Best Oil for Wood – [Reviews&Guide 2024]

Getting oil for your wooden finished product can greatly improve the quality and durability of your project. Not only does oil penetrate the grains of the wood but it also acts as a coating, protecting the wooden surface from harsh conditions and irritable weather.

However, getting the best product is very important because all the products are not created equally. That’s why we are here, in this article, we will review the best 10 oils for wood, its various specifications, and what to look out for when purchasing the best product.

Unlike other products, Hope’s 100% Pure Tung Oil, Moisture Resistant Wood Finish for All Fine Woods would sit on the surface of the project on which it is being applied and it also penetrates deeply into the grains of your project protecting your precious wooden products.

This product is 100% food safe and it is perfect for surfaces like decks, countertops, bowls, brick, concrete, wooden floor, and any other surface which needs a natural coating.

This product is recommended for interior wooden surfaces such as paneling, cabinet, doors, trim, and tables.

The Minwax Antique Oil Finish can be used on both finished and unfinished wooden surfaces. When coating with Minwax Antique Oil Finish, users are required to coat at least 2-3 times.

The light walnut color ironically brings out a rich tone when it is applied to any wooden surface. Application of RUST-OLEUM 65531 Watco Gallon Light Walnut Danish Oil Finish is very easy and this oil coating product penetrates deeply into the surface of your finished product for a beautiful finish. This product can be applied on stripped, bare, or sanded wood.

This oil for wood creates protection against abrasion spills and chipping. Application of the RUST-OLEUM 242219 Watco Gallon Natural Danish Oil Wood Finish is said to be very easy. Simply wipe on and wipe off to allow the oil for wood to soak onto the surface of your wooden product. Application is most preferred on tight wood grains to get superior performance.

Unlike regular linseed oil, this product has been boiled to cut down the drying time drastically when compared to a raw product. The Sunnyside Corporation 87232S Boiled Linseed Oil has a dry window of only 12 – 18 hours for a uniform finish. It is also waterproof and it is safe for mostly antique products or furniture.

This oil for wood is made to be UV and water-resistant and it is great for a quick project because of its fast drying feature. The RUST-OLEUM Watco A67141 Teak Oil Finish is suitable for both interior and exterior surfaces and customers are advised to use it only above the water line.

Not only that it is safe for the younger generation but it is also labeled by the FDA as food safe meaning it can be applied on surfaces that hold food. Drying on the other hand is easy as this product dries after a few hours of application.

Due to the fact that the Formby 30064 30064000 Low Gloss is a Tung Oil Finish, it is perfect for users that prefer a sanity finish to a glossy finish. This also makes it a perfect choice for wood surfaces with imperfections.

The Cabot Australian Natural Timber Oil is solvent-based so the odor would be so bad meaning you have to get enough ventilation during application. It is perfect for both natural grain and hardwood grain.

Buyer’s Guide

What are the Choices?

Different oil for wood are provided for different situations and getting the best can affect the lifespan of your wood.

 Oil and Varnish Blend

If you purchase this type of oil for wood, you may get the best features that are associated with both types of oil finish. The varnish in this case strengthens the product giving it durability while enhancing its colors, on the other hand, the oil is responsible for the condition and application of this type of finish. This type of oil finish takes its weather and water resistivity seriously making it a choice that you can overlook. Some oil and varnish blend products are proven to be resistant to ultraviolet rays.

 Tung Oil

When Tung oil is applied to a finished product, it may take a very long time to dry so most tung oil products have chemicals and additives which can help speed up the drying process. Users using this type of oil finish can also treat the coating with heat to speed up the drying time. Tung oil is a moisture-resistant coating that is perfect for hardwood due to its penetrating features. When it is applied to hardwood, more power is needed to penetrate its tight grains.

 Wax

Wax is not considered a finish but it is an agent that helps improve the condition of your wooden project or protect it and retain its color irrespective of factors like aging. It is preferable to be used together with other finishes.

 Olive Oil

Being a vegetable-based coating, Olive Oil acts as a natural non-drying wood oil which is also similar to peanut oil. Oil-based coatings such as olive oil or vegetable oil should be avoided if one is coating food storage bowls because this would leave a sticky smelly finish that makes stored food go sour.

 Mineral Oil

Mineral oil is used by woodworkers because of its specific properties such as the non-drying and very low sheen. Mineral oil are food safe and it is available for use on wooden kitchen equipment and did to the fact that they are non-drying, they can be easily washed away.

Mineral oil is considered more as a treatment for wood than a finish because of its none-drying nature and it will not form a solid film on your wooden project. Mineral oil which is light enough can be used to coat products such as ornament bowls.

 Varnish

Varnish boasts of adding a colorful finish to your wooden projects. Varnish is made using a synthetic resin which ends up infiltrating the wood surface and sealing it. If your goal is to seal your wooden project’s surface to protect it from moisture, consider using oil which would be a better choice for you. Varnish cures by using the same process that oil uses which is called polymerization, but it is much more durable than oil.

 Danish Oil

Danish oil is known to protect wood against heat, chemicals, and stains and it is more of a mixture of thin oil with varnish. Danish oil takes at least 15 minutes to get into the surface of the wood and application of each layer should be done only once a day. Multiple layers would create a protective layer which would build up a thick coating like wood varnish.

It is also important to know that danish oil dries faster than linseed oil and this type of coating is most suitable for fresh or new wooden surfaces.

 Linseed Oil

Most linseed oils used to coat wooden products and structures are mostly boiled. This is because it takes a very long time for normal raw linseed oil to dry when it is applied. Boiled Linseed oil is very smooth when applied to any wooden surface and it dries to protect the surface of your project from various factors. If you want to go for Linseed oil, go for the one which is boiled, or better yet, look for a “polymerized” or “heat treated” product. Other forms of linseed oil may include raw linseed oil which has been added to chemicals to speed up the drying process. Although this seems much more reasonable they produce toxic fumes which can be so uncomfortable during application.

 Other Finishes

Other types of oil wood finish may include lacquers and shellac and they give a very bright shiny finish. These types of oil-finish products create a thin layer of coating that is known to be reflective. This type of oil wood finish is not suitable for woods where the surface has a number of imperfections because the shiny finish brings out the imperfection. It can be used for wood products with perfect surfaces because it enhances the grain. They dry on top of the surface on which it is applied on instead of penetrating and entering the wood pores.

Conclusion

Hopefully, our review and buyer’s guide on the best oil for wood has helped you learn more about it and the type of oil products in the market out there. We believe that our review would be able to help guide you on which type of oil you need for the type of wooden surface you used in your project. You can research more on the choice of wood oil you plan on using.