I've got a big bit of wood for desk top

[redrabbit]

I bought two drawer units. I went through a company on eBay and ordered a 170cm kitchen style work top. It's a lovely big thick heavy style one.

I also asked they oil it which I guess they've done - tbh I probably wouldn't know the difference anyway.

The only issue I've got and question is ... I kind of expected the wood after oiling to come back all shiny and glossy, and totally smooth but it's not.

This image below sort of shows what I wanted the wood to look like.

This is the wood I've bought, looks ok I think but it's just a bit raw in feel rather than smooth.

Is this something I can do myself? Is it a simple treatment or varnish?

I dont want to wreck the wood as it was quite expensive so maybe it's best to just leave it?

Thanks everyone

 

[Burnerman]

The top piece of furniture could be french polished.....a process where several coats of shellac lacquer are applied, smoothed and repeated.
You could consider a varnish on top of yours - it really depends on how much oil has been applied, what sort of oil it is, and how deeply it has penetrated which governs the outcome.
John

 

[foxhole]

Bit of a chalk and cheese comparison , you can get a better shine with a wax finish.

 

[endecotp]

It might be clearer in a closer photo, but it doesn't look oiled to me.

I used a hard wax oil on my desk top, and I think it's great. It's also easy to use. If you really want a "mirror-like" finish you will need some sort of lacquer or varnish. If you do it yourself the challenge is to avoid dust getting in it before it dries; it may be better to find someone to do it for you as they may have a proper low-dust spray shop and also may be able to use quick-drying finishes e.g. two-part or UV.

If it actually has been oiled then you'll need to be careful of any reaction between the oil and the new finish. Maybe experiment on the underside first.

 

[Roger928]

The first one looks like clear polyester lacquer from something like morrels VLi range. Which is ideal for pianos, musical instruments and high end shop fitting projects.
For a work/table top an acid catalyst lacquer will be more durable and resistant to abrasion.

I've used water based brush on varnish to good effect with shellac sanding sealer as a base coat.
Sanded down before applying the water based.
Though its not nearly as abrasion resistant as the acid catalyst lacquer.

 

[redrabbit]

Thanks for your comments so far.

This is the sort of finish I had hoped for - as you can see it looks glossy and very smooth. Comfortable to lean your arms on for an extended period oftime.

I have emailed the seller about the wood to check if it has been oiled as I paid £20 extra for that. The description says this:

• All worktops are sanded to 150 grit, kiln dried to 8-10% and ready to fit.
• All edges are square
• Untreated - so you can finish them to how you prefer (lacquer, oil etc.) - or we can oil them for you using Danish Oil (this service takes a couple of days)

 

[redrabbit]

I may just get a made to fit silicon cover as it looks quite decent and would save me a lot of time in trying to apply any oil or varnish. I'm likely to mess a job like that up too!

 

[endecotp]

It honestly doesn't look like Danish oil to me, but I can't be sure from that photo.
If it has been Danish oiled, you can probably apply another oil type coating over the top (I think!) and as I said above a hard wax oil is easy to apply and gives a good finish; perhaps not as glossy as your image in post #6, but if you want to use a lacquer or varnish you really need to understand how it might interact with the current coating (if any). You also need to think a bit about how to prepare the surface before applying the finish.

 

[redrabbit]

It honestly doesn't look like Danish oil to me, but I can't be sure from that photo.
If it has been Danish oiled, you can probably apply another oil type coating over the top (I think!) and as I said above a hard wax oil is easy to apply and gives a good finish; perhaps not as glossy as your image in post #6, but if you want to use a lacquer or varnish you really need to understand how it might interact with the current coating (if any). You also need to think a bit about how to prepare the surface before applying the finish.

Thanks, I'm going to be very annoyed if it's not been oiled as I can't easily send the item back.

The wood is unbelievably heavy and awkward. I'll have to think carefully about it as I'm not at all DIY minded - I could probably stretch to rubbing some oil on but that's about it.

As I said I've emailed the seller and will wait to see what they say about the oil.

 

[redrabbit]

This is the advert that I saw on eBay that I bought from:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301036240539

I expected the wood to look like the one in the picture. Both the colour and the glossiness (I thought that was what the oil would do).

I've contacted seller to ask about the oil and not yet had a response

 

[redrabbit]

It honestly doesn't look like Danish oil to me, but I can't be sure from that photo.
If it has been Danish oiled, you can probably apply another oil type coating over the top (I think!) and as I said above a hard wax oil is easy to apply and gives a good finish; perhaps not as glossy as your image in post #6, but if you want to use a lacquer or varnish you really need to understand how it might interact with the current coating (if any). You also need to think a bit about how to prepare the surface before applying the finish.

The seller got back to me and said that it has been pre-oiled but it requires at least one additional layer which I have to do.

Pretty annoyed that I paid £20 extra for it to be oiled... yet I have to do a layer myself. What in gods name is the point then?!

I thought this wood would come through like a kitchen side board. Smooth and a good surface for a desk. It is ok but it has some more rough bits. Maybe that's just due to the lack of oil?

 

[endecotp]

The three in-situ photos on the eBay listing are not Danish oil, they are something much more glossy I.e. Varnish or lacquer.

It sounds like you will need to do some light sanding before adding another layer of something.

You need to decide whether to add more Danish oil - which will obviously be compatible with what's already there, but may not be as glossy as you want - or something else.

 

[redrabbit]

The three in-situ photos on the eBay listing are not Danish oil, they are something much more glossy I.e. Varnish or lacquer.

It sounds like you will need to do some light sanding before adding another layer of something.

You need to decide whether to add more Danish oil - which will obviously be compatible with what's already there, but may not be as glossy as you want - or something else.

Have I misunderstood the advertised product? I assumed those pictures accurately represented the product I was ordering. Or has the seller not advertised the item very clearly? They have a very good reputation so I guess it's just me being stupid

I could sand it I suppose. It's just a real hassle as I don't have any outside space and so the dust will go everywhere.

How easy is varnish to apply?

 

[endecotp]

The photos are a "serving suggestion". Varnish not included.

 

[endecotp]

You should hand sand it with a sanding block, along the grain. It won't produce a vast amount of dust, especially as it has already been oiled. I'd do it inside and then Hoover.

Varnish is easy to apply badly