Finishing help

Ryan, you can put wax over tung oil but you need to let it cure first. Tung oil is a highly misused term by manufacturers. Unless the product states that it is a pure tung oil then you are really dealing with a wiping varnish and not tung oil. (If you want some info on this take a look at this post and follow Randy’s (drgoodwood) comments). But assuming that you did put on a tung oil finish, it will need to cure for several days before you can put a coat of wax on it.

If the ash looks dry then certainly you can apply another coat of tung oil to the wood. Ash is a lot like oak and will soak up a penetrating finish. And, as far as the grooves go, if you want to knock down the sheen just buff them with 0000 steel wool to flatten the finish.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

I think I goofed a bit, I looked at the can of finish, and I actually used Teak Oil, not Tung Oil. Hopefully the same principles apply? Here’s exactly what I used:

As far as the sheen – I actually really like the gloss look inside the letters, it helps them stand apart. I realize that if I wanted to put the wax on I’d have to wait a few more days until it completely cures. How will the wax alter the appearance? I am completely unfamiliar with using it as a final top finish – but it seems many people on here do.

I’m thinking about putting another coat of the teak oil to help it not appear as dry, let it out-gas for a few days, then hitting it with the wax as a final finish (depending on what you all think)

-- Ryan -- Maple Grove, MN