Summary 1. Pre-sand wood up to 240 grit 2. Shake can 3. 1st application: Pour Danish oil onto clean rag/paper towel, and rub onto wood. Surface should be slightly wet. Leave to soak in for a few minutes. 4. Wipe off excess with fresh paper towel, don't let excess oil dry on the surface. Let dry for 4-8h. 5. 2nd application: Rub a thin layer of Danish oil onto paper towel. Leave for a few minutes. 6. Wipe off excess with fresh paper towel. Let dry for 4-8h. 7. 3rd application: repeat steps 5 & 6. 8. 4th application: drip a small amount of Danish oil onto the surface, use 600 girt sandpaper to sand with the oil. (slurry of wood dust and oil is normal). 9. Wipe off excess with fresh paper towel. Let dry for 4-8h. Stop here if satin finish is desired. 10. 5th application: Repeat steps 8 & 9 until the level of gloss is desired.
For those wondering, he sanded on coat #4 with 600 grit sandpaper. It was at this point (after wiping off the oil) that he indicated a 'satin' finish was achieved. This means 5 to 6 coats would be necessary for a higher gloss finish.
This is the best how-to video I’ve seen so far on applying Danish Oil. All the other videos I’ve seen say to dump some oil on the surface and then rub it in. The problem with that is if you have some grooves or other (routed) details in your work, then it’s hard to get the oil out of tight areas. Paper towels work great since they don’t hold a heavy amount of the oil, and they make it easy to pick up the excess. I didn’t know about sanding with 600 on the 4th coat, thanks for that!
I am finishing a bass guitar made of pine and banak, I am finishing it with cherry color Danish oil, started getting frustrated because the finish felt sticky in some areas and some areas seem dryer. the missing step I was not performing was to apply the Danish oil with a piece of sandpaper, it makes a HUGE improvement. Thank you for posting this video. Greetings from Mexico.
Wow!! The oil/sandpaper coats bring the finish to a whole new level. I don't have 600 grit here but I do have what feels like sanding cloth (as opposed to paper) @400 grit. I used that, and the surface was way smoother. Definitely worth the trouble, which was minimal. Great video!
Oh, 4-8 hours, the first time you said it I thought you said 48 hours. I have an 11 foot Walnut worktop I need to treat, Thought it was going to take me 4 days to to all the coats. 4-8 hours is much better haha
If you are planning on a polyurethane finish on top of the oil, allow the oil to dry 2-3 days before doing the poly. Best practice is wait until there is no smell from the oil.
Thank you! Great info! I have an old farmhouse table that needs to be refinished, and I wanted to try danish oil on it, but I didn't know where to start! This was perfect.
I learned a lot from this video and thank you ....But I can recommend any finishing by polishing with fine steel wool ( such as jewellers use )....I discovered this by mistake as I just had some lol.
Never thought watching Danish Oil being could be so therapeutic. Always wondered why my single application never looked good :).... Keep up the good work..
Thank you Fabian. Sorry my previous comment was so brief. But the reason was, after watching some of your extremely good and informative video, I was in a hurry to get out of the door of my sisters flat to get back to my new flat where I am restoring a wooden bed base. I had managed to bleach out some pretty horrendous black rings courtesy of the previous owners, and had just applied my first coat of Danish oil with a rag, which I then scrunched up and left in the kitchen. When I got back to my sister's flat (where I am staying till said bed base is finished) I thought I had better watch a video on how to apply Danish oil as I hadn't really a clue. It was at the point where you mention that the rag can spontaneously combust, that I left a quick comment, and rushed back to my new flat. Fortunately, the rag had not spontaneously combusted so I laid it out flat outside in a non-flamable area and came back to my sister's and watched the rest of your video. After watching your video I learned the proper application, and that Danish oil was perfect for the effect that I wanted to create with my bed base. I think the base is beech but I can't be sure. Ayway, thank you for your great video, and for potentially saving me from burning down my new flat. As a woman on my own, I found it extremely helpful x
I like the wet sanding idea - going to try this tomorrow on an oak window board I am fitting. Just to add that if you have an elec sander on oak you can go through a set of grit grades from 120 through to 1200 or 2000 for a really super smooth finish before applying the oil. If its really smooth, 2-3 coats will produce a glossy finish. 5-6 coats and it becomes a glass-like finish. Just finished a breakfast bar doing this. But this only works if you put in the time with the sanding.....swings and roundabouts.
taking it to those high grit sandpapers it will give you a really shiny finish but won't pop the grain much because the oil won't penetrate deeply into the wood . For a grainy wood (such as ash or pine) I prep sand it with 120 grit sandpaper in order to leave the grain open. that's my point of view
Thank you, Fabian! There are a whole lot of terrible websites on what and how to apply danish oil (I've read/watched them all now!). But your video made sense to me so I bought some and I used it over an earlier linseed application yesterday. Beautiful! More coats today and I'm definitely converted!
Thanks for sharing- you were so much help! Would never have known to use sandpaper and it’s made such a difference to the oak table I’ve been refinishing. Thanks!
Thank for posting. After watching this, I decided on medium walnut Danish oil for some bookshelves I am building. Very confident they'll look great following your instructions.
Thanks for the video! We have decided to use Danish Oil on a wood shelving unit we built in the garage. We will likely do two coats to start since the areas we will be applying won't be receiving much wear and tear (just the supports and fronts of the shelves).
Thank you for the great tutorial. I am finishing wood shutters with danish oil (2 weeks after staining). I hope to apply enough costs to effectively make the shutters waterproof. Thanks again. Great instructions- I have now subscribed.
Thanks for the video Fab, I have some Danish oil I'm using to finish a coffee table, but could not see the instructions and did not know how long I could take between applications and sanding! Thank you!
Excellent video...thanx an' a hat tip! Well done. I am grateful for the sanding with 600 grit and oil. You seem to be much more conservative with your application than I am...I flood the surface, let it stand 10--15 minutes and then wipe it off. Again, thank you.
Tonight I am going to practice using this same product on a piece of oak. It came from a top on a narrow table I built years ago and the surface has that orange yellow look from the finish ageing. I like it but it is dated and our front room in our house has darker wood so after I strip/ and stain the oak I am going to work in this Danish oil. I am enjoying your video's and look forward to learning how to use the Danish oil.
Schönes Video, Fabian.Das haste super erklärt, wie man das Öl am besten benutzt.Mit dem Öl-Zwischenschliff war mir auch neu gewesen.Danke für die ganzen Erklärungen.
Very nice. Love the sand with oil. I have a bunch of 1”x12”x8’ red oak boards that are hung on staircase balusters. Looking for a quick way to finish them. This looks like the way to go. Matches the sheen on the wood doors in the building. Thanks.
Very good demonstation. The downside of Danish is that it's a very slow process, as you illustrated and also it needs to be in a dust free environment or you will get dust settling in the oil and you have to start again
Excellent timing! I actually have several projects that I'm working on this month that I'm going to finish with Danish OIl, thanks for the video! Man that finish looks nice!
Thanks Fabian, I liked the comparisons, try as I might in hardware shops, nobody ever seems to know the difference. I don't want a glass finish, so I'll go gently!
Great info....I coated a floor with this oil before but never saw how to anywhere and had a poor result, applied too much oil in between coats thinking I am doing it to preserve the wood....thank you for enlightening me !
I'm going to use this oil to resurface a window seal in my mothers home. It get's a lot of sun light and has caused the finish to crack over the years.
I like the danish oil better than the tung oil. It's a lot easier to work with. I am going to see how a wiping poly will look over danish oil finish as I've read that it's a soft finish that doesn\t hold up as well as other types.
Fabian's Tiny Workshop I have 2 questions I hope you can answer. 1, why do you sand in a circular motion, I have always been told to sand with the grain, but I’ve only gone done to 400 grit before. And 2, in a few years time and it’s time to refinish the wood, how do you do it? With poly in the finish, does it need stripping right back to bare wood?
i am doing this on a 8 ft board yeah I have A LOT of oil work to do but these tips are looking great just finished the sandpaper piece... it really made the grain pop.... I used FUR wood.... any tips for doing the edges and end pieces?
Thank you for this video! With this finish on a coffee table should I be worried about not using coasters or pot holders? If so, what would you recommend I do if I still want the same look?
