Another thread on finish for wood bench top

[ScottsGT]

About 2 years ago I built my bench with a butcher block top and red oak edging. My finish of choice then was BLO. We had a plumbing leak from above a few weeks back and today I discovered where the water was not dried up and allowed to air dry, it turned black. Even where my son placed soda cans and they condensated on the surface, a black ring was left.
After clearing off the bench, I have sanded all the black out, smoothed everything down and it’s ready for a new finish.
BLO is out after this experiment. I’m sure there is some BLO still on the surface, so I’m afraid if I use polyurethane I might have some sort of reaction between the two.
Tung oil? I prefer an oil finish vs painted.

 

[oldmachinenut]

I put Minwax tung oil finish on my butcher block bench and so far it has been great. It is actually s oil/wiping varnish type finish. I applied it in 6 coats.

 

[Voi]

I'm not a fan of polyurethane on benches but either oil based or waterborne poly can go over fully cured BLO.

If you're really worried about it you could put a couple of coats of de-waxed shellac over it.

 

[Don1357]

I second tung oil. Reapplying it years from now is just light sanding and soaking it again.

Warm the can up on boiling water, it will penetrate a wore lot better. The first application is not a coat but a soaking, keep pouring as much as it will drink. Wait 24 hours and wipe soothe coat. Repeat as many times as you like.

Always remember that a soaked crumple up rag can burst up in flames, let it get dry outside before putting it in the trash.

 

[yeldogt]

You discovered the linseed oil problem .... It's food for a type black mold. Without getting into the weeds .... the generic linseed oil found today is not same product as the highly refined of our grandfathers ... you can still get the old stuff (most is from Europe for really fine paints). There is one place in NY still making it ..... The common stuff ... is junk

In the old days a mixture with any linseed always included turpentine ... mold no like. If you are sure it's gone from your top ...fine .. but, you can always wipe on some bleach solution. That will kill it

On my true woodworking benches ... for hand tool work. I made the tops. They mostly stay unfinished as they get flattened with a hand plane. Don't want anything on them. Have other benches that just have a thin coat of shellac on them -- I use a lot of shellac.

Most good commercial BB tops have conversion varnish or the ones I buy are UV cured -- they are a bit slick .. Nice for a glue up table when new -- they get dented and scratched anyway. Did you buy the top or make it? ... commercial can be beach/ash/maple .. lots of things

Understand that the commercial "oil" finishes that you buy at the hardware store .. Like Tung Oil ... are really a Varnish. They are a blend ... when you see a BLO mix formula that includes these products ... you are just cutting them back ... thinning them out. When you see mostly BLO referenced -- it was always waxed. The wax sealed the BLO from the elements ... same with the varnish product in the tung oil blend .. They filmed over the BLO.

You can use any oil finish over what you have ... shellac will work as well. For years I always had Waterlox around the shop -- a thin coat of that was great on an old bench. I do a lot of old wood restoration ... so I always have Flood's Penetrol around -- it's sold as an additive .... But, it's really just a blend. It's a thin finish. I mix it with equal parts turpentine and apply before priming bare old wood. Often when I mix some up and have extra -- it gets brushed on an old top ... also good on masonite

My point with above .... Use what you have around based on the coating thickness you want. If you want a thick slick coat .. You could use a wiping poly ... but, you may want a brush version to get it thicker.

Also -- gloss is the strongest and can always be buffed down

 

[ScottsGT]

Ha! It looked just like mold as I was removing it. Might give it a bleach wipe down tonight too. I ordered some Milk Paints pure Tung oil off Amazon. I’ll be refinishing it this weekend.

 

[duneslider]

I have been using "danish" oil on my butcher blocks and have been pretty happy with it. Seems to create a pretty nice finish and holds up well but looks very natural. Danish oil I think it mostly tung oil with some other stuff mixed in, I don't think there is an actual standard formula for it but anyway I have been liking it quite a bit lately.

 

[yeldogt]

I have been using "danish" oil on my butcher blocks and have been pretty happy with it. Seems to create a pretty nice finish and holds up well but looks very natural. Danish oil I think it mostly tung oil with some other stuff mixed in, I don't think there is an actual standard formula for it but anyway I have been liking it quite a bit lately.

It's a meaningless term ..... it sounds good. charge more ..All the drying oils ... are a varnish ...another term with varied definition. It makes a film ...

Tung oil ... Danish oil ...

 

[orangeblood]

good info from yeldogt! thanks

 

[Don1357]

These are old terms and people use them to mean different things but to me while a varnish can contain drying oils, not all oil finishes are a varnish.

To me the term is not a paint type but a type of finish that creates a film that is transparent or transparent enough to allow the grain to be visible. Again, to me, Tung oil is a penetrating oil; you could build enough coats to "varnish" your piece, but just a few coats will penetrate the wood pores, both strengthening the wood while sealing it stopping stains.

I prefer not to varnish working surfaces as the film can scratch and even peel. I love penetrating oils because it can protect the wood while allowing for a deep worn wear with grace; nothing to peel, easy to retouch as needed with some steel wool and more oil.

 

[yeldogt]

These are old terms and people use them to mean different things but to me while a varnish can contain drying oils, not all oil finishes are a varnish.

To me the term is not a paint type but a type of finish that creates a film that is transparent or transparent enough to allow the grain to be visible. Again, to me, Tung oil is a penetrating oil; you could build enough coats to "varnish" your piece, but just a few coats will penetrate the wood pores, both strengthening the wood while sealing it stopping stains.

I prefer not to varnish working surfaces as the film can scratch and even peel. I love penetrating oils because it can protect the wood while allowing for a deep worn wear with grace; nothing to peel, easy to retouch as needed with some steel wool and more oil.

But ...pure tung would never dry ... one that "penetrates" .... just has more solvents. It's all marketing ... They are coating .... it depends on the solid content. Higher solids often require different drying agents ..

 

[mv213]

Wipe-on poly. It’s super easy, water resistant, and easy to touch up in case of damage. Probably not as tough as some of the other options but to me the advantages outweigh the negatives.

 

[ScottsGT]

I put the first coat on last night. Went on thick and heavy. Wiped it down and removed the excess after an hour. It soaked up a LOT of the oil. If it's dry enough tonight, I'll do application #2.

 

[number9]

You got an update OP? Just brought home a maple butcher block workbench top tonight and was planning to order the Milk Paint Pure Tung Oil.

 

[ScottsGT]

Yea, I went with the tung oil I ordered off Amazon. Only got two coats on it and had to put the bench back to work for repairing a queen size foot board for the grand daughter. Hopefully I’ll wrap that up this weekend and get a few more coats of tung applied. And went the directions say 48 hours dry time, that’s just a rough start. Takes about 3 days between coats.