Boiled Linseed Oil /BLO?

[skysharks]

I just completed a Queen Sized Bed using QSRO.

I decided After staining that I did not want a shiny finish on it, so I opted for the BLO.
I liked how it brought the QS rays out and the soft look to the wood.
Here is my Question.
1. How many coats to use?

2. Do I need to top coat the BLO with anything, or can I just leave it at that?

I have one coat on it right now and I looks great, been drying in the house now for 24 hours and feels dry.
Can I stop here?

[BillPappas]

I have always coated over BLO with another finish...because I wanted more protection than oil alone provided. For a bed if you like how it looks now I would think you could leave it just like it is but at some point...not sure how far out you will end up putting another coat of BLO on the bed. I imagine it would be every few years just to renew the oil.

Regards,

Bill

[Travis Porter]

IMO, it is your decision when to stop. I personally would do 2 or 3 coats if I were going to just use it. Just know BLO (sounds like an illegal drug) doesn't give much protection.

If you do top coat, wait several days (I normally wait 3 to 5) before top coating. I have top coated with wb poly, shellac, and wb lacquer with no issues whatsoever.

[Bas]

Originally Posted by skysharks

I just completed a Queen Sized Bed using QSRO.

I decided After staining that I did not want a shiny finish on it, so I opted for the BLO.
I liked how it brought the QS rays out and the soft look to the wood.
Here is my Question.
1. How many coats to use?

2. Do I need to top coat the BLO with anything, or can I just leave it at that?

I have one coat on it right now and I looks great, been drying in the house now for 24 hours and feels dry.
Can I stop here?

I usually use three coats, but it depends on the wood. If the first one is slurped up from under you and the second one dried within twenty minutes, you need four coats. If on the other hand it started to pool with the second coat, you're done.

BLO doesn't give any protection against dings, scratches or bumps. I used it on my workbench, and there's quite a few places where you can see the "patina" from doing real woodworking. On a nice piece of furniture, I think those blemishes would bother me. Of course, BLO is easy to reapply, and won't crack like a varnish.

So, for a bed, I'd use a top coat. It doesn't need to be super hard (like for a floor or table), almost anything would work - shellac, lacquer, polyurethane etc. If you use a satin sheen and rub out the finish afterwards with some wax, it won't look overly shiny.

[nelsone]

If you leave it with BLO, you will have to refinish it every year or so. eventually the dust will build up on it and be difficult to remove. If it were me, I'd top coat it with lacquer or poly. Minwax makes a wipe on poly that's pretty easy to use and you can get it in a satin finish to avoid the high sheen. You can also go with a gloss poly and rub it with 0000 steel wool after it's cured to give the satin finish.

[Howard Acheson]

True oils (Boiled Linseed Oil and Pure Tung Oil) are not considered finishes. Rather they are colorant treatments. They offer no protections from water or water vapor, they have no abrasive resistant properties and they have no long term durability.

Therefore, yes, you need a real finish for all the reasons above.

You can either switch to an oil/varnish mixture which, because of the addition of the varnish adds some protection or you can opt for a film finish. The oil/varnish is similar to Watco or Minwax Tung Oil Finish which you can mix your self by combining equal parts of BLO, varnish or poly varnish, and mineral spirits. Apply let soak in for 15-30 minutes and then wipe dry. Do it again the next day and you will have a nice in-the-wood finish. A film finish will be more durable but you will lose the look and feel of the grain to some extent. You can either apply a couple of coats of oil based varnish or a couple of coats of a waterborne acrylic finish. Both will give you a nice long term finish.

The only way to learn finishing and, at the same time, see what you like is to finish some scrap boards from your project. Try a couple of the finishes described above. See which one you like.