Decking oil home made

[journeyman Mick]

Marc,
I'm so glad I don't live in Sydney anymore, I'm sure you can get anything in Sydney, only trouble is it may be right at the other end. The paint section of my local hardware store has both BLO and Terebine (and Oxalic acid). The terebine was in a Feast Watson tin, so any DECENT stockist should be able to get it in for you. Oxalic acid is not that strong, so it shouldn't affect the gal nails. If in doubt mix some up and throw in a couple of nails. I would be inclined to use a mould retarding paint additive rather than vinegar as it would be easier to mix in. Any decent paint store should have it, it's called mouldguard or mouldchek.

Mick

[Robert WA]

Why boiled linseed oil? That stuff is sticky and takes forever to dry.
Has anyone considered the fact that deckings should be regularly coated with beer. What is the point of a deck if you don't spill beer on it.

[SteveI]

Marc

The oxalic acid appears to be quite good for removing rust, but I don't think it harms plain metal - maybe there are chemists around who can answer - but it seems to attack oxidised material (hence the name oxalic??)

I'm not sure it bleaches the timber, but attacks the "oxidised' - ie grey/weathered timber, leaving the sound timber (read - timber that still has colour left)

See this in relation to safety and its use for stain removal

http://users.bigpond.net.au/tuscany/...ducts/s145.htm
and
http://www.uwi.com.au/pdf/pap_oxalic_acid.pdf

[bitingmidge]

Mark and Robert,

1)

Oxalic Acid does bleach the timber quite nicely, I'm guessing because of the manner in which it reacts to the tannins, which is why it is a VERY effective stain remover for hardwood stains on concrete etc. There is a brochure available from one of the timber advisory boards, if I can find more details I will post same.

I don't believe it has any real effect on the metals mentioned, and it can also be used effectively to remove rust marks (surface) in stainless steel.

2)

Boiled linseed oil is indeed sticky stuff, so thin it with turps to make it more workable, and add the terebine as a drying agent.

You'll find you have a much more workable brew on your hands.

Cheers,

P

[Dion N]

I have used linseed oil a fair bit for finishing. The following "recipe" comes from a bottle of Diggers brand Pale Boiled Linseed Oil. (note that PBLO is suitable for inside applications, outside you should use raw LO)

1st coat - 400ml of Turps to 1 L of LO
2nd coat - 250ml of Turps to 1 L of LO
Kero can be substituted for Turps
Terebene can be added at 1 part in 50 to speed up the drying times

You can obtain all the ingredients at a certain hardware chain that starts with "B", but whose name I dare not mention here....

[bitingmidge]

Finished the last bit of "Aging" on the deck yesterday, looks a treat, but not home made oil I'm afraid, so therefore wayyy off topic!

Having lived with bare treated pine decks for years, this looks clean and doesn't absorb red wine or coffee. I have demonstrated that less than twelve hours after finishing it!

For the curious, the boards are "speed deck" 140 x 35 cca pine on hardwood joists @ 600 centres and fixed with stainless steel batten screws.

The picture does look a bit "blue-grey" on screen, in reality, the stain is quite translucent.
Cheers,

P

[chiso]

just been readin through a few ideas about homemade deck oil, i'm in the same boat with a 5yr old pine deck....... it's very dry and exposed to weather, what is the best thing to use, because deck oil is so bloody dear to buy ....... can u help ???

[woodsprite]

I would also go for the linseed/turps spread. This timeof the year it will dry quickly enough, especially if you add a bit of terebine. Years ago when I made my verandah - decked with pine floor boards - I coated it in the summer with the above mix and it worked brilliantly. Topped it up every second summer and it kept the boards looking good, the rain just ran off it, and it kept a nice low sheen. And it was CHEAP!
But if you feel the need to go commercial, use Sealeys Weatherproof Oil - it is a re-formulation of linseed and turps. I have been told for big areas and good economy get a 2 litre can of Sealeys, add a litre of turps and a litre of linseed, and away you go - 4 litres of good oil for about $50.00.

Have fun!
Jeff

[mako]

I just biult a new fence with redgum post, hardwood rails and 25 x 25mm hardwood stakes as palings (with a 15mm gap between them). They are all a nice red colour at the moment, especially the redgum, and dont really want it all to go a depressing grey like i see most similar fences go after a few months. I want to know what sort of oil i could apply to slow down this greying? I know i will have to keep re-apllying it but i consider it a small price to pay for my fence looking good. I was wondering about a home recipe and spraying it on. It was suggested to me to use vegitable oil and kero? I just want to try and prolong the WET look of the timber. Any suggestions for a home made oil for redgum/hardwood?
cheers.

[Barry Hicks]

I am not a fan of deck oil!!!!
After receiving instructions from the 'logistics manager' I built a couple of privacy screens out of local red stringy bark 100x100 uprights and some brush box (Indonesian) slats which I believe are decking boards.
As the timber looked pretty good, I decided to use decking oil to preserve the timber look and slathered the stuff on.
After 5-6 months a few grey patches appeared so on went a second coat, again following the instructions on the 4l. tin.
To cut a long story short, the 2nd coat didn't last as long as the first coat. I bought the stuff from a reputable paint shop for a heap of $'s and I just bought some paint to end the saga.
BTW if you live in the vicinity of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, there is about 2lt of free deck oil for the asking.

Barry Hicks

[billbeee]

Marc
Paint supply places sell raw linseed oil. You can thin oil based paints with it, (it's what they are made with). It helps to keep the shine on full gloss, where turps does't.

Boiled oil is a lot more concentrated so you need more thinners. Otherwise it takes longer to dry.

I have never used turps as a thinner.

I used to use raw linseed oil and kerosene. 50/50. No doubt about it being a good preservative. All the old joiners used linseed oil on their wooden planes, mallets etc.

I stopped using it on decks because it soon went dark, and also seems to pick up mildew. Maybe the vinegar is an anti fungus.

I also used creosote once years ago, to preserve the floor joists. Cheap as chips, burns like hell on exposed skin. Never used it again.

Regards
Bill