Drying is a process that means relatively free from water as a result of evaporation. At the same time, curing is a gradual chemical process that prepares liquid into a solid resin. Drying is a short-term process that can span from a few hours to a day and can be altered and made faster by positioning the tung oil in a warm area make sure it is covered.

To get a quality finish , you need to allow it to dry in between coats and cure patiently. Tung oil is a proficient wood finish that poses great resilience against water and any form of moisture. After applying your oil, and you notice that after a few days, it is still sticking, then you have to find a way to make it dry faster. You might be wondering which of the three methods is the best.

It depends on the nature of your surface finish. Note that paint thinner is not a good choice if you want to preserve the wood beneath the finish because you might destroy the wood in the long run. When using mineral spirits, ensure you use high-quality products. This method is most suitable for unevenly dried or cured finishes and is still light compared to using the paint thinner method. All you have to do is to apply a wood restorer to the uneven finish.

The wood restorer functions in that it seeps into the tung oil to mix away the uneven tacky blight to increase its glow. The fine steel wool incorporates the wood restorer into the tung oil finish, and it also helps to remove all the tackiness.

This method is most suitable for finishes where the tung oil is still all tacky and showing no sign of getting dry. The same oil works fine on a model scale, but it feels different with small parts of a full size table top. Should I wipe it with a paper cloth or sand it lightly, or it is better to let it untouched for a while?

I am afraid that this will cause a mix of poly with half-dry oil, which might behave unpredictably. But if the current surface can't polymerize, new coat will not dry either. I am not sure this counts as coats, was just evenly distributing oil to dry spots, and occasionally adding more oil it if some spots that were too dry. Just fed the wood with oil. So it was like one big coat.. The most common method that I am familiar with is the seal the wood with Tung oil: Mineral Spirit and when this is dry, wipe on light layers of straight Tung oil and let them dry between coats.

Ambient temp would affect the time interval. I use Super Blonde flakes. You could start try removing some of the Tung oil with straight Mineral Spirits or turpentine and start over, but waiting a few weeks for the O2 to penetrate your too thick layer and work its polymerizing magic is easier. I am thinking that pure Tung oil is not an ideal finish for a working surface. A carving, a ship model, a wall surface - are great, but a surface subject to wear is likely not going to react like you would like.

This makes the finish somewhat cheaper and easier to use, but sacrifices the special qualities of Tung oil. Pure Tung oil provides a tough, hard surface that is absolutely waterproof, and impervious to dust, alcohol, acetone, and fruit and vegetable acids.

It does not darken with age as linseed oil does. Sutherland Welles uses polymerization from a cooking process to give its Tung Oil a faster drying time and a harder, higher gloss surface. Increasing the percentage of polymerized oil in the formulation of the finish restricts penetration but increases luster, durability and hardness. Understood the idea, will wait more, if it will fail to dry - will follow your instructions on removal and re-application.

Oil might not be not ideal for the working surface, but I really do not want to have a glossy look of the typical varnishes, that create a transparent layer on top of the wood. Probably will end up sanding and re-finishing the table top once or twice a year, it is fine. It contains " purified Tung Oil, vegetable oils and resins. Does it make sense to apply it on top of tung oil, as a second coat?

Danish oil should dry much faster. Or it is better to avoid mixing different oils together? Let that dry 24 hours which lays your base for uniform penetration. Then you apply full strength - let it sit for 15 minutes or so before buffing out. Continue to monitor for seepage and always allow 24 hours between coats. It sounds like you should just let the piece gas out - applying Danish Oil on top could compound your problem.

Hope this helps. A little heat will increase the drying rate. A few incandescent light bulbs will do. Lean your table top against the wall to form a tent and put a lamp or two inside. By the way, apply a coat to the bottom of the table top to limit moisture getting in or out to fast that could cause the plank to warp. I'll throw in the classic concoction I use for work bench tops and furniture that will see some use.

I suspect you can substitute tung oil for the linseed oil. It penetrates deep, is somewhat hard, but the surface is not smooth or glossy. It does create a slight amber tint though. Since oil-based varnishes are getting hard to find, I tried a water based version for my last batch. It worked well and doesn't seem to separate in the can. Im not sure if putting more oil on right now is going to help your problem even if its diluted.

Id leave it alone and let it gas off - it will eventually dry. If you're in more of a hurry - maybe sand off the oil and start over? Hm, I was thinking that new coat diluted one will dry in like 48hrs, on top of the old coat. Does not matter if the old coat inside the wood will not dry. Because how I understood it - pure oil dries forever, but diluted dries faster. Or I got it wrong? If 1 coat takes a few days to dry, how much time take 5 thick layers? Also tung oil is not the champion to penetrate rapidly in the wood.

To mix with odorless turpentine is helpfull. The usual way to apply a coat; wipe 1 coat wait 15 minutes and wipe the excess, because there is always excess because of the poor penetration factor of tung oil. Finally do not use Danish oil, your wife will not like the smell, and if you absolutely want to mix with turpentine use odorless turpentine because again your wife will not like it. Already tried regular turpentine as a dilution liquid on some scrap wood - even I can't stand that smell, threw away the entire bottle next morning!

Will test white spirit mineral spirit solution on a scrap wood today. Is tung oil a good finish? Pure Tung oil is an excellent alternative to other drying oils, such as walnut, linseed, soy, and others. On top of producing a beautiful and protective finish, tung oil is also a popular choice for projects because it's versatile, easy to use, and environmentally friendly. What is the best finish for a gun stock?

Most factory stocks are also stained along with whatever they put on them. The most beautiful finish you can put on it will be an oil finish. I personally like minwax tung oil because it has some hardeners that make it behave like tung oil but be a bit more durable.

Also very easy to touch up. Can you put tung oil over stained wood? Tung oil is an oil finish which can't be used over stained wood. I know many swear by tung oil; but it's all marketing, hype and mislabeled and misleading products.

Stains have a varnish binder in them to keep the pigment in place, this seals the wood preventing an oil to penetrate into the wood. What is the difference between tung oil and linseed oil? They're both plant-based oil finishes that penetrate and saturate the wood grain. Here are some key differences between linseed oil and tung oil: Linseed oil carries a slight yellow tint, whereas tung oil dries to a clear finish.

Tung oil is more water-resistant than linseed oil. What is the difference between tung oil and Danish oil? Sir, I read you piece on tung oil refinishing. Is there any conflict or issue I should be aware of between using epoxy on these hairline cracks and then apply multiple coats of tung oil? Hi Paul. Sorry for the delayed response, out of town.

River tables are often a combination of epoxy and some oil. Hi Paul, Some great information here! In order to get an even finish, do you think I need to use a sanding sealer, particularly on the end grain? Many thanks, Nick. Hey Nick. Actually what you want is a grain filler not sanding sealer. Sanding sealer just makes the surface slipperier. Is your guitar acoustic or electric sorry musically challeneged? Acoustic instruments are typically done in shellac with a technique called French Polishing.

Electric is wide open. Hi Paul, thank yo so much for this thoughtful and detailed article, and for replying to these comments! So I have a fireplace mantel that is made from pine, and it is unfinished our carpenter did a lovely job!

My question is since the mantel is already mounted in place, will there be any problems with applying the oil to the sides and undersides? Will the oil properly penetrate when applied upside down? Is the application technique different from when applying it to the top, and are there any problems to be on the lookout for?

Also, will the cure time be different on the top vs the underside? Hey Michael. Yes you can doo all sides. Gravity obviously favors applying to top but the oil will still be absorbed upside down.

Comment Hi Paul. While I am sure it is not ideal, is it possible to use the table lightly on occasion perhaps covering with a light table cloth on occasion in between coats and when not wet with tung oil? All the best, John. It will be tacky and can be damaged using it in between. Hi, Paul. I am using it on my screened porch and want to protect it from moisture, using Tung Oil. If so, how best to clean while preserving the antique patina? Thank you very much.

Hey Robin. Yes you definitely need to be down to bare wood to allow for penetration. Otherwise the oil will just sit on top and never properly dry or protect.

This was such a great tutorial. Im finishing a box store, birch butcher block countertop and I wanted to use tung oil because it is food safe and water repellent. I have three coats so far and have been following your procedure to the letter with one exception. I love the way it is looking. On this countertop, popping the grain was definitely needed and worked perfectly.

But I am seeing the benefit of waiting extra days, and the sandpaper test you gave. The only way I deviated from your guide was that I wet sanded each coat while applying it. I oly did this because it is supposed to help accentuate the grain and with the fine grain of the birch, it needed all the help it could get.

It worked. When storing unused oil, the air needs to be removed from the container. Easy to do, just squeeze the plastic bottle until the unused oil rises to the neck, then close the cap tightly. I imagine you can use an old plastic soda bottle if you keep it out of the sunlight, or wrap the bottle in cloth.

Het Jsas. Glad to hear. The sanding will actually create a slur which will help fill pores, which is good. Thanx fir the stir age recommendations. Thank you for the article. Unfortunately I read after applying a full strength tung oil first coat to my project. Any suggestions for recovery.

I assume without thinner it did not penetrate as deeply into the wood. Hey Fred yeah sorry. The good news is you can still apply thinned coats and while it may not go as deep it will still saturate more than the first coat.

Would pure tung oil provide enough protection for heavy use and spills? Het Dan. You ae one lucky guy to have a slab of oak large enough for a table. Make sure it is properly dried before starting. Tung oil would be a great finish.

Tough, waterproof, beautiful and easy to repair if damaged. Happy Holidays. This is a dining table, and if got kids, and want it to be in the family for generations — thanks. Comment I saw your message to Nicole a couple years ago. I wonder if you could forward all your cheat sheets to me. My name is Reggie Ogg. I am learning to use Tung oil. Hi Cliveous. Actually you can download them right from my website and print them on your computer.

Do I still dilute the tung oil with a thinner? Thanks, Colleen. Hey Colleen. Hello Paul, I wish you a happy new year! Thank you for the useful article. I want to use tung oil for the maintenance of my wooden flutes. The flute maker suggested that I should do so.

Would it be ok if I warmed the tung oil? Hi Zoe. So I assume mineral spirits, turpentine or paint thinner are not options either. You might check to see if you can acquire polymerized tung oil or purified linseed oil.

Both have been commercial preheated and are thinner through the process. Good luck. Good news! Hey Eve. Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad to be part of the learning journey. I bought a couple of unfinished parawood desks that I want to finish with tung oil. I ran across a site that advised against getting parawood wet due to rotting, fungus, and insect damage.

Have you worked with this wood and would you still suggest wetting it after using a grit sand paper? Thanks for all your helpful info. Hey Novice. I am gluing up a new top. I wont to get as close to the darker honey as I can get. Can I apply a stain? And what type and method would use. Hey Duane. You can stain maple BUT it is a hard wood to get proper absorption. There are both hard and soft maple and they take stain differently. I would strongly recommend you experiment on the bottom of your new table surface.

You might have to use a conditioner which further blocks absorption. I would go with an oil stain. Is sanding necessary? I live in a s house that probably has oak floors. I have birds and will be using citrus thinner and opening windows ofcourse. Ideally I want to finish the floors in their room to protect the floors from their poop, tossed food, and water they splash from bathing. Any guidance on that? Should I also wax? Hey Jessica. I would sand it assures that all old surface contaminants are removed allowing the oil a better chance of penetrating.

It also levels the surface and scratches. Just came across this site. Wish i would have last week. I have applied 4 coats of tongue oil very close to what you recommended for ratio of tongue oil and mineral spirits. I waited around 18 hours between coats. Didnt sand til between 3rd and 4th. When i sanded, it did gum up the sand paper which led me to believe it wasnt completely cured or dried.

I also am having some blotchy spots. Some areas still seem dull and want more oil with other areas shiny. I am planning to let it dry for a few weeks and then sand with grit. Was wondering if i should just continue with straight tongue oil now or a blend of tongue oil and spar varnish that you spoke about in other comments. I have been using straight Old Masters Tung Oil. Anyway hoping for a things to even out for final finish but not wanting it to be shiny as i would assume a varnish finish would create.

Thanks for the help. Hey Scott. Eighteen hours between coats is not enough. Applying more tung oil on top of non-cured oil delays the process dramatically and may seal in wet oil making it impossible to overcome.

The only way to tell if your coats are dry is to do a light sanding and look for a powder residue. Gumming up is definitely a sign of a non-dry oil. Not sure what your next step should be but if it were me at this point I would remove as much as i can, allow to dry thoroughly and start from scratch. As far as varnish goes, if you want a duller sheen you can use a satin varnish. It allows for rapid drying days vs weeks.

Paul, thanks for the response on this. I did follow guidelines on Old Masters Web page as it says this specific tung oil dries in hours?? Maybe i just got lucky on that.

So at any rate i thought i was going extra with Im hoping ill be ok if i just let it cure for a bit. I am leaving town for 3 weeks and thought to just let it be and do a couple additional coats when i get back after sanding. Is this a good plan or should i try and strip some of the oil prior to leaving town. I think I am going to order some dark tung oil and some satin varnish to do some experimenting with on some scrap wood.

It is a Douglas Fir tree so has alot of lite blonde tones in it. Or would you recommend cutting it with mineral spirits. Thanks again for the input.. Paul, just wanted to let you know I see now that Old Masters is not polymerized oil. Still odd that the spec sheet on this oil says cure time is hours. Anyway just wanted to clear that up as I was not searching properly on the interweb.

Thanks, Scott. Probably has some tung, linseed and a varnish. I could be wrong. Manufacturers are devious as tung oil is expensive so blending makes it cheaper and faster drying. Neither here nor there at this point. I would let it sit for the 3 weeks and see what happens.

For futures check Sutherland Wells. Their products are top notch. Let me know what happens, please. Hey Scoot. Actually that dry time is common for blended tung oil. They add driers to the formula. As I mentioned previously many manufacturers are deceptive. I always buy oil that says Pure Tung Oil. For fast drying and pure tung oil I have now been using polymerized tung oil. Hi Paul, Thanks for writing up such an extensive guide.

This is my first ever woodworking project, and your guide has made it much easier. Hey Daniel. It means the oil has dried enough and ready for the next coat. Tung oil is a penetrating finish so it goes deep into the wood the reason for extreme thinning is to help it go deeper into the fibers and pores. Make sure that you are not over tacking with the cloth though. Tack cloth contains a varnish which if overdone can act to seal the wood making future oil applications less effective.

Try a cloth dampened with mineral spirits dampened not soaked instead of tack cloth. It will pick up some of the dust and dissolve the rest. Sorry for the delayed response been out shoveling the midwest snow almost continuously for the last 3 days!!! Given the long drying times between coats, do I need to protect them from the rain during this period? Hey Lewis. No not really but increased humidity will delay drying. Google polymerized tung oil. It dries in hours. Not many places carry it.

This process greatly speeds dry times. You might even consider doing a blend with spar varnish for added exterior protection!! Hi Paul, Thank you for these instructions! The odor seems to pop up mainly when removing placemats from the table to clean. Any thoughts on adding a seal coat on top of the final tung oil coat to seal in the odor? Thanks again for this tutorial and for any help you can give! Hey Kevin.

The downside to tung oil is the extra long cure time. It is an oil that soaks deep into the wood and a very slow dryer so you just have to be patient. It will remind d you of the nice job you did!!

We guys need to be reminded of the things we do right. Not seeing the attachment. I would like to view your table. Thanks Paul. Not as lustrous as some would like, but I skipped the paste wax step.

The finish came out consistent, darkened the wood slightly and the grain variation came out nice. This was a major concern for me, since the countertop contains the sink and frankly, I can be messy when I do the dishes.

My sloppiness made going with a wood counter questionable. But after I saw how the finish handles a little water, I smiled like a little kid.

Glad to hear jsas. You are right about keeping reapplying. Fast and simple. So are repairs if needed. Thanx for the follow up. Great article! I want to use pure tung oil on my deck. I saw an earlier post where you said you could re-coat the next day. Does that mean I can re-coat the next 4 coats each 24 hours? Also can I use a roller? If so, does it have to be foam? Hey Laura. As long as the surface is dry and not tacky you can reapply. Yes you can roll it on.

Hi, When you say to wipe off excess after 30 min.. Mine was tacking at 30 min and I tried to wipe it with a dry white cloth and it left white pieces of the cloth in the finish. Wipe off with the application cloth or a what type of cloth and when?

Hey Gary. I wipe when I see any spot on the surface looking dry. This will vary time-wise depending on temperature and humidity. Any clean cloth that will absorb excess is fine. Hi Paul — I want to thank you for you helpful article. The table top is very heavy likely around pounds making it difficult to flip unless I get help from neighbours.

Also, with the white oak would you sand to grit before the first coat of Pure Tung Oil? Thanks so much. Hey Thornton. Sounds beautiful. I would up the sanding to a final of grit. Oils highlights scratches left by sandpaper. I recently did a big job a sq ft maple butcher block counter top and huge center island. The homeowner did not allow for finishing the underside which is important for seasonal expansion and contractions.

We ended up applying the oil to the afixed underside. I have a nice piece of old growth redwood that will be the mantel over my fireplace. Three sides are finished with the front side live. I have to say the oil has created a beautiful finish on the top and bottom and sides of the piece and the live edge has some great color variations.

Nothing heavy will be on the mantel and it will need occasional dusting. Will the paste wax add significantly to the finish or should I just leave well enough alone? Only planning to use it on the top, unless there is added benefit to waxing the sides and bottom. Hey Rebecca. Personally I would NOT wax the finish.

It will only dull it and clog the woods pores. Wax deteriorates and has to be reapplied periodically. It serves no real purpose especially with tung oil.

In the future if something were to damage the finish it can be easily repaired applying another coat of oil. Not so if the surface is waxed. You have the sandpaper grits right. Be sure to vacuum or air blow the pores open after each sand. When you start to get up over the dust will easily clog pores depending on the wood type. Mild soap and water cleaning is fine.

Sanding depends on the condition of the surface. Typically none is required. Comment have a new covered front porch. Built with rough sawed lumber. Can I apply pure tung oil with no sanding?