# Whats the deal with Danish Oil?



## Random Orbital Bob (11 Nov 2016)

Is it suitable for an engineered solid oak kitchen worktop and if so how long would you let it dry/how many coats and how long dry time between coats? Would you denib between coats?

I also will likely at some time need to take an old finish off and sand back to bare wood. My approach would be to start with 120g with a random orbital and finish on 240 with a final finish along the grain by hand. Any reasons why this wouldn't work/be inadvisable?

The only reason I'm even asking is because it's for a good friend and I cant afford to make a single mistake. (The worktop is in situ and expensive). I'm second guessing myself in fact and over thinking all in one. But before I run the risk of ruining it I thought I'd bounce the plan off the forum.

Many thanks


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## Fitzroy (11 Nov 2016)

I have some oak worktops that had 3 coats before installation, dried a day between coats, then 2 more coats since installation, i did not denib. The finish looks great but where we stand the food recycling bin the area is covered in marks. I sanded this area back earlier in the year and re-coated 5 times, but the marks (prob water marks) are already appearing again. I have seen the advice "the saying goes once an hour for a day, once a day for a week, once a week for a month, then top up as required." Which seems ridiculous, but probably means I just need way more coats and needs continually topping up, but in my experience it really is not very hard wearing, luckily our wooden worktops are only in the utility room that doesn't see too much wet action.

F.


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## Beau (11 Nov 2016)

Hi Bob

My experience is with Rustins DO It's not a bad finnish but I found Liberon finnishing oil more water resistant. If using the Danish it's dry when it's dry usually 24 hours but you can tell when you come to denib as if it's not dry the paper will clog very quickly but it does tend to clog a bit anyway. Best paper I found was silicone carbide but suspect Arbranet would work a treat if not wire wool. I would denib but it can vary from job to job as to how much is needed. Sanding wise I would go a bit finer than 120 on the RO before hand sanding as swirls may show through unless you do a lot of hand sanding with the grain. 180 at least IMO on the RO. 

Good luck

Fitroy. I think the description you give for oil application is for linseed oil not Danish


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## AndyT (11 Nov 2016)

I've used Danish oil quite a lot on things such as bookshelves and it's been fine for that.
I've also used it on small side tables which have hot coffee cups put on them and the occasional drip of red wine. I'd say it was ok for that if used carefully and mopped up immediately. 
However, over time it's proved to not be very tough or durable and has needed to be sanded back and redone. 

If I was finishing kitchen worktops or anything else likely to have water standing on it, I'd be looking at one of the specific oils sold by Osmo or Chestnut for the purpose. It's not a job I've done, but I've used 'hard wax oil' on a chair and it is really good.


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## custard (11 Nov 2016)

One thing to be careful about Bob is that Danish Oil is just a generic title that means very little, any manufacturer can put whatever they like in a tin and call it Danish Oil. There's quite a lot of variation between brands, plus there's no guarantee that a particular brand's formulation will remain constant over time.

Many big names are abandoning DO and moving to Osmo, often after pretty extensive testing that we're unlikely to reproduce. You still don't get much more insight into the ingredients but there's definitely some "secret sauce" that noticeably improves protection and longevity, the odour problem isn't eradicated but it's much reduced, and the track record and reputation of the Osmo company seems to offer some assurances regarding consistency.


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## Random Orbital Bob (11 Nov 2016)

custard":18wqaynw said:


> One thing to be careful about Bob is that Danish Oil is just a generic title that means very little, any manufacturer can put whatever they like in a tin and call it Danish Oil. There's quite a lot of variation between brands, plus there's no guarantee that a particular brand's formulation will remain constant over time.
> 
> Many big names are abandoning DO and moving to Osmo, often after pretty extensive testing that we're unlikely to reproduce. You still don't get much more insight into the ingredients but there's definitely some "secret sauce" that noticeably improves protection and longevity, the odour problem isn't eradicated but it's much reduced, and the track record and reputation of the Osmo company seems to offer some assurances regarding consistency.



Yes....I'm aware that various quantities of both/either/or Tung or Linseed find their way into the "Danish" recipes and that already had me a tad nervous. Beyond that though, my own experience echo's the inevitable stampede in the direction of Osmo. The folks in questions worktop is some years old, but not that many, had Danish originally and is now showing very marked water stains all round the sink. Other people even in this thread are reporting poor longevity of it's resistance, even with multiple coats.

So, I think I will recommend Osmo products.

On that front, does anyone know specifically, which Osmo Oil would be the appropriate choice?....again....it's an engineered oak kitchen worktop, circa 30-40mm thick. You know the sort, short bits of solid oak, glued together to form a monster solid block.


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## custard (11 Nov 2016)

Polyx!


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## AndyT (11 Nov 2016)

It's complicated isn't it?

On the Osmo website there's a subsection just about worktops

http://osmouk.com/sitechapter.cfm?chapt ... 6#Worktops

but even then there are several choices, all with a range of colours and sizes...

It does seem that Wood Protector followed by Top Oil is close to what you are seeking. (From their 'recommend a product' guidance.)


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## paulm (11 Nov 2016)

Agreed on the limitations of danish oil for worktops. I used it on a couple of beech worktops in the utility room, one by and around a butler sink, and it deteriorates quite quickly if any water around and needs frequent rubbing down and reapplying but still never looks quite as good as originally.

Changed to osmo top oil I think it was, their formulation specifically for worktop use, it appears to be a wax/oil formulation, and it's much better, lasts much longer and doesn't seem to mind water splashes so much, stays looking good longer, and reapplies quickly and easily. It is quite thick to apply so don't use too much initially, and it's expensive too, but much better than danish oil for this purpose.


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## sunnybob (11 Nov 2016)

you know what they say about doing jobs for friends.....

Presumably at the very least he is paying for ALL materials?
Very wise to think ahead.


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## JohnPW (11 Nov 2016)

Aren't there oils and varnishes especially designed for work tops? I suspect they would contain more resins which are more waterproof and harder wearing.


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## woodpig (11 Nov 2016)

I thought mineral oil was the most common oil reccomended for kitchen worktops?


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## ED65 (11 Nov 2016)

Random Orbital Bob":34gjbvb7 said:


> The folks in questions worktop is some years old, but not that many, had Danish originally and is now showing very marked water stains all round the sink. Other people even in this thread are reporting poor longevity of it's resistance, even with multiple coats.


Well to be fair to whatever version of Danish oil it was never intended for this purpose. As custard has touched on a few times in recent threads even straight varnish can struggle when you need a higher level of water resistance and no Danish oil is going to even touch straight varnish as far as that is concerned. 

FWIW you should account no significance to the use of tung oil in a mixture like this, because of the resin component (in the original varnish part) the tung will account for virtually no improvement in waterproofing given the typical applications we use.


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## ED65 (11 Nov 2016)

woodpig":1jdjac2c said:


> I thought mineral oil was the most common oil reccomended for kitchen worktops?


On American forums it certainly seems to be but it's actually a terrible way to finish wood. In fact it's not strictly a finish but more of a surface treatment, unless it's applied to proper butcherblock (end grain blocks) where it can soak in deeply.


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## sploo (13 Nov 2016)

IKEA sell a product called "Behandla"; which I use on our oak strip kitchen worktops: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/tool ... -50070378/

It seems to work well, and gives a soft sheen.


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## screwpainting (14 Nov 2016)

Hi Bob, I used Liberon finishing oil on my new oak tops about ten years ago, I have re touched them once and I have not found one stain anywhere. The area around the sink is as good as day one ( I just had a quick look) This was recommended to my by a mate of mine who is a worktop specialist of many years (Patterson worktops in Southend) 
I would have no hesitation in recommending this stuff to anyone, brilliant finish and easy to use.

Steve.


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## Beau (14 Nov 2016)

screwpainting":2ss68t8t said:


> Hi Bob, I used Liberon finishing oil on my new oak tops about ten years ago, I have re touched them once and I have not found one stain anywhere. The area around the sink is as good as day one ( I just had a quick look) This was recommended to my by a mate of mine who is a worktop specialist of many years (Patterson worktops in Southend)
> I would have no hesitation in recommending this stuff to anyone, brilliant finish and easy to use.
> 
> Steve.


Hooray I am not alone in thinking it's a great product


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## Random Orbital Bob (14 Nov 2016)

Thanks again for all the input chaps....some great advice in there and it will change my approach to this job


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## garethharvey (27 Nov 2016)

I use Rustins Danish Oil on my own wood work tops, we have Iroko, it works very well.


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## Phil Pascoe (27 Nov 2016)

I use http://tungoil.co.uk/shop/bestwood-danish-oil-5-litres/ and never had a problem, though I've not done a worktop. Liberon do not recommend Finishing Oil for extreme conditions and tell you to use Danish as the resin content is different and so it's more water resistant. My last wenge tops were done with PolyX - fine.


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## Woodmonkey (27 Nov 2016)

Fwiw I have used osmo polyx on two different kitchens including my current one which is as you say engineered oak and it's bomb proof


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## Random Orbital Bob (27 Nov 2016)

The owner of the kitchen I'm talking about has used Danish in the past and the stains round the sink area are absolutely horrible.

I'm gong to use one of the Osmo products (and likely the one they recommend for wooden worktops on account of it's additional water resistance properties).

The bottom line is no one has ever yet to my knowledge reported bad results for Osmo. The only downside appears to be the cost, whereas with all the other products the responses are mixed ie some good some bad. So there is a greater quality variation in all the choices except it seems for Osmo who do appear to be getting rave reviews.


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## MusicMan (27 Nov 2016)

Osmo and Fiddes hardware oils score similarly in reviews, Fiddes perhaps a little better. I have excellent experience with Fiddes.

Keith


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## Phil Pascoe (28 Nov 2016)

I have used Osmo and Fiddes - I find Osmo slightly better. I doubt in many cases they have been used for long enough for long term assessments (much as I like them). How many problems with staining around the sink are caused by inadequate waterproofing of the grain in the cutouts? If the water soaks into the end grain under the finish it can't really be blamed on the finish.


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## RogerP (28 Nov 2016)

I've tried them all at one time or another but the one I've more-or-less settled on is Chestnut's Hard Wax oil. Does the job for me.


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## Random Orbital Bob (28 Nov 2016)

I will also add that the Fiddes range also continually get good reviews (in my albeit anecdotal and not at all scientific poll). Not tried the Chestnut hard wax but I'm a big fan of their finishes and use 3 or 4 in turning so I rate the brand, just not heard much about this particular finish.


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## Knox-on-Wood (28 Nov 2016)

It is also best to dilute danish oil with 25% white spirit.


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## ED65 (28 Nov 2016)

That would really be down to a case-by-case basis woodknox, some Danish oil products are usually significantly diluted already (75% or more white spirit is not uncommon on consumer-level versions) so any further dilution will just slow build unnecessarily. 

If conditions are good there's nearly no benefit to diluting an oil or oily finish in the first place anyway, in warmer weather it's much better not to.


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