Suggestions for finishes to compare

**FenceFurniture** · 7th June 2018, 08:40 PM

Following on from playing around with Osmo PolyX RAW oil, I thought I might do some comparisons with other finishes to see what different effects on colour, grain etc they might have. Also an assessment of red wine resistance.

There are any amount of finishes around, and obviously I'm not going to test them all, or even more than perhaps a dozen.

Choice of timber for the tests will also have to be considered. The problem is that for each different colour of density of timber, it introduces another ~12 tests to do, and another ~12 similar pieces of timber.

I have plenty of curly Blackbutt on hand so that would do for a blonde. I could resaw a 200x50mm board into 6 boards of reasonable thickness (~7mm) and that would yield 12 test surfaces of about 200x300mm each.

From memory I can manage the same with some Forest Red Gum, for a mid-red board. Or if I think I can spare it some She Oak because it would have a lot more figure than the FRG I have.

For something darker I'll have to have a look at the timber store, but I have Blackwood and Red Cedar certainly. Also Dillenia (Snakewood).

Finishes that I already have on hand:
Rustins Danish
Boiled Linseed Oil (probably cut the first coat 50% with Gum turps to get some deeper penetration)
Estapol Oil based PU (Satin)
Estapol as above, but diluted 50% with Gum Turps and 1 or 2 extra coats
Minwax Water based PU (Satin)
Livos Kunos Oil
Livos Countertop Oil
Home Made WOP (50% Estapol, 25% BLO, 25% Gum Turps)

Other finishes I would like to include:
Organoil HBO
Pure Tung Oil (I think Seeneys is pure?)
Home Made WOP but based on Tung Oil
Osmo PolyX Satin Oil
Ubeaut Aussie Oil
Minwax WOP (but is there any point seeings how it is no longer available here?)
Shellac? I may have to do a lot of practice with that to get a decent result....

There is one method that Glider has suggested for repelling any water based liquid: rub it over with Armorall, or any other silicon based polish. Not quite sure what would have to be done to re-coat the original finish if required though. I suppose a rub over with the suitable solvent (what would that be?) and sand it back.

So does anyone have any other suggestions on products (or otherwise)? Not looking for "this is the only stuff/method to use" responses because clearly I'll be using several.

I suppose I should say that this is not designed to be a scientific study, but rathermore subjective ("this looks good for certain timbers", "this doesn't repel red wine", "makes dark timber too dark" etc etc)

**Chesand** · 7th June 2018, 08:58 PM

I have just googled Minwax and an Australian website Minwax - Wood Projects are Simply Not Complete Without Minwax! comes up. It shows all the products and says that a store locator will be available soon. It is dated 2018.
Probably worth watching.

**FenceFurniture** · 7th June 2018, 09:17 PM

Goodo Tom. I'm sure that there will be plenty who will be happy about that. I use their Water based PolyU on my shed floor and a few other things, and it's really tough stuff. It can be difficult to apply without brushmarks in summer though - it literally dries while you look at it. I used to be able to get it at the local Home Hardware when they were owned by Woollies, but no more.

I made some fruit & vege boxes for my son a while back, and used the WB PolyU. I got a pretty nice finish by doing 2 coats, sanding with 500, and then another coat. It doesn't make the timber go very dark at all.

**qwertyu** · 7th June 2018, 09:31 PM

Would be cool to see differences between a bunch of hardwax oils: poly x (satin or matt), poly x raw, fiddles hard wax oil (matt, satin or silk) and rubio monocoat.

**Chesand** · 7th June 2018, 09:31 PM

I used the WOP on a Tasmanian Myrtle coffee table and TV table some 4 or 5 years ago with great results. Also used the Antique Oil on Silky Oak and would like to use it again some time.

**VikingCode** · 7th June 2018, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by qwertyu

Would be cool to see differences between a bunch of hardwax oils: poly x (satin or matt), poly x raw, fiddles hard wax oil (matt, satin or silk) and rubio monocoat.

Between PolyX Satin (3032) & Fiddes HWO Satin, there is minimal difference in vic ash/tas oak, maaaaaaaaaaybe slightly more reds brought out in blackwood for fiddes, but otherwise they look pretty identical, feel pretty similar, slight edge to Fiddes.

Fiddes drying time is shorter (and dries in cooler conditions), "full cure" time is a few days shorter, and cost (m^2) is lower. I'll be switching to it as my primary finish once I use up the can of PolyX I have.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q-1IYHbiCP9pFz-gxNSlQgwLly_C4ypQkJvlmWXzrGI/edit?usp=sharing

I'd try out monocoat, but its pretty pricey and a little more difficult to source (I can get PolyX within walking distance, thanks to MaxiPlywood, or Fiddes Australia is just a 25min drive)

**Specialized29er** · 8th June 2018, 07:45 AM

I'm a recent Danish Oil convert and just love the product.
I'm going to use the oil and everything internal.

Bench 2.jpg

**FenceFurniture** · 8th June 2018, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Specialized29er

I'm a recent Danish Oil convert and just love the product.

Which brand? They can vary quite considerably.

**FenceFurniture** · 8th June 2018, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by VikingCode

I'd try out monocoat, but its pretty pricey and a little more difficult to source (I can get PolyX within walking distance, thanks to MaxiPlywood, or Fiddes Australia is just a 25min drive)

Thanks for the spreadsheet.

By Monocoat, I take it you mean this product? In the 40 different colours there is a Natural and a Pure but they are very different, but it's kinda hard to know which one has no tints (if there is one). I'm not a fan of staining wood (why interfere when I have selected beautiful timber?) and never deliberately do it.

Jaysus *cough* at $99 for 350ml Pure or $125 for 350ml tinted I think it's pretty unlikely that I'm going to test that.....

**VikingCode** · 8th June 2018, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Thanks for the spreadsheet.
By Monocoat, I take it you mean this product?

Yup, Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2c (what a mouthful) is the "current" product. I think the older one was the same name, minus the 2c.

Jaysus *cough* at $99 for 350ml Pure or $125 for 350ml tinted I think it's pretty unlikely that I'm going to test that.....

The coverage on monocoat is really good - 30-50m^2... but the price is the killer. The 'buy in' is stupid high, but even being more reasonable and looking at the m^2, its

$9.43/m^2 vs $3.53/m^2 for Fiddes.
And Monocoat is 2part/requires catalysation, so it doesn't have a great (comparatively) shelf life.

I think it has some benefits in a commercial shop where you're doing larger volumes, but for the home gamer, there are plenty of much cheaper options that are much more readily available (I could only find monocoat in two online stores)

**burraboy** · 8th June 2018, 08:58 PM

What about Liberon Finishing Oil?

**FenceFurniture** · 8th June 2018, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by burraboy

What about Liberon Finishing Oil?

Have you used it?

**burraboy** · 9th June 2018, 02:34 AM

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Have you used it?

Have seen it used just recently by an antiques restorer. He said it was quite commonly used in that trade and it left quite a good finish on an oak table. I asked what he had used because of the distinctive smell, not at all pleasant to me, but fortunately had dissipated in 48hrs.

**themage21** · 13th June 2018, 05:33 PM

Are you just looking for indoor products?

**FenceFurniture** · 13th June 2018, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by themage21

Are you just looking for indoor products?

Pretty much. Outdoor products come in quantities too large to make testing viable (for me), and this is really all about finishing furniture etc.

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