what to apply after tung oil

After 4 coats of Tung oil and for the usage you describe I think you could just apply a couple coats of a carnauba based wax. Maintenance would involve just an occasional reapplication of wax. I have had good results with the Crystal wax sold by Woodcrafter but a good old fashioned “floor” wax would work.

For something more durable I would use a water based Poly but that might not meet your natural wood “feeling”.

-- Les B, Oregon

Take a look at General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. It is a blend of poly and tung oil (or BLO) if I recall correctly and it looks great on cherry without the plastic look you can get from poly.

Wax, as Les mentions, is also a nice top coat, though it will need to be refreshed every few months or so.

-- Earl "I'm a pessamist - generally that increases the chance that things will turn out better than expected"

Paste wax makes a great feeling finish and resists moisture and other spills. You would of course want to wipe up any spills immediately and not let them sit their a long time. A wear surface like a desk top, would require occasional reapplication, but not so frequently it would be an issue. It would certainly give you that natural feeling you want.

-- Clin

Thanks for the advice! Up here in Canada we don’t have some of the products you guys use. I think I’ll try Minwax paste finishing wax as it’s available here and reviews seem pretty good. I have heard good things about Arm-R-Seal too and I should get some of that to try on a test piece for a future project.

Real Milk Paint Finishing Cream seems to work pretty well, but I can’t say I’ve stress-tested it. But it makes a slightly harder and washable surface. I believe they’ll ship to Canada, though you may need to email them to verify.

-- Dave - Santa Fe

Take a look at General Finishes Arm-R-Seal.

- EarlS

+1. It’s easy to apply and durable. Just what you want on a desk top.

-- Half of what we read or hear about finishing is right. We just don’t know which half! — Bob Flexner

Take a look at General Finishes Arm-R-Seal.

- EarlS

+1. It s easy to apply and durable. Just what you want on a desk top.

- Rich

+2 got sold on using this stuff awhile back and pleased with the results. Now the Minwax stuff is so so. True I have some, and I do use it. But for shop jigs, or fixtures not furniture grade projects.

-- Live to tell the stories, they sound better that way.

I like Arm R Seal, and use it a lot. But I wouldn’t put it over pure tung oil. I use it when i want more protection like a table top or desk, but it already has oil so its kind of a waste of the tung oil.. If i want the feel of just oil, i either leave it, or put paste wax over it. Since you state you have already applied 4 coats of tung oil and want it to feel natural, i would just apply wax. That minwax is fine if all you can get, i use that stuff on various things. Use coasters and keep a towel close by. The key is wiping up spills as quickly as possible.

Keep in mind tung oil goes on as a liquid but polymerizes to a wax when exposed to air for a short length of time.

-- Always remember: It is a mathematical certainty that half the people in this country are below average in intelligence!

I put nothing over tung oil. I’m pretty skeptical that paste wax offers more protection against spills than tung oil.

-- Jeremy, in the Acadian forests

Take a look at General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. It is a blend of poly and tung oil (or BLO) if I recall correctly and it looks great on cherry without the plastic look you can get from poly.

Wax, as Les mentions, is also a nice top coat, though it will need to be refreshed every few months or so.

- EarlS

If I were to apply Arm-R-Seal could I apply it over the desktop now that I’ve already put the 4 coats of tung oil on? My last coat went on about one month ago.

One thing I haven’t seen asked is, did you use pure tung oil, or tung oil finish?

If it’s pure tung oil, then some Arm-R-Seal will go over it nicely, especially after what is now four weeks to cure. If it’s tung oil finish, then you don’t need anything at all since that’s a varnish that formed its own film to seal and protect the wood.

-- Half of what we read or hear about finishing is right. We just don’t know which half! — Bob Flexner

I’m the what, 7th or 8th, to raise a hand for Arm R Seal? I’ve used it a lot over the last 18 months and have really grown to like it. I even put it over the top of a couple of projects that used Tung Oil Finish as an extra top coat too.

-- The only thing not measured in my shop is time

One thing I haven t seen asked is, did you use pure tung oil, or tung oil finish?

If it s pure tung oil, then some Arm-R-Seal will go over it nicely, especially after what is now four weeks to cure. If it s tung oil finish, then you don t need anything at all since that s a varnish that formed its own film to seal and protect the wood.

- Rich

I used Watco Tung oil. The tung oil can says it contains “Stoddard solvent and tung oil”. Is that pure tung oil or tung oil finish?

I used Watco Tung oil. The tung oil can says it contains “Stoddard solvent and tung oil”. Is that pure tung oil or tung oil finish?

- Ross1985

Thats a mix of a bunch of things with a tiny bit of tung oil added for labeling rules. No need to put anything over it.