I have been following the threads on the various hardwax oil finishes, and how well they hold up to liquids after curing. I appreciate those that have posted their experiences. I’m adding my hat to the ring because my tests show some results that are a bit different than others have seen. There’s a lot to like about these finishes; easy application in a shop that doesn’t have to be dust free, they do a good job of showing the beauty of the wood, and most have a nice soft feel when cured. But all of these attributes are diminished if the finish doesn’t hold up well in use.
I’ve been testing 4 different finishes this year; Rubio Monocoat, Odie’s Oil, Tried & True, and Osmo Polyx 3043 Satin. I’m in no way a pro, just a guy making furniture in my home shop. My woods of choice are usually walnut and maple, the first being open grained and benefiting from some added warmth, whereas the maple is tight grained and (for me) doesn’t look as good with too much yellowing. So these are what I tested, sanding only to 150 grit as most manufacturers recommend.
Rubio produces a very flat finish. I know many like this look, but it was just too flat to bring out the richness of the wood to my eye. I’ve seen the videos where multiple coats were used in conjunction with a buffer, but on smaller projects with lots of nooks and crannies that seems impractical. I’m also not fond of having to mix 2 parts together for each use to get a quicker cure time.
Odie’s oil also produced a flat finish. I called them, and was told that more sheen could result from sanding to a higher grit. I did use Odie’s for some cutting boards and liked the result; food safe, and richer looking than just using mineral oil.
Tried and True was recommended by a guy at my Woodcraft store for walnut, and I think it does a great job. It provides a deep, slightly warm finish with a very soft sheen with multiple coats. I have sanded to 220 on a recent project since they don’t advise otherwise, and the results were silky smooth.
Osmo produced the most sheen for me when I applied 3 coats. It’s a beautiful satin finish, not too glossy. If the sheen is too much for your taste, you can knock it back with a few light passes with 3M red or grey pads. It still feels very smooth and silky, unlike a poly finish. It is also the least yellowing of all these finishes, which I like for maple.
Now for the interesting part; the liquid test. I had samples of these finishes that have been curing for 3 to 6 months, and did a test with water and white wine left on the surface for 45 minutes. The surfaces were then wiped clean, first with a damp rag and then a dry one.
From what I’ve read, I expected the Rubio to fare the best and the Osmo to fare the worse; my results were exactly opposite. Osmo and Odies were the best of the 4, showing no marks or discoloring. Tried and True showed some marks, but they disappeared after a few minutes. Rubio had dark marks from the liquids, which mostly disappeared after waiting 10 minutes and buffing by hand, but I could still see a tiny bit where the wine was.
I have enclosed some photos, but view them with some caveats. I wanted to show the maximum effects from the liquids with the affected area brightly highlighted, so the sheen is a bit harsh and greater than what you would expect to see in normal lighting. I also didn’t sand as carefully as I would normally. Each sample has a spot of water on the left, wine on the right. The last image is a closeup of the Rubio showing the slight discoloration.
Sorry for the long post, and I certainly don’t want to infer that anyone else’s results are not accurate. I think it might show that we all might add our own nuances to the finishing process, which might produce different results. Cheers!
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