poly over tung oil

I am planning to put a black walnut cap on a knee wall in a shower/ bath stall. The wood won't get much direct water, but will get wet enough to require a poly finish. I would like to treat with tung oil first. Will poly apply over tung oil?

Reply to
Doug
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My question to you is why would you do that?

Reply to
David

Absolutely.

Reply to
Leon

Doug, you will need to make sure that the oil is thoroughly cured before using poly. May take some weeks depending on temperature.

Reply to
Bill D

Sure, but why?

Reply to
Toller

I want to do that because I really like the color of black walnut when it is treated with tung oil, but need the protection of polly. Are there other suggestions? For getting both the look and the protection?

Reply to
Doug

No, but think about linseed oil. It is cheaper and gives a deeper effect. Besides, most "tung" has no tung oil in it. At least with BLO you know what you are getting.

Reply to
Toller

I think you are confusing 'tung oil finishes' with tung oil and even then I am skeptical that _most_ have _none_ in them, though I have no doubt that most have lots of something else in them.

Reply to
fredfighter

I bought a maple workbench top we are using for a kitchen counter. It was dripping with what I was told was tung oil. All I did was wipe it down with mineral; spirits and shoot it with MS thinned (50:50) poly. A lot of coats. It came out beautiful.

Reply to
gfretwell

Okay, "most" should have been "many". I also assumed that he meant tung oil finish when he said tung oil; that is probably a safe assumption considering the question. Have you priced pure tung oil recently?

Reply to
Toller

The color will be about the same with linseed oil, and since oil-based poly will contain it, skip one stage. Spar varnish will be even longer in oil than regular, if you want to use it. Softer, but more flexible finish.

Reply to
George

That simply isn't true. Just last week I was experimenting with different materials to bring out the best in some pommele bubinga. I found that BLO and poly was distinctly richer than just poly.

Reply to
Toller

Must be your house. Oil works the same as oil at mine.

Reply to
George

I tend to be overly literal so when I read "tung oil" I tend to think "tung oil" but You're right, probably more often than not people using a "tung oil finish" may simply call it "tung oil"

A little tung oil goes a long way which is good becuase it is pretty expensive compared to Linseed oil. OTOH my experience with _boiled_ linsed oil has been that it retains a greasy feel for months, even if I add Japan drier to it. That, and it darkens afterwards. Those old planes and clamps in antique shops are black, I think, because they were treated with linseed oil way back when. The transitional planes, which were vanished, typically are much lighter.

Of course I doubt that the kneeboard in his shower is going to last a hundred years.

Reply to
fredfighter

an oil finish that penetrates, like tung or BLO will look different from an oil film finish like varnish or poly. the penetrating oil will let light travel a bit further into the wood, giving depth to the piece.

Reply to
bridger

Aw, c'mon. You can't look any deeper than the surface no matter what you put on it, unless you're Superman. Since the oil forms only a negligible film , the only thing you gain is less surface scatter as the oil soaks and reduces the scatter of the thinnest of the thin _translucent_ areas around the pores. Notice that the color looks deeper when the oil is wet, and becomes more dull - scatters more light - when it penetrates and cures.

What you want is a finish which remains on the surface, as the wet oil did, forming a film which reduces scatter. That's the basic principle of finishing, to gain a smooth surface from what wasn't. You may see glare or you may see through. What you don't see is halfway there.

Unless you're using varnish with additives to scatter the light.

Reply to
George

Yes. What about it?

Reply to
CW

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