Thread: Odorless/Low-Odor Finishes?

Are you allowing it to cure fully? Once cured shouldn't have any scent.
If you're doing your finishing inside the dining room then, your only option might be mineral oil or no finish at all.

The complaints come during the time that I am applying the finish. Should I try using Paraffin oil or perhaps doing a mix of Linseed, paraffin and perhaps some lavender oil?

My thoughts at this stage are to experiment with some essential oils in the finish to mask the smell of the linseed oil.

It could also simply be that I am getting complaints because it is a new and unfamiliar smell to the other members of my household.

Last week they complained that the smell of the beeswax polish I used was an offensive odor. Seriously, I thought natural beeswax smelled nice - certainly nicer than the various scented sprays they're always chucking around the house.

There are modern finishes which have all but replaced what our grandfathers had for options.

MY favorite is MinWax Tung Oil Protective Finish. No, this is not straight Tung oil.
First coat seems to seal the surface, appears matte - satin in reflectance.
When there is no smell, (a week?) it's time for the second coat.
Do a gentle rub with XXX flat-stranded steel wool to cut off all the wicky-up bits of wood fiber,
Cuts like a million chisels and won't tear off the finish.
This usually goes almost satin. Stop there if you like it.

I go 4 coats on my wood carvings when I want a hard, water-wet, very glossy finish.
I buy my walking canes from a wood shop that does the very same, 50 canes at a time.

All of the low odor finishes I've come across are water based, so quite different from an oil or wax finish. Water based poly has a relatively mild smell that dissipates within an hour or two.

I stand to be corrected on this but I don't think you can have an oil based finish that doesn't have some kind of solvent stink. I think Osmo PolyX is probably the least stinky oil style finish I've used. But it's still got a pretty strong odor for a day or two. Maybe you could have an exhaust fan installed in your work area to vent the odor outdoors?

Originally Posted by hartleymartin

The complaints come during the time that I am applying the finish. Should I try using Paraffin oil or perhaps doing a mix of Linseed, paraffin and perhaps some lavender oil?

It could also simply be that I am getting complaints because it is a new and unfamiliar smell to the other members of my household.

Last week they complained that the smell of the beeswax polish I used was an offensive odor. Seriously, I thought natural beeswax smelled nice - certainly nicer than the various scented sprays they're always chucking around the house.

Hartley ?
are you finishing indoors or in the shed or garage?
what is the gender balance of the complainers?


finishing indoors will likely always result in complaints about the smell(s).

Originally Posted by hartleymartin

My thoughts at this stage are to experiment with some essential oils in the finish to mask the smell of the linseed oil.

That would end up being a very expensive finish! Plus masking the smell of linseed oil is going to be tough.

Another option is to ventilate the area away from those who complain and leave it on for a few hours after you've done your finishing.

The livos oil doesn't have much of a smell

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yeah you need to aim for a water based finish.

it just sounds like your trying to mask the smell, not the actual fumes/odour given off by the oil based finishes.


depending on what you making check out something like "odies finishes" smells like honey or something but provides a great finish

Funny thing. I got a fresh bottle of raw linseed oil and mixed it with mineral turps to refinish a wooden plane. No complaints about the smell! Perhaps my old bottle of Linseed Oil had started to go bad.