Rubio Monocoat

[JohnM Martin]

I'm working on a simple shaker night stand / end table and was considering Rubio Monocoat (https://www.monocoat.us/natural-oil-finish/) for finish. Has anyone tried this? I'm interested to hear any thoughts on this product.

[Steve Schoene]

Haven't tried this, but doesn't look particularly special except for the price. Other than the fact that it contains linseed oil, and is VERY slow curing, there is very little useful information given on the web pages.

There are plenty of oil/varnish mixtures that would appear to perform similarly. As far as the coloration goes, I generally prefer to separate the steps--stain or dye first, and then apply top coats. It's easier to get desired look that way. Of course, test any finish schedule fully on scrap before doing anything to the project.

[Michael Roberts]

I've used it some recently to satisfy my own curiosity. I don't find one coat to be sufficient. If you follow the instructions on the can, you will end up with a finish that is very flat and looks thirsty within a few days. I was talking with a few peers recently and the consensus among us was that a minimum of three coats were really necessary - at which point, this finish loses most of its appeal. Fellow Texas furniture maker Gary Weeks has documented the process they use with monocoat on their website. It's 3 coats with 24 - 48 hours between coats.