Tung Oil Vs. Wax for Floors

Description

• Tung oil is extracted from the seed of the Chinese tung tree, while wax is fat that is typically animal, plant or mineral in origin. Wax is a surface finish, meaning it sits on top of the floor, protecting the wood, rather than absorbing into the wood grain. This coating protects the floor from moisture and also offers protection against scratches and normal wear and tear because the surface of the wax is getting the abuse, not the wood. Tung oil works differently because it is a penetrating finish. Instead of covering only the surface of the wood, tung oil is absorbed deep into the grain like stain, but instead of simply coloring the wood as stain does, tung oil provides protection against moisture, dirt and chemicals.

Application

• Tung oil is typically applied in thin coats with a rag or quality stain brush, and requires at least three to five coats for ideal protection. Each coat must penetrate the wood and dry fully before it is sanded and the next coat is applied. Tung oil dries to a matte finish, but it can be buffed with fine steel wool to obtain a slight sheen on your floor. Wax is also applied in thin coats and then buffed with a coarse cloth or an electric floor buffer to achieve the desired sheen. Although wax can be applied in several coats, as with tung oil, two to three coats are usually enough to protect your floor.

Advantages

• Tung oil provides an elastic finish that allows the wood to freely expand and contract with changing temperature and moisture levels in your home. It provides a hard surface that's resistant to moisture, dust and acids, and does not darken with age. Wax is inexpensive, dries quickly and can be applied over a penetrating stain to protect the finish from scratches and moisture. Often, wax is used as a topcoat for floors finished with tung oil. In areas of high traffic, where the wood may be scratched by toys or pets, wax may provide better protection against gouges than tung oil.

Disadvantages

• Wax provides an attractive and durable finish, but requires reapplication regularly to maintain an attractive, uniform sheen. If you decide to stain or paint your floors after waxing, the surface must be sanded to remove all traces of the old wax before a new coating can be reapplied, since other finishes won’t be able to penetrate the wax to reach the wood beneath. Using tung oil on your floor is more time-consuming than applying wax, and, depending on the coverage and environmental conditions, it can be slow drying. A thick coating, for example can take up to three days to dry enough for a second coat. Thinner coats dry in about 24 hours. This means that finishing your floor with tung oil will take at least three days to ensure proper coverage and protection.