Woodworker/Joiner/DIY'er advice

[ajm]

Nothing at all wrong IMHO with varnished old pitch pine (in the "right" varnish of course)... not a fan of waxy or oily finishes, they can be a bit sticky or grubby to the touch and not really robust enough for anything that's going to be used and abused (hot things / wet things placed on them etc)

Unless you don't mind the "slightly trashed" look of course...

 

[RobMac]

Nothing at all wrong IMHO with varnished old pitch pine (in the "right" varnish of course)... not a fan of waxy or oily finishes, they can be a bit sticky or grubby to the touch and not really robust enough for anything that's going to be used and abused (hot things / wet things placed on them etc)

Unless you don't mind the "slightly trashed" look of course...

There's a bit of truth in what he says.

BUT the sanding sealer is the secret

.

 

[makster]

pm heathy.

And tilte PM..... Oiling my wood

 

[heathy]

Very good Fiddlers

This is all down to personal taste really, if as you say it's going to get things put on and off ie drinks etc then a danish oil [ liberon] would be best after 2-3 coats.

Either wax or sanding sealer or both will mark very easily and will need re finishing again, the worst that can happen to the oiled finish can be wiped over again with more oil.

You could always get a nice lump of hardwood instead

 

[dyna-ti]

Whats wrong with good old durable varnish :?

A good choice +1
You need a good qulity brush though

Don't varnish it. It will look gash. Varnish should only be used on yachts or fingernails.

Bollocks
[In the nicest possible way ]

Though a mixture of french polish with a bit of danish oil mixed in is quite nice too,fairly hard wearing

 

[suburbanreuben]

Varnish? Just leave a few weekends free, pack the kids off to their gran's (They will touch it), leave the windows open to get rid of the niff, and allow some ne'er do well to creep in and nick your bikes...

Oil is 5mins wipe on, 5 mins wipe off. It even makes a rough old bit of firewood look good...

 

[kaiser]

Right, I'm going to go with the sanding sealer and either wax or oil. I'd make a pigs ear of it with varnish so thats out.

So wax or oil, and if so what kind of wax or oil, it will probably see moderate use even though we will try not to use it.

 

[suburbanreuben]

Forget the sanding sealer, unless you're going with wax. Oil needs to soak in. What sort of finish are you after? Go to a good hardware store and read the tins. Danish, Teak or Finishing Oil will work well. I forget what sheen the Danish and Teak Oils give, but the finishing oil has been developed specifically for interior joinery. It is water and heat resistant to a point, and is easy to reapply if it starts to look scruffy. Just wire wool it down and reapply. It also dries quickly and doesn't pong that bad, if at all.
Wax and sander sealer is fine for stuff that is just there to look pretty, but will mark easily. You'll also develop a fine pair of biceps buffing it up.
If the timber is at all rough, then oil is your best choice by far.
Just don't try and use Tung Oil. You'll be waiting for it to dry at Christmas.

 

[dyna-ti]

Forget the sanding sealer, unless you're going with wax. Oil needs to soak in. What sort of finish are you after? Go to a good hardware store and read the tins. Danish, Teak or Finishing Oil will work well. I forget what sheen the Danish and Teak Oils give, but the finishing oil has been developed specifically for interior joinery. It is water and heat resistant to a point, and is easy to reapply if it starts to look scruffy. Just wire wool it down and reapply. It also dries quickly and doesn't pong that bad, if at all.
Wax and sander sealer is fine for stuff that is just there to look pretty, but will mark easily. You'll also develop a fine pair of biceps buffing it up.
If the timber is at all rough, then oil is your best choice by far.
Just don't try and use Tung Oil. You'll be waiting for it to dry at Christmas.

Oil,oil,oil.
The finish of the amateur :roll: sure it looks nice but isnt very hardwearing unless applied Properly and by that i mean in the region or 20 coats done in the age old system of application
Once an Hour-for a day[8H]
Once a day-For a week
Once a week-For a month
Once a month-For a year
And once a year-For the rest of its life

The sanding sealer is important as it fills the grain and leaves a flat surface to start the job with properly

Myself and Gibble are cabinetmakers,best ask us rather than one of these rough joiners ,all they know about is paint and oil

Aquacoat SP is a good very hardwearing finish,its a kind of quick drying floor varnish and when i say quick i mean quick,dries in under 10 mins,is knock,heat and water resistant
Costs about a tenner a litre
Satin finish is nice

 

[The Ken]

Sorry I'm late kaiser but the oil of choice is Tung Oil, natural and doesn't tint the wood much , Liberon make it too, I use it on all our Oregon pine and on our oak furniture. Rob mac has guided you in the prep work.

Yes it takes a while to dry but thin coats help, wipe off the excess, and as dyna says many coats, I did 8 on my fireplace, but only 3 on the oak as that was pre oiled. Once every 2 years after that but I'm lazy