# Tung oil for Walnut table?



## abarek (Mar 1, 2014)

I'm a complete newbie to wood finishing and looking for some advice. I have an oiled walnut live-edge dining table that I bought a year ago. Everyday use has faded it a bit and there are a few water rings from carelessly placed glasses. I'd like to refinish it for both looks and protection and I want to use completely natural materials (i.e. no petroleum-based finish or other harsh fumes). I've read tung oil is the way to go and I should apply as follows:

- sand 220 and apply 4:1 mixture of turpentine and tung oil, let sit for 10 mins and wipe off excess
- 24 hours later sand 220 and apply 2:1 turpentine and tung oil, let sit 10 mins and wipe off excess
- 24 hours later sand 220 (or finer grit?) and apply 1:1 turpentine and tung oil, let sit 10 mins and wipe off excess
- 24 hours later sand and apply pure tung oil, let sit 10 mins and wipe off excess

Assuming this or a similar method is correct, how long after the last coat is applied can I return the table to normal use?

Anyone who can confirm or critique this method, your feedback is welcome. Thank you!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Since the table has been used the first step should be to clean the furniture polish, hand oils and any other foreign substances off of it. If you know it has furniture polish I would use Dupont Prepsol Solvent. An alternative would be naphtha but the Prepsol Solvent is better. It is available at many places that sell automotive paint. If there is no polish you might use a product called Krud Kutter Gloss Off, sold by sherwin williams. 

Your finish schedule is more suited for using tung oil on raw wood. All you have to do is sand it with 220 grit sandpaper and apply the tung oil. If you are wanting to avoid a film finish then thin the tung oil otherwise I would use it without thinning. The drying time is very likely much longer than 24 hours. Tung oil is a very slow drying finish and you can't really time it for drying time. The best way to tell if it is dry is to briskly rub the finish with a clean cloth and see if the tung oil smell rubs off onto the rag. When there is no smell it is ready for another coat if wanted.


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## abarek (Mar 1, 2014)

Thanks Steve. The table is only oiled. There is no lacquer or gloss finish or polish, just a bit of food scraps that I've scrubbed off with water and mild detergent. 

Can I get away without using a solvent? Just sanding 220 and using the straight tung oil?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

abarek said:


> Thanks Steve. The table is only oiled. There is no lacquer or gloss finish or polish, just a bit of food scraps that I've scrubbed off with water and mild detergent.
> 
> Can I get away without using a solvent? Just sanding 220 and using the straight tung oil?


The only reason I recommended the solvents is because I didn't know there hadn't been any wax put on the table so you don't need it. I do think you need a little more agressive detergent to wash the table with. Just the oils from you skin handling the table can cause adhesion problems. If you have some Purple Power that would work alright. 

I don't know what the table looks like now and what results you want. Applying tung oil straight if you have somewhat of a film coating now will give it the appearance of having a coat of varnish or polyurethane on it. It would though make the table more water resistant as tung oil is waterproof with enough coats.


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## Midlandbob (Sep 5, 2011)

Low odour varsol(petroleum distillate) is as "natural" as turpentine and much mor pleasant to work with. Just different age of plant from which they come. Turps odour hangs around. The bit of thinner helps in the spreading as Steve mentioned.
Walnut without a film finish feels and looks a lot better if sanded to 320 - 400. Film finishes fill in the scratches but a rubbed oil finish in a hard wood like walnut is improved by the bit of extra work. The middle coats can be applied with the 400 grit paper on a block. This smooths and also fills the slightly open grain of walnut.
Be sure to use polymerized Tung oil as untreated Tung oil takes a long time to set and can stay fairly dull.
Test boards are good idea if you have not worked with it. I usually rub in 5-10 coats after sanding to 400 and using the sandpaper for the mid coats. The old bars were done with a coat a day for a week, a coat a week for a month and annually to freshen the patina that develops.


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