Tung oil

[MugabesDeadCat]

I bought a solid oak table just before Christmas and used some of Ikea's Behandla wood treatment oil on it twice. The other day I noticed that there's a small crack appearing so decided to do some research. I've searched the forum, and decided tung oil is the way to go so I bought some Liberon tung oil this afternoon. Now all the info I have says you should dilute the oil with white spirit and reduce the dilution with each successive coat. But what I want to know is firstly, is white spirit safe to be used on tables, and secondly, how long will my table smell of white spirit for after application? If at all. Obviously I don't want the table to reek the house out for months to come.

 

[ladylola]

I wouldn't personnally use white spirits on a table top that is going to be used by children or for use as a dining table.
I've always used vegatable oil and olive oil for preference on this type of surface.
For other use I also prefer to use turpentine to dilute oils rather than white spirits. That's proper turpentine and not the subsitute, expensive yes but better, not a petrochemical (made from trees) and the smell is better and more pleasent, well in my view anyway.

 

[MugabesDeadCat]

I wouldn't personnally use white spirits on a table top that is going to be used by children or for use as a dining table.
I've always used vegatable oil and olive oil for preference on this type of surface.
For other use I also prefer to use turpentine to dilute oils rather than white spirits. That's proper turpentine and not the subsitute, expensive yes but better, not a petrochemical (made from trees) and the smell is better and more pleasent, well in my view anyway.

So you wouldn't use tung oil?

I saw an episode of Gardeners' World last year and in that they made a large garden table out of a big piece of either teak or oak. Toby Buckland recommended using vegetable oil to treat it rather than buy expensive treatments. I thought of using it for my table, but nowhere else on the internet could I find anyone who recommended vegetable oil for oak. All the info I got was tung oil or linseed oil.

I must admit, I have reservations about putting white spirit on a table.

 

[ladylola]

No I wouldn't dismiss tung oil out of hand, only the idea of mixing it with white spirits. For a natural oil that is marketed as being enviroment, natural and green it seems at odds to recomend thinning it with a petro chemical product. Indeed I have heard some people talk highly of tung oil although I seem to remember reading somewhere that as it is a nut oil there have been cases of people with an allergy having a reaction.
As you have the tung oil I would use it. To thin it I would try (a test first) using a fine oil like extra virgin olive oil or alternativly try heating the oil first and applying hot.
I'm a little surprised in some respects that vegatable oil was recommended for a garden table, for furnature that is out doors then the tung would sound a better option.
I re-enact and have made several tables for the group in both oak and softwood( actually pirania pine, not authentic but it is available in 12" wide boards). These along with chests and other furnature have more than once been caught in rainstorms and regulaly spend a weekend out in a field. They have been treated with either linseed oil , beeswax applied warm with an awful lot of elbow grease or olive oil in the case of bowls trugs and chopping boards and have all held up really well. The cooks table is commonly washed down with hot water every day with no ill effects.
We also have a bread bowl which is like a trough on legs and that is made from untreated ash which causes us no problems other than we need to be more trougher when cleaning. If it was used continually it wouldn't need cleaning, the build up of yeast is actually benifical to bread making.
There's a picture of the bread bowl and a table in this tread
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1464411#1464411

 

[JohnD]

you could use Danish Oil which is lighter and soaks in and dries quicker. I understand it is blended that way so you don't need to add white spirit.

I did my outdoor woodwork with Linseed Oil, diluting the first few coats. I doidn't notice the smell of white spirit, but it smells like a cricket bat when the sun gets on it. Quite pleasant, really.

 

[r896neo]

i agree with john, danish is very safe hygiene wise and dires quicker than most other oils