Red diesel as a finish for oak

[Joe Petersen]

I spoke with a gent the other day and he mentioned using off road diesel for a finish on a white oak trailer deck. He said after it dries for a few days the odor dissipates and it seals as good as anything else. He said it leaves a red tint and they used to use it on barns too.

Anyone ever done this? I would quarantine the wood for fear of a fire though.

[Matt Meiser]

Since diesel is oily, I would think it would leave some oil behind--if you've ever noticed the ground around a diesel pump, its pretty greasy. I bet it doesn't meet anybody's requirements for VOC emissions though. It might work as a cheap utility finish for fencing, trailer decks, etc, but I certainly wouldn't do it on something that was going indoors.