Stain isn't sealed into desk

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Stain isn't sealed into desk - any tips

openmedia

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#306044 23-Jun-2023 09:59

I built a desktop for a standing desk frame using a large pine sheet, and the stain is coming off on my hands and clothes.

I used some Briwax stain followed by about 4 coats of Danish oil. This was over 2 years ago and the stain is still bleeding out onto my hands or sometimes onto my clothes or legs from the underside of the desk.

I'd prefer not to go down the polyurethane path, so any other tips for sealing the desk so this doesn't happen.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

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#3093881 23-Jun-2023 10:02

So you know the solution, but don't want to use the solution?

openmedia

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#3093891 23-Jun-2023 10:21

lxsw20:

So you know the solution, but don't want to use the solution?

Is polyurethane really the only solution as it doesn't provide the finish I want for the desk?

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

Eva888

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#3093965 23-Jun-2023 11:36

Glass.

Jase2985

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#3094016 23-Jun-2023 11:49

openmedia:

lxsw20:

So you know the solution, but don't want to use the solution?

Is polyurethane really the only solution as it doesn't provide the finish I want for the desk?

and what finish is that?

openmedia

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#3094021 23-Jun-2023 11:56

Eva888: Glass.

That doesn't help the underside of the desk, or do you mean a glass desk?

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

openmedia

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#3094066 23-Jun-2023 11:57

Jase2985:

openmedia:

Is polyurethane really the only solution as it doesn't provide the finish I want for the desk?

and what finish is that?

The softer oiled timber finish. I've used plenty of oil and water based PU in the past for shelves, but I don't like the hard finish it produces for a desk.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

Eva888

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#3094068 23-Jun-2023 12:06

Sheet of glass on top but I guess that won’t help the underside. I’ve been looking at Shellac flakes but still researching it. You could try a wax instead of oil. People that use chalk paint on furniture use a wax coat afterwards so that might be a good type to try.

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cshwone

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#3094071 23-Jun-2023 12:18

I would recommend waxing. Can take a lot of work and a few coats but it dries to a tough finish, sealing the wood.

gbwelly

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#3094079 23-Jun-2023 12:49

openmedia:

I built a desktop for a standing desk frame using a large pine sheet, and the stain is coming off on my hands and clothes.

I used some Briwax stain followed by about 4 coats of Danish oil. This was over 2 years ago and the stain is still bleeding out onto my hands or sometimes onto my clothes or legs from the underside of the desk.

I'd prefer not to go down the polyurethane path, so any other tips for sealing the desk so this doesn't happen.

That is pretty weird, both products should cure completely, I wonder if there is an issue with that batch of Danish oil, perhaps acting as a solvent to the stain? After you have sanded back, maybe stain it and wait a while, then test to check the staining step is OK before proceeding. I assume you used a rag rather than a brush to apply the Danish oil? Next time round you could polyurethane the bottom only for extra piece of mind.

openmedia

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#3094081 23-Jun-2023 12:54

gbwelly:

openmedia:

I built a desktop for a standing desk frame using a large pine sheet, and the stain is coming off on my hands and clothes.

I used some Briwax stain followed by about 4 coats of Danish oil. This was over 2 years ago and the stain is still bleeding out onto my hands or sometimes onto my clothes or legs from the underside of the desk.

I'd prefer not to go down the polyurethane path, so any other tips for sealing the desk so this doesn't happen.

That is pretty weird, both products should cure completely, I wonder if there is an issue with that batch of Danish oil, perhaps acting as a solvent to the stain? After you have sanded back, maybe stain it and wait a while, then test to check the staining step is OK before proceeding. I assume you used a rag rather than a brush to apply the Danish oil? Next time round you could polyurethane the bottom only for extra piece of mind.

Yes I used a rag for the stain and the oil. I might PU the underside anyway, but I need to fix the top at some point. Trying to find a time where I don't need to use it for a week to make sure it fully cures.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

mdf

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#3094087 23-Jun-2023 13:24

Are you sure your products are okay to mix? Might be brand specific, but all the Danish (and teak) oil I've ever used is penetrating. A wax undercoat will stop oil penetrating and it will just "dry" on top instead of penetrate and cure properly. Though appreciate you might be using another briwax product cf a wax wax. My instinct is that one or the other would be okay, but maybe not both together.

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#3094103 23-Jun-2023 14:08

Unless you can clean of all the danish oil you may have trouble PU

Bung

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#3094107 23-Jun-2023 14:17

Large sheet of pine what? If it was a slab is it a resin pocket in the timber that's bleeding?

openmedia

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#3094189 23-Jun-2023 17:56

Bung: Large sheet of pine what? If it was a slab is it a resin pocket in the timber that's bleeding?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/2100-x-900-x-30mm-clear-pine-fj-laminated-panel_p0290007

For some reason it isn't showing up on Bunnings NZ site anymore.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

neb

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#3094192 23-Jun-2023 17:57

openmedia:
I'd prefer not to go down the polyurethane path, so any other tips for sealing the desk so this doesn't happen.

Danish Oil is polyurethane. It's just a mix of a cheap oil, usually boiled linseed oil (as opposed to something more expensive like Tung oil), and polyurethane.

(For the pedants, Danish Oil is just a generic term so it could be almost anything, but it's usually BLO + polyurethane).

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