Tips for the Reluctant Craftsman: part 290-product review 331

Today's product being reviewed--Penofin oil finish for wood products

The review contains a few suggestions describing How I Do It (the title of one of my many books soon to be released)

First you need to strip the teak item to be finished. If it has some kind of varnish or the like, hit it with a quick going over using 80 to 120 grit sandpaper. Feel free to use a motorized sander where possible. Don't waste much time on this part.

OK. Penofin stripper. This is a useful substance. It works with water, which I like. You wet the piece to be stripped. Soak that baby. Then you brush on the stripper, which looks harmless, doesn't give off a whole lot of fumes, and seems like thinned out liquid soap. Don't be fooled. This stuff will eat a sponge--I know. That's why I use a brush now.

OK, you let it sit there, and mist with water if it starts to dry. If there is a lot of oil or whatnot deep in the wood, use a scrub brush on it. That works wonders. Then you hose it off. It does a better job than other things I've used with less annoyance and easier clean up.

Penofin stripper gets an A.

Penofin Marine Oil finish:
This stuff is somewhat tinted. Not a lot though. It has very good UV protection and penetrates the wood better than most.
After stripping, you used some brand of teak cleaner and cleaned the thing with that--brush it on and rinse it off. Penofin makes a cleaner but I had some other stuff so if there is a difference I can't say, but doubt the cleaner brand matters.

OK. Then you went over everything with 220 grit to get rid of fuzz and smooth things out. You now brush on the marine finish, let it sit for 20 minutes, then wipe off the excess thorughly. Rub that baby down. It will feel dry to the touch when you've done it right.

Before wiping it dry you can make it all better by going over it with 600 grit wet and dry sandpaper. 400 grit is ok but I like the 600 better. You can begin by rubbing in the oil with the wet and dry, but I like it the way described.

I like the way the things look after applying the Marine oil finish. I also like how it goes on and in. It is different than the Watco teak oil. Not sure how, but it is. More goes in than wipes off.

I have a feeling it will hold up better than most. Time will tell. For now I give Penofin Marine finish an A.

Penofin Verde Oil finish:
You can get it with a tint of varying shades but I used clear on a cedar bench. The process for preparing the cedar was the same as the teak, including using teak cleaner stuff to wash it out, and including the 220 grit final sanding and the 600 or 400 oil application step.

Verde is touted as all environmentally friendly etc. I don't care. It has the advantage of being relatively odorless. You are more likely to need more than one coat with this, but one is certainly adequate if you aren't being too particular. I'm often too particular. One coat did very well, but I want to go over the whole thing with 400 grit on a power sander, then rub in more Verde with 600 grit--all f which is not really a requirement for many situations.

OK. The verde is easy to work with. Brush on, wipe off and that's that. I just want to make the surface slicker and a bit more lustrous. Not to be confused with lusty. Verde also has high UV protection. A tinted oil always has a bit more, but not much in this case. It is good stuff.

Verde gets an A.

I'd give all these items A+ if it required no sanding or work to bring out the best. Of course I'd give a chain saw an A+ if it cut down the tree then milled it into perfectly smooth beams and boards with no effort on my part, too.

After doing all of the above, you can use denatured alcohol or vodka to clean your hands. Once you've put everything away, get naked, jump into the spa, heated to 102F, hope there is no one in the bushes filming for youtube, then relax and forget it.