The Best Oil Varnish to Touch Up Your Wooden Furniture

Best Oil Varnishes Buying Guide

Oil varnishes are made by dissolving hard resins like copal or amber in oil. They are best suited to be used for the exposed surfaces that need polishing or frequent cleaning. Furthemore, they are slow to dry but they get hard and turn out to be the most durable of all the varnishes available in the market.

Planning to buy oil varnish? There are few important points listed in the following buyer’s guide that you should keep in your mind before you step out to market to buy varnish oil:

What Are the Pros of Oil Varnishes?

Oil finishes are the best for certain wood applications. In some cases, oil finishes are not the best products for the substances like shellacs or lacquers. But they still have some pretty good pros as listed below:

Best for dense wood

Oil varnish will work well on the non-porous wood that has dense grains like cherry, birch, and maple. After the application of varnish, they will shine like glass. Thus with very little effort, you will get furniture and fixture with satin sheen finish.

Easy-to-use

The application of linseed and Danish oil is very easy. Moreover, they get dried quickly as well. One of the mistakes that are being made while using this is that they can easily get fixed on the spot or days later. This makes them the best choice for the first-time finish.

Use mineral oil if you are looking for a non-toxic finish on a wooden cutting board. Once done you can apply varnish.

Provide great luster

As the oil finishes raise the grain of wood once they are applied, the luster of an oil finish will give a wood that is considered more pleasing to your eyes than the finish produced by other common finishes.

Choosing the right brush is also very important for an even application. Although foam brushes do an average job, they are not the best option. Instead, you can go for bristle brushes that allow you to spread the varnish smoothly.

How to Apply Oil Varnish?

Now, let’s have a look at the steps for applying varnish oil:

• Firstly, you will have to sand the wood on which you are going to apply the varnish. For this purpose, you can sander with a P120 paper and end the job by using P320 paper to get rid of the marks produced by orbital sanders. Alternately, you can use a 0000 steel wool to lightly sand the wood.
• Shake the thin compound that will be used for the first coat. We are going to apply it to the bare wood without repeating this step. We can clearly see how fast it will change the appearance of wood and it will highlight its veining.
• Place the piece in a well-ventilated place for 12 hours. After that, apply the second coat. To ensure that it is fully dry, touch it with your fingers. Later, we do the sanding again using P400 paper.
• Leave it again and let the varnish dry for at least 24 hours. After the second coat, there might be some excess soil present at some spots. Wipe that using a dry rag. Our aim will be to get a matte finish instead of a hard or glossy finish. 
• Apply another coat of oil-and-wax-finish. Shake the mixture properly and apply it to the wood. After 12 hours, you will get the desired result. After that, you can polish it well using buffing wheels or by rubbing using a rag.

Also remember, while lacquer, shellac, and oil-based polyurethane varnish need to be thinned with a paint thinner, there are also finishes that need no thinning like hard wax oils, boiled linseed oil, and tung oil finishes. Oil or varnish that comes in mineral oil finishes can be applied in a thin coat.

The video from ‘Paoson Woodworking’ demonstrates the best ways to apply varnish oil.

How We Have Chosen The Products?

The selection of any product is very difficult when you have a lot of options available in the market. But there are a few things that can be considered to pick the right product according to your need. In the hunt of picking the best oil varnishes for you, we have kept the following points in mind and you should also do the same:

Brands

The internet is full of information about the best oil varnishes. You can use the internet to search about the best brands available in your city or country. After that, you can make a list and can look out for the products in home improvement stores or online to buy one for your needs. Just don’t forget to check the overall reputation of the brand you are considering for the purchase.

Price tag

The next important thing you need to look at is the price of a product. Don’t hesitate to spend a little extra if you are getting good quality danish oil. To save some money, you can check out some online stores or home improvement stores located near your house. There might be a possibility that you get some discounts.

Reviews

Lastly, you should pay attention to the reviews. The product you might be looking to buy will be available on Amazon or on any other online store. You should visit that page and read the reviews to get an idea about the quality of the product. If there are more positive reviews than negative reviews, then you should buy that product.

What Is the Price Range for Oil Varnishes?

When it comes to paying the price for oil varnish, you can expect to pay between a price range of $6 to $39. The price will vary depending on the brand you are buying, the quantity of the varnish, and the features offered by a certain product. Some of the notable features are resistance against acid, mildew, alkyds, and more. Such products will cost you more in comparison to the oil varnish without these features.