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There are many different ways to achieve this task, below are summaries of 5 ways to do this:
Using Wax
The easiest and simplest way is to use wax.
Sand to a fairly good finish (up to about 180-240 grit sandpaper), then apply a *thin* coat of wax with a cloth or grade 0000 steel wool. After 5-10 minutes or so, brush off any excess and even up the finish with a shoe brush or similar, and then you can buff up a bit further with a soft cloth if need be.
You can of course use coloured wax, which will darken the timber at the same time. This is a very easy one-shot finish to protect timber. Maintenance is by buffing it up again with a cloth, until the shine doesn't come back which indicates that you need to put a little more wax on the surface.
Problems with bringing up the shine only occur when you use too much wax. The downside of a wax finish is that it won't be waterproof -- you will get rings if you put a cup directly on the surface, although these can be removed with more wax. Much like an old-fashioned table, the surface needs to be protected to make it last a long time. However, it's an excellent solution for most interior finishes that aren't going to get wet: furniture, vertical panelling and so on.
Using Polyurethane
A common method in New Zealand has been to use polyurethane.
This gives a tough hardwearing waterproof finish. However, what you've put on the timber is a synthetic hard coating sitting on top of the wood.
When the wood moves (which it always will in the different seasons), the polyurethane will eventually crack and flake off, as it can't move with the wood. After 5-6 years, finishes such as this tend to yellow and flake off, and the only solution is to remove them entirely with paint stripper or physically sanding, and start again. Most modern varnishes fit more or less into the same category as this.
Using 'Wet' Oil
Another traditional method is to use a 'wet' oil -- i.e. one that never hardens.
Tung Oil, Linseed Oil, and many variations on these on the shelves give fairly good protection (although not waterproof), with similar pros and cons to the wax finish above. The big exception is that you can't just apply more when the finish needs reviving.
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'Wet' oils attract dirt and should be removed completely (with the dirt) before reapplying -- but they are quite difficult to remove.
The Briwax Furniture Cleaner is made especially to remove old oils (and the dirt along with them), and then you can reapply a new finish. You wouldn't want to get food anywhere near a 'wet' oiled timber, nor have it on children's toys probably. It's a good finish for decorative wooden items that aren't going to be touched or have much wear, scupltures for example. |
Using Briwax Danish or Teak Oils
A better way is to use the Briwax Danish or Teak Oils, which are a similar idea to the oils above but contain hardening resins.
They are absorbed into the fibres of the timber, and harden completely overnight leaving a totally dry finish. Two coats are usually enough, but for floors or tables or benchtops (which get much more wear and need to be waterproof) it's best to use three or even four coats.
After sanding to at least 180 grit, apply the oil with a cloth, putting on enough to let the timber absorb all it wants, but wiping off the excess as you go so you don't leave a thick coating on top of the timber. After the oil has gone hard (6-8 hours) sand lightly with very fine (320 grit) sandpaper or grade 0000 steel wool, wipe off the dust, and apply another coat. Thin is best -- when the coats are too thick they can start to get problems similar to polyurethane in (2) above.
There is little difference between the two oils other than Teak Oil giving a gloss finish, and Danish Oil giving a satin finish. For floors, we recommend application with a foam roller, thinning the first coat 30% with turps, the second coat about 50%, and the third coat as much as 70%. This thinning prevents the need to 'wipe off' the excess and lets you do the job so much quicker.
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A five litre tin of Danish Oil will give three coats to around 45 square metres of flooring, depending on how absorbent the timber is. When done like this, the finish is resistant even to hot water, and is used on commercial bar-tops. A significant advantage is that it doesn't create a 'skin' connecting two adjacent floorboards or other pieces of timber, and so when these floorboards move together and apart there is no cracking of the finish. When the finish becomes worn, which might be 2-3 years with a busy floor next to an entrance, or 20 years for other surfaces, you can just clean the surface with meths, sand it lightly with grade 0000 steel wool, and apply one more coat to bring the finish back as new. |
Sadly, there is no protection of the name "Danish Oil" and so there are several products on the market called this, not all of which give anything like the same finish. Many of them are in fact wet oils.
French Polishing
The 'best' finish, for fine furniture, is French Polishing.
This is a whole subject to itself and normally requires years of training. Dozens of coats of shellac and oil are applied over a long period of time. I would never suggest that anyone attempts to French Polish, or worse repair existing French Polish, particularly on valuable furniture. This is a job for the professional.
Information courtesy of Briwax. For more information on Briwax products, click here to visit their website.
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