I know that pure tung oil offers no UV protection, but if I apply it to exterior timber what does this mean in practice? Will it offer a level of water resistance to the timber, but the timber itself will still fade and or silver with exposure to the sun? What will happen to the oil itself after a year?
tung oil
- Thread starter marcros
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Kittyhawk
Established Member
I haven't used Tung oil but I have used boiled Linseed Oil which is pretty similar in performance and usage. It is a greatly underrated coating in terms of durability, water resistance and imparts a beautiful, deep sheen when applied correctly. I use it on my walking sticks and some of the external woodwork on my boat. And I have seen it used on sunny kitchen workbenches with great results. There are a couple of caveats to it though - it would be helpful to know on what you wish to use the Tung oil on, as in what density the timber is and the finish that the timber has.
Smooth planed or sanded = ok. Rough sawn = not suitable.
Smooth planed or sanded = ok. Rough sawn = not suitable.
gregmcateer
Established Member
I use teak oil on our garden table and chairs. (I THINK teak oil is linseed and tung mixture).
It gives a nice lustre, which does fade and silver over time. Our furniture is about 15 years old, I oil it every couple of years and we do cover it over winter if I get to it before rain at the end of summer (not always).
It's in brilliant condition.
It gives a nice lustre, which does fade and silver over time. Our furniture is about 15 years old, I oil it every couple of years and we do cover it over winter if I get to it before rain at the end of summer (not always).
It's in brilliant condition.
Kittyhawk
Established Member
Your wine barrel sounds a suitable candidate for a Tung oil/Linseed Oil finish. This is what I was told and is how I use Boiled Linseed oil. Firstly, this is not so important but it does help. Put the work piece in the sun to warm it up, apply the oil liberally and then move it into the shade. The cooling will cause the timber to suck the oil deeper into the pores. To apply the oil, use a brush, a cloth, sponge or whatever. Leave the oil on the timber for about 15 - 20 minutes then rub down vigorously with a cloth. This is important. You should rub the work piece so hard that you friction heat it a little. Failure to do do and the timber will remain forever sticky. Recoat after 24 hours. Now the bad news. The rule of thumb for Tung/Linseed is one coat a day for a week, one coat a week for a month, one coat a month for a year. This sounds like a lot of work but its quick and easy to do. I admit that I ignore the one coat a moth for a year with no ill effects. However on the plus side there is no inter coat sanding needed. If after a year or so you find the surface a little degraded all it will need is a quick whiz over with an abrasive pad and another application of oil. It doesnt break down as varnish does. Supposedly you need to be careful with the cloths used to rub down the work. If they are bundled up into a ball they can spontaneously combust and your wife will not be best pleased if you burn the house down.
Unfortunately, an old injury means I have to use a walking stick. I am out in the sun with it a lot. Here's a picture of it from which you can see the finish, I built it out of Kwila and the last coat of Linseed Oil was nearly 3 years ago. I hope the above is of some help.
thetyreman
Established Member
I like bestwood pure tung oil, I used some on a shou sugi ban bench that I made in 2016 and tung oil definitely resists rain very well, I did a few tests and linseed looks nice but doesn't come close in terms of water resistance. Oil probably isn't the best finish for anything outdoors.
pe2dave
Established Member
"then rub down vigorously with a cloth. This is important. You should rub the work piece so hard that you friction heat it a little. Failure to do do and the timber will remain forever sticky." Which is what I found - when I failed to 'rub vigorously' Leaves a nasty dull finish, quite hard to remove -
Kittyhawk
Established Member
I haven't used Tung oil so can't comment on its performance vs Linseed Oil. And probably my opinion on the weather resistance of Linseed is relative. In NZ we have the highest UV in the world, and the highest rates of skin cancer as a result. On my boat, using a good quality varnish on the exterior I would be lucky to get 6 months out of it. A year from Linseed oil is achievable. I think the secret is to build up a good number of base coats to start with. And recoating when it starts to degrade is a heck of a lot easier than it is with varnish.
