Thread: I'm just asking...

Tung Oil is used for flooring finishes sometimes. Ask at you local hardware store and see what they have.

Search the forum or google for "tung oil".

Maybe a simple "Maloof" mix would be a bit more practical. Again just do a search.

Many so-called Danish oils have, as a base, tung oil, but most are mixed with poly-u today.

Finding pure tung oil can be done, but will be a small challenge, and am not sure if it's really worth it.

For many furniture projects I just use Cabots Danish oil or our host's Shellac - then uBeaut wax over either of these.

Plain Poly-U is the work of the devil, so don't use it

KIa ora Channa,

More years ago than I care to remember, when I was moonlighting as a school cleaner the travelling building supervisor told me to coat the school rooms cork tile floors with two coats of tung oil, but unless I wanted to keep the kids out for an extra long holiday while the tung oil dried, to add "terebine" (check spelling), a drying agent. As I remember, even with the terebine, drying took more than a couple of days for each coat. If you choose to go with tung oil, check out its drying time with your supplier.

The final surface achieved worked well, but I think tung oil is regarded as having been superceded at least for cork floors, by more modern compounds.

Best of luck with your project.

ROB NZ

Channa, as big Auld Bassoon pointed out most are mixed with poly these days (the Sam Maloof is a poly/oil mix) If by chance you can track down FWW August 2005 No178 PG 32 is a fantastic run down on wipe on finishes. Well worth a look

Thanks for all the info - will do a search and have a read around, (I did do a search on "Tongue" here - didn't get anything immediately appropriate). Might be back with a few more q's soon. The more you know, the more you know you don't know...

Originally Posted by channa

Thanks for all the info - will do a search and have a read around, (I did do a search on "Tongue" here - didn't get anything immediately appropriate). Might be back with a few more q's soon. The more you know, the more you know you don't know...

I will bet you got a number of replys that were inapropriate though

Originally Posted by Lignum

Channa, as big Auld Bassoon pointed out

Eh! What? How come the BIG all of a sudden

Originally Posted by Auld Bassoon

Eh! What? How come the BIG all of a sudden

Because you make BIG entertainment units

:d :d

Channa, you could use Organoil - Clear finish oil which contains geniune Tung Oil. This is available from Bunnings or most hardware / woodworking shops. It take about 24 hours to dry, I'm using it for the first time to see how it goes and I'm impressed so far. Smells like lemmons.

Hope this helps.......

Tung Oil is a labor intensive and high maintaince finish although quite a good looking result. I would go with the Poly as you mentioned. Think of the use or abuse it will take. Where is it to be used? Spilled night drinks? Kids room or Heirloom? Poly is easy to apply, easy to have good success, easy to maintain, durable finish.

A pox on Poly! As a rimuholic, (still have a heap that I brought with me) I recommend 'Briwax' danish oil. I suspect that this is a varnish based thing anyway, but the 'natural' finish of the timber is not lost. I did a heart rimu kitchen bench with it, and nothing worried the finish. Easy to repair too.

For your cabinets (nice job) why not try my other favourite - several coata of shellac, followed by wax. This woudl not be too good on teh top surface - this could be done with the Danish over shellac, then waxed with a dark paste wax - Briwax do one called 'antique Pine'. This kind of adds the effect like a dark glaze, and 'ages' the piece. Try out some options on scrap. The shellac really suits the rimu - adds warmth to it without hiding grain. A lot of the pro guys dealing with recycled rimu (think Willets) use sprayed on shellac, I reckon, followed by the dark wax.

Thanks TK

I took too long and SWMBO stepped in. Final word, hot coffee cups on the tops on Saturday mornings - she likes semi-gloss varnish, and breakfast in bed.

This is one in use.

Thanks to everyone else too.