Oiling wood – how to treat wooden surfaces with oil
You can quickly and easily ensure that wood material is optimally protected and gives it a high-quality look. You don't need varnishes or glazes for this, just wood preservatives. With wood oil, you not only make the oiled material much more resistant, but also allow it to breathe so that any moisture it has absorbed can be released again, and skilfully showcase the natural grain. Anyone who decides to oil wood is quickly faced with many questions: How do you apply wood oil? How long does it take for the product to soak into wood and what does wood oil actually do? In this article, we'll tell you how to oil wooden furniture and garden furniture correctly and everything you need to know about wood products, oiling wood, etc., including instructions.
Oiling wood: How to do it
In this guide, we will show you step by step how to oil wood correctly and how to properly treat your wooden furniture with the product.
1. Materials and tools for oiling wood
To oil wood you will need sandpaper with a grain of 180-220 or abrasive fleece for sanding, several lint-free linen cloths or a cotton cloth, alternatively a brush for paint and the wood oil .
2. Preparation of the wood
First, thoroughly clean the base area of any dirt with a cloth and optionally a special cleaner. The surface should then be dry for sanding. Then start sanding the base area with the sandpaper in the direction of the grain. After treatment with sandpaper with the correct grain, there should be no bumps or scratches at the end. Then clean the surface again so that all sanding dust is removed and the wood is dry.
3. Apply the oil with a brush or cloth
Now it's time to oil the wood. Apply the oil with a lint-free cloth or a brush. Be generous. If the top looks damp, you have applied enough wood oil.
4. Allow the oil to dry
Now let the oil work for between 30 and 60 minutes, but do not let it dry completely.
5. Remove any oil that has not been absorbed
After waiting for the wood oil to dry, remove any excess oil with a clean, lint-free cloth.
6. Allow the oil to dry for several hours
Now allow the oiled surface or wooden floor to rest for several hours, even overnight.
7. Oil the wood several times until it looks as desired
After the longer rest period, check the condition. If the wood still feels rough after oiling or does not have the desired look, apply another layer of oil and follow the instructions as you did the first time, starting from the point after sanding. Don't forget to remove the excess liquid again. It can be worthwhile to sand the surface again with a fine grit.
Knowledge about wood oil and wood oiling
It is important to know how to oil wood, but if you are thinking about working with your wood, there are other things you should consider. Below we will tell you which surfaces are suitable for oiling wood, what effect it has on wood fibers, what advantages and disadvantages the properties have, and which ones are particularly suitable.
Which surfaces can be treated?
In general, all non-varnished or glazed wooden surfaces can be treated with wood oil both indoors and outdoors. Whether it is parquet flooring, wooden floors, solid wood tables or garden furniture, treatment with suitable oil is very versatile. For outdoor use, special oils are used to oil wood that are weather-resistant, can withstand high levels of wear and tear and prevent heavy soiling.
What does oiling wood do?
The primary purpose of treating the material with oil is to protect it. Oils penetrate the pores of the surface, but still allow the wood to breathe. This in turn means that moisture can penetrate, but is also released again. This prevents moisture from building up inside and the wood from becoming rotten. On the contrary, the oil develops its nourishing properties inside the wood fibers. This creates good humidity. Wooden floors and the like quickly shine again and look as if they have been freshly waxed.
These are the advantages of wood oils
The special oils prevent cracks from forming and drying out. Scratches can be easily sanded away, even on wooden floors.
The look of a surface or wooden floor treated with oils is impressive. The grain and natural color, for example, are particularly well-illustrated on the wooden surface. Ultimately, oiled wooden surfaces are pleasant to the touch, such as the armrests of garden furniture or wooden floors. The oils are also easy to apply and are good for the wood fibers all round.
The Disadvantages of Wood Oil
The disadvantages are that when you oil wood, you cannot create a pore-closing surface on the workpieces and you cannot seal the wood fibers. So dirt will continue to penetrate. It is therefore important that you oil the wood regularly. How often depends on how much use it is. As soon as the oiled wood surface becomes rough again, it is time to oil the wood again.
Oiling or varnishing wood – which is better?
With a coating of varnish or a varnished glaze, you create a closed layer on the wood surface. This prevents dirt from penetrating and at the same time ensures that the material cannot breathe. This is important so that moisture can be released and the humidity can be regulated. In addition, varnishes can be hazardous to health, which is less often the case with oils. For many people, the natural look is important, which is still achieved with oiling. Therefore, it can be said that oiling wood has a clear advantage.
Which oils are suitable for oiling wood?
Wood oils can be used both indoors and outdoors. There are different variants that are suitable for furniture in your property or are better used for oiling wood on garden or patio furniture as protection outdoors.
Which oils are suitable for oiling wood?
Hardware stores have the right product for oiling wood for almost every type of wood, but the supermarket can also be a good place to start. A distinction is made between natural oils such as linseed oil, walnut oil and tung oil and optimized variants known as hard oils that can be used for processing. The products do not contain any color that could penetrate the pores when oiling the wood.
Hard oils are linseed oil that is boiled in the absence of air and mixed with natural resin, among other things. This ensures that hard oils with the natural resin they contain have the property of forming a robust layer, making the material particularly resistant and producing a beautiful shine and a natural color. Hard oils are therefore mostly used for wooden floors that are subject to heavy wear and tear.
There are also teak oils that contain color pigments and are suitable for teak or similar workpieces. Teak oil is suitable for use on teak, for example if table tops are to be given a medium brown color. Special parquet oils for parquet complete the range. Worktops in the kitchen or wooden toys for children should always be treated with tested wood oil variants that are suitable for this purpose.
Hard wax oils are based on oil and wax. Hard wax oils with wax have a water-repellent effect on the surfaces and are more resistant to stains. A good hard wax oil is therefore also often used for oiling wood; it hardens well, protects the material and dries quickly. The floor is waxed at the same time.
Many DIY enthusiasts swear by siccative variants for oiling wood. These contain drying agents that allow for faster drying. However, some patience is required with the siccative products, even if the siccative agents require less time to dry in comparison.
linseed oil
Linseed oil is often the first choice of natural products and substances for oiling wood and has always been used to treat natural surfaces. The advantages of oiling wood with linseed oil compared to walnut oil and tung oil: It penetrates deep into the pores of the wood fibers, dries quickly and hardens well. If you want it to be even faster, then use siccative linseed oil, which is called linseed oil varnish because of the siccative drying agents. Linseed oil or linseed oil varnish is recommended, but also tung oil, especially for oiling wood indoors.
Baufix Wood Care Oil
You can find a particularly simple and reliable way to protect your wood with BAUFIX wood care oil. This is a high-quality special oil that has little odor and is ideal for hardwood garden furniture, wooden terraces and wooden walkways as well as wooden furniture indoors. The care oil is available in different colors that emphasize the natural color of the wood, while also having an impregnating effect when treating the wood and protecting it from dirt and stains.
If you have a surface or furniture that has already been treated with a substance, you must first completely sand off the layer with sandpaper before you can oil the wood.
What about sunflower oil or olive oil?
When treating wood professionally, you should never use cooking oils such as olive oil, sunflower oil or rapeseed oil. The reason: These cooking oils do not dry completely, unlike drying household oils such as linseed oil, tung oil and walnut oil. The fatality of using cooking oils such as olive oil or sunflower oil becomes apparent over time. In combination with oxygen, the cooking oils become rancid and can form mold. Furthermore, liquids such as olive oil and rapeseed oil can cause discoloration in addition to forming a rancid layer. Therefore, it is better to use linseed oil varnish to oil wood, which has a nourishing effect.
Oiling wood – easier than you think with the right oil and a little patience
It can be said that it is important to treat the wood with appropriate oils such as hard oils for floors, linseed oils, walnut oils and tung oils for furniture and workpieces indoors and special products such as BAUFIX wood care oil for indoors and outdoors. DIY enthusiasts promote the durability of the natural material, avoid dirt and maintain or enhance the appearance. Although it takes a little longer to dry and a touch-up is necessary, which would not be the case with a glaze or varnish, the advantages of oiling the wood outweigh the disadvantages. And so it can actually be fun to treat your furniture such as table tops and the like once a year and bring them into shape. The reward is in any case a fresh look after treating the wood with linseed oil, tung oil, hard oil, teak oil or Baufix care oil.
Our wood oil: BAUFIX Wood Care Oil
- enhances the natural wood color
- for wooden terraces & walkways
- for teak & hardwoods
- with waterproofing effect
- deep-acting, invigorating wood care
- for outside & inside