# Watco Danish Oil Finish in kitchen without adding a clear coat?



## shwoodnt (Jun 2, 2016)

In my kitchen will be drawer fronts and cupboard doors of maple, aspen, and ash.

The plan is to use Watco Danish Oil Finish on the woods. The can reads, both:

"Watco Danish Oil Finish is a unique blend of penetrating oil & varnish that stains, seals & protects in one easy step."

and

"If a topcoat is required, use Varathane Interior Diamond Wood Finish (oil based or water based)...."

So I'm wondering whether I should stop after the Danish Oil and not add the shiny topcoat of Varathane.

The drawers in these pictures have sapele handles finished only with the Danish Oil.

The tall cabinet holding the dishwasher, and all the other carcasses are finished with Varathane and have a thick shiny coat.

Maple will go under the sink. Aspen to the right of the sink. The ash on three drawer fronts to the left of the stove and a pantry door to the left of that, and on the front of the dishwasher cabinet.

Is it simply a matter of personal preference between the grainier finish of the tung oil alone and the thick shiny coat of varathane? Or will spills in a kitchen make a shiny protective varathan coat an obvious choice over frequent sanding and reapplication of the tung oil?

I won't be getting fancy and using finishes other than simply this tung oil or else this tung oil and the recommended water based varathane. So, no need to discuss different finishes that may work better. I'll be sticking to one of these two.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

As a long time users, I wouldn't use only Watco on kitchen case work. 
My process is somewhat strange but, the first coat is Watco then subsequent applications are a mixture of Watco and satin poly. I start at 50/50 and reduce the Watco for each of the next coats. 
BTW, this is home made wiping finish.


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

Common practice is to use a durable top coat any time you have project that will be exposed to wear and water. Kitchen cabinets definitely see both of those things. I think the best approach depends on what you want the cabinets to look like in 10 years. I think that the roughest thing on cabinets that are finished with watco only will be oils and fats from cooking that splatter directly onto cabinets and get migrated to peoples hands where they get migrated indirectly to cabinets. I think 10 years of that exposure will show quite a bit on Watco which has almost no ability to repel anything, whereas the poly will hold up much better to that and will be easy to scrub clean. So, if you want a more patina look, Watco might be a good choice. If you want the cabinets to more or less the same 10 years after installation, I'd go with the poly.

Personally I like the look of Watco better than poly, but I don't know if I'd have the courage to go with just Watco on kitchen cabinets.


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## jwmalone (Jun 23, 2016)

Gene Howe has it right. All that crap they sell nowadays are just new twist on stuff that's been around forever. When I finish maple I use a mixture of stain and Polly till the color is right then straight clear coat. Make your own. As pmayer said you really want a durable top coat in the kitchen.


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## shwoodnt (Jun 2, 2016)

OK. The answer looks clear. Thanks.


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