Thread: Finish on timber vanity countertop

G'day Doggity and welcome to the forums,

Tung oil is a good finish, but it needs to cure for about 4 weeks or so before it's total powers kick in. This is primarily the issue you have.
There is another product which may satisfy you're need for a waterproof and beautiful finish.That is Hard Burnishing Oil made by Organoil You sand the oil into the wood using a Random Orbital Sander and several sanding pads into the wood. You can see the method at http://damnfinefurniture .net.

The sanding aids in getting the oil into the timber, so that the curing time is reduced. Maybe 1 day up to week (depending on the grain of the wood and it's rate of absorption) is all that is required. Best to try it out this method on some scrap first to satisfy your suspicions.

Have a look at Finish on timber vanity countertop. In addition most furniture at DamnFineFurniture.net has also been finished with Hard Burnishing Oil.

If you like we can talk through the operation via this mail system or my via damnfinefurniture.net

Regards,

Rob

You can use Organoil Hard Burnishing Oil (HBO), which is Tung Oil with 11 secret herbs and spicesl It does not require 3-4 weeks to cure , as most oils (and Tung Oil) require. The method is at Damn Fine Furniture. In addition you can check the site for examples of furniture finished in HBO Or
you can contact me via this mail service and discuss it.

Please note I have no affiliation or position with Organoil. This is simply a product which I like and which gives me excellent results.

Welcome to the forum.

It will be impossible to sand the oil in with a stained finish to the top.
Regards Rod.

Thanks for the replies!

Rob I was actually intending on friction sealing the tung oil, using a technique that was very well described on another forum a few years back - by you!
But as Rod stated that wouldn't really work due to the stained finish (something that the wife decided on for me). I did a couple of tests sanding tung oil with stain or dye added but couldn't get a uniform colour.

You might be right about the drying time. I can't remember exactly when I oiled it but it might have only been 2-3 weeks before the water got on it.
It's been at least 5-6 weeks now, so hopefully I won't get any further problems.

If I did decide to give it an added layer of protection, are there any issues with applying waxes of poly finishes over tung oil?
What's the best product to use?

Cheers

I don't think so. I don't use plastics to cover the oil, but a quick check on a piece of wood coated with Tung Oil and allowed to dry will show you fairly quickly. In fact that is not true, I have used wipe on poly over Wattyl Scandinavian Oil with no problems, but I'm sure others here have more experience.
I still like Tung oil as a premium finish, but Hard Burnishing oil just brings more features to the work piece.

Regards,

Rob

I'll be doing a bathroom vanity soon and have just built a coffee table out of the same timber to test my finishes. I'll be using a matte water based poly, at least 5 coats sanded in between. The matt finish doesn't effect the colour or give it that fake plastic look you get from oil based poly, plus adds plenty of protection