Hardwax Oil Vendors and Selection

[Stan Spencer]

Thanks to this forum, hardwax oils, specifically Rubio Monocoat was recommended to me. I used it on a job last week and can really see its advantages. The downside of course is cost, so I've been compiling a list of other options and the cost per sq.ft. Rubio's advertised advantage, right there in the name, is that you only need to apply one coat, whereas the others all recommend more than one. My next step is to purchase samples of the lower cost options and test coverage and appearance as a function of the number of coats, on a few different species of wood. Having tested Rubio with multiple coats, the appearance definitely improves with more coats, so I'd like to know how much the name is a marketing gimmick vs reality.

Here's the list of the products I could find. Please let me know if you have any other product or testing suggestions. Coverage is the minimum reported by the manufacturer. Currency is USD with exchange rates, when applicable, from the week of May 8, 2022.



Product

$/ GAL

Sq.ft./ GAL

$/sq.ft. (1 coat)

Country of Origin



Livos Kunos
174
893
0.19
Australia


Whittlewax

254
1222
0.21
Australia


Interbuild
208
814
0.26
Sweden



OSMO Polyx
242
946
0.26
Germany


Odies
739
2366
0.31
US


Fiddes
258
814
0.32
UK


Treatex
162
488
0.33
UK


Pallmann Magic Oil
454
1325
0.34
Germany


Bona
298
810
0.37
Sweden


Rubio Monocoat
437
1137
0.38
Holland


Vesting
715
1630
0.44
Holland


Synteko

610
0.00
Sweden

[John TenEyck]

Loba: https://loba.co.za/product-category/loba-oil-finish-for-wood-floors/

John

[Stan Calow]

Have any of the magazines done comparison testings?

[Stan Spencer]

Quick update:

I have tested Livos Kunos, Interbuild, Osmo Polyx, and Rubio Monocoat. I used 5ml of each on some leftover beech veneer sheet scraps. I applied one coat of each and measured the amount of beech I could cover with that amount. I realize that my error is magnified by using such a small amount but it was meant to be a screening test. Here are the results:



Product

$/ GAL

Actual Sq.ft./ GAL

Actual $/sq.ft. (1 coat)

Country of Origin
URL



Livos Kunos
174
2500
0.07
Australia
livosusa.com



Interbuild
208
2500

0.08
Sweden
interbuild.shop, amazon.com


OSMO Polyx
242
2800
0.09
Germany
osmocolorusa.com


Rubio Monocoat
437
1900
0.23
Holland
amazon.com





There is a large difference between what the vendor reported for coverage, and my actual test. I used their minimum number, and my test is only a small amount on one species, and of course, one coat. I mainly wanted to see the appearance and cost relative to Rubio, to test my theory that the other vendors will look just as good with one coat, and cost less. The appearance is subjective, they all look approximately the same, although I do like the slightly more figured and natural appearance of the Interbuild the best. The others are slightly more yellow, while Interbuild is a bit more brown in base hue.

The Rubio comes with a hardener that you mix with it so theoretically it will be ready to ship more quickly. I have readjusted my process though so will now be applying the hardwax to full sheets early in the process, letting it dry overnight, then machining it on the cnc router to have nice clean edges without any oil on them. This gives me more time for it to harden before shipping, assuming it is hard enough to machine.

Based on the appearance and the cost, I'll be using Interbuild on my next job.