A 5000 YEAR OLD WOOD FINISH FORUMLA THAT CAN NOT BE MESSED UP!
Wood finishing can be a very intimidating subject for a lot of woodworkers, and I am often asked if there is a simple, effective finish that can't be messed up, doesn't take a lot of time, doesn't cost as much as the wood itself, and that looks great to the eye and is pleasing to the touch.
All those qualifications can be met with an ancient formula that has been protecting wood for millennia—natural oil and wax. Together, these create perhaps one of the most beautiful wood finishes out there, one that has been favored by discerning woodworkers from the time of the Pharaohs (when it was pretty much all they had) to today's modern shops. Despite thousands of years of advancements in wood finishing products, natural oil and wax is still hard to beat when it comes to showcasing the beauty of wood.
In this post, I will show you the three steps to getting the perfect oil and wax finish every single time.
The Ingredients You Need
We’ll be using two easy-to-find ingredients—boiled linseed oil and paste wax—which you can find in most hardware stores. Boiled linseed oil is usually in the paint department, and paste wax is often found among household cleaning products. We will apply them in a foolproof three-step process that couldn’t be easier.
Step 1: Prepare the Wood Surface
Boiled linseed oil is a penetrating oil finish. That means it will soak into the wood and live among the surface fibers rather than building up a shell on top, as a film finish like polyurethane would. When you run your hand over wood that's been coated in a film finish, you’re feeling that plasticky shell. But when you run your hand over wood treated with a penetrating oil finish, you're feeling more of the natural texture of the wood itself.
That’s one of the things that has long made boiled linseed oil so desirable as a wood finish. But it also means you must do more sanding to prepare a really smooth surface, because the finish itself is not going to fill in any surface scratches you leave behind.
I recommend working through the grits up to 220 or 240. You may even go as high as 320. There is little value in anything finer than that in this case.
I start with a power sander at first, then finish by hand sanding with my final grit, moving back and forth with the direction of the grain. Hand sanding on the final grit is vital to a good penetrating oil finish. If you'd like to learn more about how to properly sand a project, I’ll link to a comprehensive tutorial I made on that subject below.
I like to wipe off the dust with some denatured alcohol or mineral spirits, which are sometimes also called white spirits. If you don’t have access to those solvents, you can use a vacuum or a tack cloth. Just be sure both the wood and the air around you are free from dust before you move on to applying the oil.
Step 2: Apply the Boiled Linseed Oil
Applying the boiled linseed oil couldn’t be simpler. Just pour some right on the wood and spread it with a soft cloth or paper towel. You could even use a foam brush. At this stage, it is all about soaking the wood, so apply it liberally. Some areas of the wood may drink it right in, while others may absorb it more slowly. Add more as needed until the whole surface remains wet, then let it sit that way for about fifteen minutes.
Don’t let it sit wet all day. You don’t want it to start to dry—you just want to give the fibers some extra time to absorb as much oil as they want. When you come back, the surface should still look fairly wet. If it's not wet because some of the grain has sucked all the oil from the surface, add some more and give it another fifteen minutes to continue to drink it in.
When it looks like the wood has stopped absorbing oil, it's time to wipe the excess away with dry paper towels. This is important—if you leave excess oil on the surface overnight, it will semi-harden and become a sticky mess that will never dry. Wipe it well and let it sit overnight. You may even check on it a few times before you go to bed to make sure no oil seeps back out of the pores and onto the surface. If it has, wipe it clean again.
Step 3: Decide Between Oil or Oil and Wax Finish
When you come back in the morning, you have a choice to make. Do you want a purely oil finish, or do you want to add a wax topcoat?
A purely oil finish will give you the most natural texture and appearance, but some folks find it to be a little too dull, and the oil alone provides very little protection from moisture or anything else.
If you want a pure oil finish, I would let it sit for a few more days, then apply a second coat—maybe even a third, with a few days of curing time between each. Some folks even like to lightly sand with 600-grit paper between coats.
But I rarely ever want a purely oil finish. At the very least, I want to give it some added protection by applying a coat of paste wax, and I recommend the same for you as well. Paste wax is a blend of waxes mixed with a solvent to make it spreadable. You can buy it in any hardware store under various brand names.
I apply a thin, even coat. You can use a paper towel on a small project, or if you want a more durable applicator, you can use some ultra-fine steel wool.
Once the wood is coated, let the solvents in the wax evaporate for about a half hour or so until you have a cloudy film. Then buff it vigorously with a soft, clean cloth. Buffing warms the surface of the wax and produces a beautiful matte luster that I think is more attractive than the oil alone. The thin film of wax also adds some protection, though I would not consider this durable enough for a tabletop or anything that will be handled often.
That said, an oil and wax finish is very easy to touch up if a blemish develops. Just apply a new coat of wax.
Final Thoughts
That’s all there is to it—sand the wood, wipe on the oil, buff on the wax, and enjoy the beautiful results. Whether you're building a piece of furniture or finishing a smaller project, this oil and wax finish will give your wood a natural, smooth feel and a rich, lustrous finish that showcases the wood's true beauty. Happy woodworking!
