil my furniture soon.  Do you know of any natural oils that would not have the smell of the one that I am using?
My furniture is anxiously waiting for a reply.,
Thank you
Linda

ANSWER:  Hi Linda, never knew they made 'scented' Teak oil....but even scented, it likely still had the same solvents in it as unscented. How often are you oiling this stuff...once or MAYBE twice a YEAR is all you should be doing.....I would also suggest using a "danish" oil not a 'Marine" Teak oil. Watco makes a line of Danish oil finishes, some with color in them as well. These should smell far less and offer similar protection. Also, I hope you're making sure to apply the oil, wait a few minutes, (not more than a few or it will start to get sticky), and the wipe it OFF completely, leaving only a very thin layer of finish. This will also limit the off gassing.Hope that helps- regards- Greg

http://www.woodcraft.com/search/search.aspx?query=watco+danish+oil&keyword=watco

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

QUESTION: Thank you for your help. I will look for the Watco - didn't realize that there was a difference in the oil. I do wipe off the excess and do the furniture once in the spring (after having the heat on indoors all winter) and then again in the fall before we turn the heat on.  

2nd Question: I have a piece that I inherited from my godmother and it is very dry. Absorbs the oil and still has a somewhat rough finish - never seems to have that nice oiled finish like the rest of my furniture. Should I sand this piece - will that help?

Answer
One of the tricks one can use on a piece like this is to 'wet sand' with the oil finish. If the piece is really rough, then it might need more than that, but you take some 400-600 grit wet/dry (black) sandpaper, and pour some Watco out on the surface and wet sand the surface with the oil, working with the grain in long overlapping strokes, in sections, and wiping off before the oil starts to get sticky. The Watco really has more Varnish solids in it and will therefore 'build' a little faster than other oil finishes, meaning it should work better on the rough piece if you try that method. It also gives it a little more water resistance to the finish. The other one I like a lot is Waterlox, a Modified Tung oil finish that's really the best, but doesn't come in colors. Read about it here:
http://www.waterlox.com/about/
It has the best water resistance, and is just as easy to use, and will give you a beautiful, "hand rubbed" oil finish without a lot of hassle....