astrobaja - 9-17-2008 at 12:38 PM
Hi all,
We are getting close to having our vigas and tounge and grove boards finished. Originally we were going to go boiled linseed oil. But I came across
this stuff and have been reading up about on the web. its supposed to be better than linseed and last better. Anyone ever used it? We want to go as
low as toxicity in our house as possible.
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html
DENNIS - 9-17-2008 at 12:42 PM
Never used it but, here's some info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_oil
Cypress - 9-17-2008 at 01:09 PM
Tung oil is great! 
Toxicity? Don't drink or cook with it.
BajaSerg - 9-17-2008 at 04:31 PM
I’ve used it before I like working with it but you have to five it lots of coats and sand between coats it will last a life time…..good luck on your
project, post a picture after your done.
wiltonh - 9-17-2008 at 06:24 PM
We built a new house with oak cabinets and door/window moldings. All of it was finished with tung oil. We like it a lot.
It comes in a glossy or a matt finish. We used mostly the glossy but for some repair projects the matt finish works very well.
One of the things we like the most is the ability to repair a damaged surface. My wife spilled oven cleaner down the front of a oak drawer. It
turned the front of the drawer black. I sanded it down and put 3 or 4 coats of tung oil on it and you cannot see the damage at all.
Wilton
Crusoe - 9-18-2008 at 09:17 AM
Astro.....Tung oil is the basic ingredient used in making all sorts of marine types of spar varnish and has been for at least 50 years that I am aware
of. If you are concerned at all about any u.v. deterioriation or any outdoor use you can use any good brand of spar varnish ( at least 4-5 coats) and
it will match your inside tung oil finish. Good luck, its great stuff. ++C++
astrobaja - 9-18-2008 at 09:27 AM
Thanks for the input everyone, sounds good we will go with tung oil then. Do you think the brand I posted is a good one? They also have a citrus
solvent to use instead of turpentine, is this a nice non toxic, nicer to breathe alternative?
Johannes - 9-18-2008 at 09:59 AM
I used it on alll my kitchen cabinets and on our dining room. All was used on unfinished oak after some sanding. It is still great after 15 years.
Good choice
bajaandy - 9-20-2008 at 10:01 AM
One thing to keep in mind is that true tung oil is rather expensive and hard to come by. Most of what you see on the market is called "tung oil
finish", but it's really just a proprietary blend of resin based finishing oils, sometimes referred to as "danish oil". In the long run, you won't be
disappointed with either finish. The true tung oil will have slightly more drying time, and require more coats to archive any sort of depth to the
finish. I find that applying at least 4-5 coats of any good "danish" oil will give a good depth and provide good protection. An added bonus is the
ease of touch up if needed. As a last step, after all coats are completely dry, you might consider applying a final top coat of any good paste wax
using 0000 steel wool. Good luck.
[Edited on 9-20-2008 by bajaandy]
Martyman - 9-22-2008 at 08:30 AM
When I'm giving my cat a bath my tongue dries out after a good session. That's when I reach for a bottle of tung oil to keep me lubed up.
Keep it greazy so it goes down easy. It helps coughing up the furballs too.
oladulce - 9-23-2008 at 07:58 AM
Man, time's-a-flyin. This post was from 2 years ago and the garage doors still show no sign of needing a touch up. I liked this "Sikken's" wood
treatment so much that I've continued to use it on other exterior wood surfaces like palapa posts, and have also used it on interior wood doors.
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=16549&pag...
We used 2 coats on the garage doors and you could probably do just one coat on interiors. If you're looking for a wood-tone, it provides your color
and protection in one product and a little goes a long way.
I don't know if you're sticking with locally-available materials only Astrobaja (?). Luckily there was a Sikkens distributer near us in so. cal., and
we imported a couple of gallons in to BCS.
astrobaja - 9-30-2008 at 09:22 AM
oladulce
I know all about sikkens we had it on our log home in Canada for 15 years, it worked well at protecting the wood but I suspect it has high toxicity. I
would not use it again, since being out of our old house for almost a year now our small ailments have all but disappeared! With our new home we are
making a concerted effort to use non toxic materials. ie adobe, tung oil, and milk paint.
--cheers
Barry A. - 9-30-2008 at 09:46 AM
I hand rubbed my son's 50 year old "Danish Modern" coffee table with Tung Oil a couple of weeks ago (don't know what kind of wood). The table was
really banged up and dirty when I started. After cleaning it up with MURPHY'S OIL, I rubbed TUNG OIL on it with a small rag, and let dry. I then
polished it vigorously with a clean, lint-free rag. The results were spectacular, and I really liked the finished product.
Barry
astrobaja - 9-30-2008 at 10:38 AM
Hi Barry,
Yeah from what I read on the web it seems to be the product of choice for fine furniture makers and guitar builders. Seems good enough for me then!
--Mike