Wood Oil Finish - Choosing the right oil

By Ben Staerck 17 Sep 2020 0 Comment(s)

In this blog post we aim to help you better understand what the different types of wood oils are and what one you should use for your project. We compare each oil in terms of look and feel when applied to wood, but also in terms of durability and application so you can determine what Wood Oil Finish is best for you.

Comparison of the different Wood Oil Finishes available

	Danish Oil	Boiled Linseed Oil	Tung Oil	Teak Oil
Indoor Wood
Outdoor Wood
Finish / Lustre	Satin / Semi gloss	Satin	Matt	Matt
Water Protection	Excellent	Moderate	Good	Good
Colour	Slight darkening	Darkens	Darkens	Slight darkening
Drying Time	4-6 hours	24 hours	24 hours	4-6 hours
Ease of Use	Easy	Easy	Easy	Easy
Coverage Per Litre	20m²	20m²	20m²	20m²
Coats Required for Bare Wood	Three	Three	Three	Three

Two of our most popular oils are Teak Oil and Danish Oil, we have a great article where these two oils go head to head - Teak Oil vs Danish Oil.

Wood Oil Finish based on application

Kitchen Worktops – Danish Oil or use our Worktop Maintenance Kit

We recommend Danish Oil because it is easy to use, dries quickly and will provide excellent protection against liquid staining and spillages. If you prefer the look of other oils you could also use Tung Oil as this will better enhance the natural beauty of the wood and also provide good water/stain protection. Our Worktop Oil section of the website has all suitable products you'll need for oiling kitchen worktops.

Alternative to oil? Wax & Polish is an easy to use, quick drying product. The advantage with this is it will hide minor imperfections (cut marks etc) in the woods finish as the wax will repair these. It dries in 20 minutes so this is a great top up product to use throughout the year, it is especially handy around sinks and areas that are likely to get wet more often.

Garden Furniture – Teak Oil

Not just for Teak, but any outdoor wood; Teak Oil is our preferred oil for garden furniture as it is easy to use, weathers well, provides good protection against rain and enhances the natural beauty of hardwoods. It has a lovely, natural-matt finish to match garden furniture and will help preserve the honey colour in outdoor wood. If your Garden Furniture needs restoring, use our Garden Furniture Restoration Kit that contains Teak Oil.

Flooring – Danish Oil

There are harder wearing, alternatives to traditional oils like Danish Oil, but if you’re after a lovely natural look with good protection then this is an excellent choice. Oils are also great when it comes to repairing or maintaining your floor; unlike a lacquer, varnish or polyurethane you can repair stains, wear & tear and other localised damage by simply re-oiling that spot (without the need to sand and treat the entire floor).

Decking - Decking Oil

Although not listed above as it is specifically designed for decking, our Decking Oil can be used to treat all wooden decks.

Doors – Any Oil

Because doors do not come under much wear & tear, sunlight exposure or staining you can use any oil or wax on a door that you like. You’re best just choosing an oil that suits the look and finish that you want.

Furniture – Depends on Use

All of our oils are suitable for furniture and the one you chose should depend on what the furniture is used for. For tables or items of furniture you’ll use regularly you should choose a hard wearing oil like Danish Oil, which will also offer stain and liquid protection. For all other items you could just select the oil that best suits your desired look and finish.

Woodturning – Any Oil

All oils are suitable for use on woodturning projects and the one you chose should be based on the desired look and finish you want.

Toys – Danish Oil

Children may put the toy in their mouth so you need to be sure it is treated with a safe to use oil. Danish Oil is hard wearing and non-toxic when fully dried. You could also use Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil too.

Chopping Boards – Cutting Board Oil

Not listed above, but we also have a Pure Mineral Oil used for treating chopping boards and other utensils. You could also use Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil, but since the Cutting Board Oil is designed specifically for food preparation, we recommend this.

What do the different Wood Oil Finishes look like?

Below we have oiled Beech, Oak and Walnut with each of our Wood Oils so you can see what the wood will look like after an application of your chosen wood oil finish.