# HELP! Wood finishing advice for wedding



## adamt (16 May 2015)

Hi,

I'm getting married at the end of the month and need some advice on finishing a piece of wood we are going to put cheese/crackers on. I am a total novice when it comes to wood, so please excuse my ignorance. I think the wood is pine. It is a cross section of the tree with bark stil round the edge. It is about 3cm thick. I've used a plane to get it smooth and quite even. Now I need to finish it somehow. It'd be great to have something which is relatively durable and hard wearing, but also keeps the wood looking really natural. A high gloss finish is not what I'm after. Obviously it needs to be non-toxic, able to be done by an amateur and be ready by 30th May! I'm not even sure if this is possible. I can provide any extra info if you need. 

Thanks so much in anticipation!

Adam


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## lurker (16 May 2015)

You want some liquid paraffin
This is in no way like parafin oil !!
You can usually find it at places that sell stuff for horses as its used as a medicine
It used to be a common human medicine too

It's food safe and will give a semi Matt finish you might need to coat the wood a number of times over say a week
You can buy food safe finishes but when you read the ingredients you will see its most likely the same stuff but twice the price!


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## marcros (16 May 2015)

ikea also do it, which may be easier to locate.

it used to be available in old fashioned chemists, but i would struggle to find one now, and boots/lloyds dont sell it, at least in my local ones.

The good news is that the 30th is achievable!


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## adamt (16 May 2015)

Perfect. Thank you very much for the advice.


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## condeesteso (16 May 2015)

I would like to recommend tung oil. Readily available, wipe on, hardens very well and is food safe (I believe most oils are anyway). I get better results by thinning first coat about 2:1 with oil/turps. You can build as far as you like but a couple of coats will do it and be semi-matt, a few more coats builds a sheen. I used exactly that on an elm board for a big cheese board a while ago. It's quick to apply, dries far quicker than linseed etc, and finishes harder. And it's a traditional foodsafe finish (salad bowls etc).


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## lurker (16 May 2015)

condeesteso":6ngv18b5 said:


> I would like to recommend tung oil. Readily available, wipe on, hardens very well and is food safe (I believe most oils are anyway). I get better results by thinning first coat about 2:1 with oil/turps. You can build as far as you like but a couple of coats will do it and be semi-matt, a few more coats builds a sheen. I used exactly that on an elm board for a big cheese board a while ago. It's quick to apply, dries far quicker than linseed etc, and finishes harder. And it's a traditional foodsafe finish (salad bowls etc).



Could be dodgy if someone has a nut allergy


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## lurker (16 May 2015)

Can we talk you out of getting wed :lol: 
Or is it too late (hammer)


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## lurker (16 May 2015)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paraffin-Gold-L ... d+paraffin


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## adamt (16 May 2015)

lurker":qnc0lc2e said:


> Can we talk you out of getting wed :lol:
> Or is it too late (hammer)



Haha, well I've bought the wood now #-o 

I guess nothing had been 'sealed' though.

I'll stop with the jokes there!


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## adamt (16 May 2015)

lurker":271i9ikq said:


> condeesteso":271i9ikq said:
> 
> 
> > I would like to recommend tung oil. Readily available, wipe on, hardens very well and is food safe (I believe most oils are anyway). I get better results by thinning first coat about 2:1 with oil/turps. You can build as far as you like but a couple of coats will do it and be semi-matt, a few more coats builds a sheen. I used exactly that on an elm board for a big cheese board a while ago. It's quick to apply, dries far quicker than linseed etc, and finishes harder. And it's a traditional foodsafe finish (salad bowls etc).
> ...


 Yeah, and I've already had to make some huge concessions to accommodate several different allergies...or fads as I like to call them.


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## lurker (16 May 2015)

I generally consider these folks just attention seeking.

However quite recently I witnessed a bloke go into anaphylactic shock after eating something and I have changed my opinion a bit. Clearly without the epi pen he would have been a gonna


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## CHJ (16 May 2015)

As has been mentioned, Liquid Paraffin BP (British Pharmacopeia) is the safest.
Chestnuts Brand 'Food Safe Oil'is basically a light version that soaks in a little easier.
Ikea SKYDD is slightly thicker, takes a little longer to dry off.
Or your Local Pharmacy should have it. But this will probably be somewhat thicker in consistency and take longer to dry out.


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