Fry-Pan Jones: Finishing School

With my beams sanded and overhead wiring complete, it was now time to put this aspect of my project to rest with some finishing work. Having limited experience with this sort of thing, I turned to several finishing books (to read, not to rest atop my head) and also reached out to my uncle who builds a lot of timber-style home. Generally speaking, I was seeking a low maintenance finish that would protect the wood while at the same time showcasing the wood's natural beauty.

I started by picking up a ~~few~~ numerous stain samples at my local hardware store. After testing a few on a discarded segment of beam, one thing became painfully obvious: neither the stain's name nor the color on the front of the can accurately depicted the final appearance.

The above stain sample photo was pulled off the internet for illustrative purposes...I didn't actually print labels for my samples

In short, this proved to be a very frustrating and expensive experience (those little "sample" canisters of stain aren't exactly cheap! The cost of higher education, I suppose). To be frank, I spent a small fortune on sample stains and other finishing products....after all, I knew I was going to have to live with this decision for a long time and the last thing I wanted was to end up with a finish I hated.

Stacks of samples = stacks of cash!!!

In the end, I was barking up the wrong tree...it wasn't stain I needed, but rather a finish. The distinction here is that a finish (such as polyurethane, linseed oil, poppy seed oil, etc) generally doesn't dye the wood fibers...rather, it seals and protects them. Stains are used for a variety of reasons, but most often (in my estimation) they are used to make a cheap grades of wood look more expensive. If you've gone to the expense of buying a premium wood for your project, why hide it with stain? For my money...a clear finish is the way to go!

With my sights set on a finishing product, I once again bought several small samples and tested them on my timber...in the end, Waterlox Original Tung oil won out.

Just look at those old-timey guys on the can...how could this stuff be anything but awesome!?! In all seriousness, I chose Tung oil for a multitude of reasons:

It doesn't discolor the wood, rather it enhances the wood's natural grain and character
It protects the wood from moisture (important since this will also be applied to the decking which will invariably be sweat upon from the gym space above and may even be subject to the occasional water bottle spill)
It is easy to apply (applied with a foam brush or lint-free rag)
Sanding between coats is not absolutely necessary
You can touch up spots months, years, and even decades after the original coats have been applied and you don't have to strip/remove the old coats to do it (unlike urethane)
It doesn't darken with age (unlike many other oil finishes)
It is mold resistant, more so than most other finishing oils (not a big issue in the aired climate of Southern Idaho, but a noteworthy characteristic nonetheless)

So a quick history lesson for you on Tung oil. Tung oil was first discovered in china (hence the alternative name, "Chinese wood oil") and is derived from pressing the seed from the nut of the Tung tree (aka Vernicia fordii)

Wow...those are big nuts! V. fordii is native to southern China, Taiwan, & Berma. In the early 1900's, it was introduced and cultivated in the US. Unfortunately, most southern Tung oil tree farms were lost in the droughts during the 1930's and the hurricanes of the 1960's. Today, almost all tung oil is imported.

Pure tung oil is considered a drying oil...which means that after a period of exposure to air, it hardens to a tough, solid finish. Contrary to popular beliefs, drying oils don't harden because of water or solvent evaporation, but rather through the process of oxidation in which the oil forms cross links with itself after exposure to oxygen. Tung oil is applied in many fine coats and produces a wetted appearance that highlights the wood's true character and beauty:

A hand made red cedar bowl finished with tung oil

Perhaps the only downside to using tung oil is that most commercial preparations (Waterlox included) contain additives to help the oil penetrate into the wood and apply evenly. These additives are released upon application and are what are commonly referred to as "volatile organic compounds" (aka, VOCs). We've all encountered VOCs...ever walk into a freshly painted room that has a strong smell? Well, that "fresh paint smell" is acually VOCs....paint companies use them to enhance various qualities of their paints. Unfortunately, VOCs are not a particularly good thing to breath...in small doses, probably not a big deal, but prolonged exposure is definitely a bad deal. So using this finish necessitates using a respirator and protective barriers (long sleeve shirt and rubber gloves) for safety.

The infamous "Respirator Selfie"

Fortunately, the VOCs in Waterlox tung oil are completely released from the wood after 60 days...so I won't need to wear a mask every time I kick back in the cave.

With my finish now selected and my safety gear in place, there was only one thing left to do...get finishing! The first step was to remove ALL dust from the finishing surface...this involved meticulous vacuuming of every finished surface.

Once dust free, the wood was ready to receive its first coat...

OOO, La, La! Now that's a sexy finish! Notice how the tung oil brings out the wood's beautiful grain pattern.

I applied 3 coats to each beam over several days (must wait 24 hrs between coats). Once the beams were finished, I had to pre-finish all the decking that would be applied on top of the beams:


Step one was getting as much decking laid out a possible (this is about half of what I will need for the entire project). Step 2 was more vacuuming, of course.