There's lot of wood on the inside of our FTs.
Does anyone know of an easier way to apply oil or polish than just using a rag, (ie; sponge, foam brush, etc.)?
One word........NO. ^.^d Just smell what you are about to apply before getting carried away, you could be sleeping underneath!
What about a rubber glove and a small closed cell sponge wrung out to the right consistency?
Like I do with tire sidewalls.
When I bought my first Foretravel 15 years ago this is what they recommended.
Sidewalls and wheels work great with this method:
wood doctor is what FT uses and MOT and it is what we used for years on all three of our coaches.
Wish BIGDOG was here to take a decent pic of the kitchen area I just re-did. "Whoa Baby". ^.^d
And by Kitchen being re-done, Does that mean you restocked the fridge with the La Cerveza Mas Fina?
Wrong order Mike... 8) .Pacifico first (2) ;D
Last time through NAC I got son ZEP Wood Doctor. As a woodworker I was not as pleased with the results as most seem to be. It looks nice for awhile but then the wood in our coach takes on a dull dry look, probably from the solvents in it.
Four years ago I bought this stuff. Put it on (very light coat) with a rag. Let it sit for 20 min or so and then wipe it off with a dry rag. I have almost half of it left and the entire inside of the coach gets done every month or two. The resulting wood color and luster is what I want. And it is way cheaper than WoodDoc which you can't just spray on anyway.
Amazon.com: Howard FW0016 Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner, 16-Ounce:... (https://amazon.com/Howard-FW0016-Feed-N-Wax-Conditioner-16-Ounce/dp/B001BKQYGW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488582557&sr=8-1&keywords=feed+and+wax+wood+polish)
It is just like your coach, there are no shortcuts to keeping it looking great.
Beeswax and orange oil. It works well in my coach for dry wood and smells great! I bought mine at Home Depot.
Jerry
Jerry
We use Cabinet Magic. Almond oil based product. Smells great and conditions best of anything we've tried.
Don't remember whether anyone mentioned, but if you use any oil base product, be careful what you do with the rags you use to apply it. I just about set a house on fire once by leaving a rag with oil finish wadded up. Given the right circumstances, spontaneous combustion can take you by surprise.
Len
I bought a bottle of this the last time you mentioned it in a previous thread. I am very happy with the results as well.
I have actually witnessed just this thing happen at a neighbors house. Set his rags down and we started chatting then boom! The picnic table seemed to spontaneously combust. Luckily it was some distance from the house itself. YIKES!
WD40 works well but doesn't build up like beeswax, so it too dries out.
But, how are y'all applying whatever you're using?
I used a rag to apply Zep wood doctor
Linseed Oil and turpentine is what I used 15 years ago and I know linseed oil will combust...Never happened to me, but it will.
John
Roger had a good point: if POs had used a wax compound, it will take some time for the ZEP to remove the old stuff and penetrate.
Tried using a foam paint brush and it worked well for keeping the oil off of surrounds (ceiling, reefer trim, etc.) but it needed to be wiped with a rag afterwards as it was too heavy an application.
Thanks everyone.
T-Man,
I spray the Zep into a sponge then I scrub the woodwork. This you don't get any over spray. The wife doesn't like the Zep because it has a strong odor. Here is a product I've been researching. They are also coming out with a product for wood. It's called Top Coat.
John M.
TopCoat Motorcycle (https://topcoat.store/pages/getf11)
I just use a small rag, squirt some on and rub it around on the rag and then wipe it on the wood. I stay a bit away from the ceiling fabric. You can get a plastic paint edge for painting to make it easier to get close but if you are a 1/2" away that is OK. When you wipe it down a while later it blends in. Bees wax gives you a soft sheen that lasts. I try to do everything once a month or so. Here in AZ where it is really dry maybe more often. I rarely do everything all at once, maybe over a couple of days. Areas that may get wet like in the kitchen and bathroom get an extra coat. When I am done I store the small rag with the bottle in a plastic bag. The rag has enough left on it to do touchups.
I am a woodworker and beeswax is a favorite of mine. Everything that gets touched gets bees wax for the feel.
I also like Watco Satin Finishing Wax. It comes in a light and dark color, dark for wanut and cherry, light for the lighter oak. It is a liquid wax so some care is needed. A small rag with some on it works well to wipe a light coat on and work it in, let dry, buff with a dry cloth. Repeat. Beautiful satin sheen, great feel. The dark is dark which is good. You won't get little pores in the wood with whitish wax.
RUST-OLEUM 66941 66941 SATIN FINISH WAX QUART - Household Wood Stains -... (https://amazon.com/RUST-OLEUM-66941-SATIN-FINISH-QUART/dp/B00013US4Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489023524&sr=8-1&keywords=watco+satin+wax+dark)
What do you guys think on lemon oil? When I was young-er we used it on the wood cabinets when we cleaned houses... always worked good and smells good..
I think the oil part of it helps with the cleaning of the wood and it will impart a shine for a while. You probably want to stay away from anything that will leave an oily residue. It might make things slippery or get on your hands and transfer to something else. Lots of antique furniture dealer use turpentine (not mineral spirits or paint thinner) mixed with bees wax to clean years of grime off old stuff and leave a low luster finish.
The Howard's Feed n Wax uses orange oil.
Try different product to get the look and protection you want. The wood in out FTs is one of their most important and visible features. Take care of it.
This works well when doing the bottom wood!
When I built my house I used Polymerized Tung Oil from Sutherland Welles, Ltd – Tung Oil Finishes for... (http://www.sutherlandwelles.com/index.html) Murdock's Hard Oil was the specific product.
I'm guessing that FT cabinets were finished with lacquer. I have successfully applied their lounge oil over the top of lacquer. I would call and ask them about which product to use and the procedure. A de-waxer would have to be used first. Yes, there will be some smell from the off gassing of the tongue oil, however, they cook the oil first which allows the oil to dry fast. Different levels of sheen can be achieved by how the product is applied. The wood is permanently sealed. There is nothing in the finish to ever yellow or crack.
It would be worth a test in an isolated cabinet.
Pre-2006 (at least), FT used Sherwin Williams Sanding Sealer as the finish.
A sanding sealer is used as the first coat to fill in the larger pores of the wood. Then a stain (I don't think they used stain) and multiple finish coats.
It has been talked about as long as I have been a member on forum that FT ONLY used that sanding sealer. Remember that the woods they use in our coach's have a much tighter grain than softer woods and fine sanded very well.
I think you will find out this is correct and do not forget Michelle is a sticker for facts and a great resource too. 8) ^.^d
JohnH
Not sure on production, but that is how David Flanagan finishes his walnut cabinet remods
Tim, which post are you referring to 27 or 28?
JohnH
Sanding sealer as only finish on walnut at FT remodel shop
Google Sherwin Williams sanding sealer or wood sealer and you will see there are many choices.
There are pre-stain sealers that you put on woods with a wide range of surface densities (like maple) before using common stains to get a more uniform result.
Sanding sealers are usually pretty soft which helps them fill grain. Many coats, sanded each time gets you a very smooth surface with chemistry such that the final finishes (varnish, poly or lacquer) bond well. This is like many sanded coats of primer on a vintage car before the final coats of candy apple red are applied. Sanding sealers by themselves are generally not waterproof nor alcohol resistant. They are frequently a 1 pound cut of shellac (shellac flakes and alcohol, 1:8 by weight) which will impart a bit of a yellowish to orange tint.
There are newer spray on catalyzed lacquers that are much more alcohol and water resistant that can be sanded and reapplied to build up the surface level and durability.
Most of the furniture I make is quarter sawn white oak. It gets base colored with alcohol and dye tints and then at least six coats of catalyzed oil, wet sanded with 600 grit wet or dry paper, wiped dry and left to cure overnight. This finish is in the wood not just on it and very durable and has the feel and sheen I want. Finally waxed of course. Both the cherry and walnut used in our coaches change color as they age. I use the same process to get very good matches to the aged cherry in our coach.
It is very hard to imagine what FT used 12-25 years ago. Probably something that isn't made anymore for environmental and health reasons. The catalyzed lacquers are very common finishes today because production time is low and durability is high.
Whatever they used 16 years ago in our 2001 has a wonderful feel and sheen and seems pretty durable. I am doing everything I can to preserve and protect it.
Great thread. A window leak had discolored the wood
and I was wondering how to repair the spots. I was
wondering what stain was used? Now I will strip and
see what it looks like and go back with sanding sealer.
Thanks everybody, have a great weekend,
Carter-
Typically American black walnut needs no stain to be beautiful but check with our experts. Only straight grain wood that may be more expensive may be rosewood.
Michelle keep being a sticker for the facts.
I stopped by the shop of the man who made the cabinets for my house yesterday and asked him about just using a sanding sealer. He said he had never heard of that being done. Regardless of whether or not the cabinets were just finished with a sanding sealer or not, I hear people saying that they are having maintenance problems with the finish. I am just suggesting one alternative to what has been tried by different people. 1st thing would be to check the compatibility of the tongue oil and the original finish and use a wax remover.
Today most kitchen cabinets are finished with lacquer or polyurethane. Lacquer yellows with age and polyurethane, in my opinion, kills the natural beauty and richness of the wood. The reason for this is that oil based finishes penetrate into the wood more and bring out the natural color in the wood. The pictures I have seen of FT walnut cabinets show variations in the color. I really like that look. The wood in my house is cherry. Most commercial products are stained to a desired color and then finished. This process fast and you don't have to wait 6 months to a year for the wood to develop its color. With stain you lose the richness and color variation.
Ha ha! I was just sharing what David Flanagan at FOT had told us and several others when we asked him, and some years ago someone had contacted the folks in production and was told the same thing. Ours was for a TV cabinet remod we did.
Finishes did change somewhere around 2006 or so - they went to a much higher gloss on some coaches and also did some stained options rather than just a clear finish.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the original question. When I was at Foretravel last time the wood shop told me to use ZEP "Wood Doctor" and they even demonstrated it on the walnut cabinets in my coach. They have spray cans of the stuff strategically located on the table in the office where you pay your bill, causing me to purchase a can of it of course. Spray some onto a soft cotton rag and wipe it onto the walnut. It works great... Is this what you were asking? ...If you're building new walnut cabinets and you want them to match your current wood you need to order dark walnut, which is slightly different when ordered from California than when ordered from the rest of the nation. Order a small piece first and see if it matches. Finish it with sanding sealer. Don't use any stain. This is what they told me in the wood shop at Foretravel. I did this and my new woodwork matches the existing wood exactly.
The OP asked how to apply whatever you choose to use. A small soft rag works well. With ZEP WD wear nitrile glove, eye protection and a respirator mask.
ZEP Wood Doctor MSDS
Handling
Pressurized container: protect from sunlight and do not expose to temperatures exceeding 50°C. Do not pierce or burn, even after use. Store and use away from heat, sparks, open flame or any other ignition source. Put on appropriate personal protective equipment (see section 8). Do not get in eyes or on skin or clothing. Do not breathe vapor or mist. Do not ingest. Avoid breathing gas. Use only with adequate ventilation. Wear appropriate respirator when ventilation is inadequate. Wash thoroughly after handling.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Eyes, Hands and Body, Respiratory
Recommended: Safety glasses. Recommended: Nitrile gloves.
Recommended: Use with adequate ventilation. Provide exhaust ventilation or other engineering controls to keep the airborne concentrations of vapors below their respective occupational exposure limits.
I don't doubt that it works well but, Paraffin Oil is the same thing as Kerosene which is why it is good at removing wax. :)
Roger has good suggestions: Do we need air tanks and re-breathers?
Oil finishes have their downsides. That is why Southerner Wells products are very expensive. They cook the tongue oil so that it cures and can be re-coated in a couple of hours vs. days. They also add lemon oil to mask the smell. The upside is oil finishes are beautiful.
Linseed oil really worked nicely on my water discolored wood .
I think that it says boiled on the can but will check tues. I had it from my airplane days, for inside of the tubing. .
Boiled . it is.
I took Roger's advice (which is always a good idea) and bought Feed N Wax and like it MUCH better than the ZEP product.
So whats wrong with just using Old English? I've been using it years.
Here's a pic of our wood kit.
any before and after pics?
I too took Roger's advice and recently got some Howard Feed and Wax. We have an old oak ice box that we turned into a liquor cabinet back about 1970. My wife refinished it (the only time she ever did any refinishing) and I remember her using bees wax on it.
It still looks as good as it did back then, so when I saw Roger's recommendation it got my attention.
I haven't used it yet, but I'm sure it's what my cabinets need.
Thanks Roger!