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/...r-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.