Orange Tung Product Information

HOWARD PRODUCTS (AUST)
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Tel: 1 800 672 646
www.howardproducts.com.au

"How can I find decking oil which does not contain chemicals which make me or my family feel sick?"

When seeking a viable alternative to highly toxic polyurethane coatings which dominate the market, Orange Tung is now one of the few genuine natural wood oils available. You can enjoy many of the benefits which those polyurethane based products promote without the risks that they pose to the health of your family and pets. There have been wood oil products on the market using words in the labelling which suggests that the product is in some way 'organic'. As we know, any natural product claiming to be organic must have had no pesticides or artificial ingredients used in the growing or manufacturing process, so some products using organic type references in their labelling would fall well short of that mark. The fact is that the raw ingredients for oils such as the one we produce are very costly and because these natural products are not aimed at the big-end mass market the volume produced is not sufficient for some big businesses to be interested as massive profits are just not there. We have been determined over the years not to be driven by high volume marketing imperatives and to concentrate solely on the market "niche" we are engaged with, and that is the D.I.Y wood care and furniture restoration sector, a sector within which we are trusted and highly regarded. This may mean that if you are looking for a high gloss, fast drying, polyurethane based deck or floor product which is budget priced and frequently offered in big stores as a "Special" it is likely that Orange Tung Wood Oil may not be for you.

"Hi David, thanks for the information you emailed me. I purchased 5 litres of orange tung oil. It looks lovely on my new benches and smells great - much better than the Danish oil I have used on the bathroom cabinetry.

Orange Tung Wood Oil creates a durable, hard wearing natural wood coating that:-

■ gives a natural, low sheen finish ■ forms a flexible, waterproof finish ■ resists wear and abrasion

■ is non-toxic and is safe for food preparation areas ■ has a long shelf life if not exposed to heat or light.

Tung Oil based products sold through large hardware outlets often contain a mix of solvents to thin the Tung Oil down and make it dry more rapidly. Many of these solvents are highly toxic and can be quite dangerous to human and animal health, even in the long term. The Chinese have been using Tung Oil for more than six centuries on everything from ships to furniture and food utensils. They discovered that by thinning the Tung Oil with natural citrus oil the finish would penetrate better and would dry more rapidly. Following on this we believe that the best and most natural way to treat raw timber is with 100% pure, non-toxic Chinese Tung Oil blended with 100% pure, non-toxic Australian or Brazilian Orange Oil. The natural Orange Oil acts as a powerful solvent and it dramatically accelerates the drying time. Orange Oil contains many of the same trace elements found in wood; enabling it to replace essential oils in dry wood. It also has natural anti-fungal properties. Direct sunlight is not good for any wood coating product and it therefore follows that it is not helpful even on an outdoors surface coated with tung oil. We can, however, supply Orange Tung Wood Oil with an added UV inhibitor to assist with lengthening the life of your finish. This product is the same chemical used in many sun-block products for skin, nevertheless it is a chemical and so we give people the option of 100% natural oil or a natural oil which has a small amount of chemical additive.

If your floor, decking or outdoors wooden furniture faces direct sunlight for extended periods we recommend Orange Tung Wood Oil with UV ray inhibitor added.

Each litre of Orange Tung Wood Oil can cover approximately 15 square metres of new, properly dried, raw wood. Better coverage can be expected with successive coats, even up to 25 squared metres per litre. If your decking or flooring has been previously coated with some other product, even a long time ago, the best results will be achieved by washing the surface down with ‘PowerLift’ to remove tannins, oils and other products which have penetrated down into the cell of the wood and are now preventing penetration of any newly introduced product such as Orange Tung. This is also the case with new wood which is high in natural oil, tannin and resin. Merbau, Kwila and many Australian native varieties fall into this category. They need to be thoroughly washed with a recommended wood wash before proceeding with a coating of oil. Not to do this may well result in blotchiness and stickiness.

1. Make sure the wood is clean and free from old coatings, oils tannins and resins. A light sanding is also highly recommended. Contact us on info@howardproducts.com.au for more information.

2. Apply your first coat thinly and evenly over the entire surface using a recommended applicator. Areas which are not drying uniformly due to "pooling" oil need to be dried manually.

3. After the surface is completely dry – approx 24 hours sometimes more, you can apply the second coat ensuring that you repeat the removal of the excess oil step if necessary.

4. A third coat is recommended. Three coats is the minimum for flooring or decking in our opinion. Each coat MUST be completely dry before putting the next one over it.

5. After the final coat is completely dry, allow 3 weeks to ensure the surface is cured before applying any maintenance products, such as Howard SUNWAX or Feed-N-Wax.

6. The life of the finish depends greatly on how much direct sunlight or shade it receives and your level of maintenance. To increase the life of your deck or floor you can either lightly sand the area every 18 months and apply another coat of Orange Tung OR apply a thin coat of SunWax or Feed-N-Wax before and after summer making sure that after each section of floor or deck is allowed to stand for 20 minutes followed by a wiping away any residual wax until the surface is touch dry.

7. It is important to wax exterior decks after extended periods of harsh weather conditions. We recommend Howard SUNWAX for outdoors and Howard Feed-N-Wax for interiors.

For new wooden furniture which is to be used inside or out, you can hand-rub Orange Tung Wood Oil into the grain using a home-made French polisher’s "rubber" made by tightly wadding cotton waste material into an outer casing of cotton cloth and tying it off into a very hard ball. For occasional scuff repair, use a dab of Howard Feed-N-Wax applied carefully with a sponge backed abrasive pad or similar. Avoid regular use of soapy water when cleaning. You can use soapy water occasionally but when the surface is dry remove any residual soap scum with a little orange oil sprayed into a lightly dampened sponge mop. Soap scum can create a haze on your floor or decks.

Please Note: Preparation and application is the key to a successful finish. The final result achieved may vary according to timber type, preparation techniques, weather conditions and the application process used. Please ensure that all provided instructions are followed closely. For easy application to outdoors decks we stock the Wagner Deckmate which features a 2 litre tank that delivers oil to the long-life pad at a rate that you can control. At the centre of the pad there is a twin tuft of bristles which coats the gaps between decking boards. Trim this tuft away with a very sharp blade when using the deck-mate as a floor-mate. Wagner hasn’t made an applicator just for floors. Use it again and again by washing the pad and cleaning out the reservoir with a rinse of turpentine followed by warm soapy water and a water rinse. This great labour saving, user friendly device is just $60.00 from Howard Products.