Tung oil vs Danish oil
They are different products. Gilly’s Pure Tung Oil is a single drying oil, with 24 hours between coats and up to 4 weeks to cure. Rust-Oleum lists Watco Danish Oil’s resin as natural drying and semi-drying oils with a rosin ester.
Danish oil is applied wet-on-wet in one session (soak 30 minutes, reapply, wipe dry after 15 more) and is ready for use in 8–10 hours, with 72 hours before a polyurethane topcoat. Watco says not to thin it; Gilly’s suggests thinning its tung oil 50/50.
Side by side
| Property | Pure tung oil | Danish oil |
|---|---|---|
| Touch-dry | Not printed by the maker we read | Not printed by the maker we read |
| Recoat | Gilly's Pure Tung Oil: 24 h | Not printed by the maker we read |
| Ready for use | Not printed by the maker we read | Watco Danish Oil: 8–10 h (ready for use) |
| Full cure | Gilly's Pure Tung Oil: 28 days | Not printed by the maker we read |
| Coverage | Not printed by the maker we read | Watco Danish Oil: 220–300 sq ft per gallon |
| Thinning | Gilly's Pure Tung Oil: 50/50 with Gilly’s Citrus Thin | Watco Danish Oil: Do not thin |
| Makers say it is for | Not printed by the maker we read | Not printed by the maker we read |
| Makers say not for | Not printed by the maker we read | Not printed by the maker we read |
The products behind it
| Product | Touch-dry | Recoat | Use | Full cure | Coverage | Thinning and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilly's Pure Tung Oil One source: Gilly's, the maker of that product | — | 24 h | — | 28 days | — | Thinning: 50/50 with Gilly’s Citrus Thin.Up to 4 weeks to cure completely; light use is fine before then, per the maker. |
| Watco Danish Oil One source: Rust-Oleum (Watco), the maker of that product | — | —let it soak in 30 minutes, reapply and wait 15 more, then wipe completely dry | 8–10 hready for use | — | 220–300 sq ft per gallon | Thinning: Do not thin.Conditions: Apply at 60–90 °F, RH under 85 %.Wait 72 hours before a polyurethane topcoat; natural drying oils and rosin ester. |
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Work it out for your project
Times are the makers' own at the temperature and humidity they name, and several of them say cooler, damper conditions slow their finishes. For how much to buy, the finish coverage calculator uses these same coverage figures. Every finish side by side: the finish dry time chart. What the federal rules say about finishes and food: food-contact finishes.
Elsewhere in finishing: shellac and the shellac cut calculator; for repairs before the finish, wood filler vs wood putty; and for the glue-up, wood glue types.