What is the best finish to use for butcher block countertops?

We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations. Watco, Waterlox and Deft are known by their brand names alone. Like Kleenex, which is just one brand in the tissue category, some finishing products are known just by their brand name, not by what they are. This leaves room for misunderstanding. Watco, Waterlox and Deft are prime examples. All three were made popular in the late s by waterlox vs watco tung oil mentions in Fine Woodworking magazine.

The descriptions of what they are were vague and sometimes incorrect. For example, Watco was and still is often described as thinned varnish, Waterlox was and still is often described as tung oil, and Deft was represented as a mystery finish, unique in that it was different from other finishes.

Once in print misrepresentations are hard to eliminate. Watco is a mixture of drying oil, probably linseed oil, and varnish, with a lot of thinner added. As a result of the oil part of the mix, Watco is not a very protective finish because the oil keeps the finish from drying hard. This prevents you from building the finish to any functional thickness. You have to wipe off all the excess after each coat or the finish will remain soft and sticky.

But Watco is a very easy finish to use, and it produces a nice warm effect on the wood, so it is waterlox vs watco tung oil popular finish. Waterlox is a wiping varnish, which means that it is varnish thinned about half with mineral spirits paint thinner. Even though thin, it can be built to a thickness on the wood with enough coats because it dries hard. Phenolic resin and tung oil are darker than alkyd resin and modified soybean oil, so the finish has a darker color than other varnishes.

Deft is waterlox vs watco tung oil brushing lacquer, which means that it is made with slower evaporating solvents than spraying waterlox vs watco tung oil so waterlox vs watco tung oil can successfully brush it onto fairly large surfaces before it sets up. For many years, the fact that it was a lacquer was not mentioned on the can. It was simply labeled Deft Clear Wood Finish. This left the door open for the mystery to develop.

Deft is the only company I know of that has changed its label to improve accuracy. All three of these companies now make other finishing products, but none of these are known by their brand name alone. Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.

Deft has come out with a waterborne finish in a can that looks almost identical to the lacquer version. By Bob Flexner. FinishingFlexner on FinishingWaterlox vs watco tung oil. All rights reserved Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Start typing and press Enter to search.

Pure tung oil smells like not much (unless you thin it with citrus solvent [not citrus cleaner], in which case it smells great). It is not cheap, but certainly less expensive than Waterlox and can be stored in a container that has been opened without problems. I use pure tung oil thinned with citrus solvent. Aug 08,  · Watco is primarily boiled linseed oil. You could wipe on a thinned coat of boiled linseed oil and get the same color. Which ever one you used be sure to thoroughly wipe off all the excess and then give it days to fully dry and cure. Waterlox does not like . May 15,  · Most varnishes are made with alkyd resins and soybean oil, so Waterlox is different. But it makes no more sense to call it tung oil because it’s made with tung oil than it would be to call bread “yeast” because it’s made Waterlox Tung Oil Quality with yeast or an airplane “wings” because it has wings. This is a puddle of Waterlox, dried hard on glass.

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