How to make tung oil darker

Does tung oil darken over time

Tung oil is a standard natural drying oil that protects wood grain on the interior and outside. This Tung tree oil extract is food safe (once cured) and does not yellow or darken with time. Tung oil in its darkest forms can produce a darker chocolate brown color. However, this applies only to a few particular kinds of wood. It also leaves a honey-colored gloss on the wood. It gives the wood a brilliant shine while preserving its natural color.

How to darken tung oil finish

Gel Stain can help to darken tung oil. Because gel stains are more like a coat of paint, they don’t need to sink into the wood. They sit on the surface, dry, and apply a coat of color, and this is the most effective method for staining a Tung oil finish.

Always allow Tung oil to cure completely before applying anything, including a gel stain. Tung oil takes a week or more to dry, depending on the room temperature. When it dries, Tung oil hardens from a liquid to a solid (though still soft) coating. On the other hand, Tung oil can take up to 30 days to cure. Tung oil transforms from a solid film to a tough, long-lasting resin covering when it cures. It’s ready for gel stain once the Tung coat has hardened.

Tung oil gives the wood a lustrous sheen. It provides various advantages to the wood that a stain cannot. Unfortunately, tung oil will not darken the wood as much as a stain. Apply a stain to the wood in the color you want. Allow time for it to dry. The tung oil does not need thinning if not exposed to air. If that isn’t the case, mineral spirits help thin it out. Thinning should be completed before application.

Make sure you’re using high-quality tung oils. Tung oils in their purest form can be challenging to work with. As a result, you might go for the ones that contain solvents. However, make sure it’s not a dark tung oil. You can apply pure tung oil over the stain, and the colored wood requires at least two coats of tung oil. However, you must wait one day between each coat to allow it to dry fully.

You could tint it with universal tinting colors, but you need a precise technique of measuring the amount to ensure that each batch was the same hue. You may also color it with some oil-based enamel mixed with the tung oil. It would be simpler and more effective to dye the wood first and then apply tung oil to it.

How Can You Use Tung Oil to Darken wood?

Tung oil gives the wood a lustrous sheen. It provides various advantages to the wood that a stain cannot. Unfortunately, tung oil will not darken the wood as much as a stain.

1st step: Using Stain to Prepare the Wood

Apply a stain to the wood in the color you want. Allow time for it to dry. 

If that isn’t the case, mineral spirits help thin it out. Thinning should be completed before application.

Step 2: Tung Oil Application

Make sure you’re using high-quality tung oils. Tung oils in their purest form can be challenging to work with. As a result, you might go for the ones that contain solvents. However, make sure it’s not a dark tung oil. Pure tung oil applied over the stain is essential over the colored wood; use a minimum of two coats of tung oil. However, you must wait one day between each coat to allow it to dry thoroughly.

Tung oil tinted with universal tinting color in exact amounts also uses oil-based enamel to achieve the desired color.

Will tung oil darken wood?

Tung oil imparts a lovely shine to wood, but not all tung oil products are created equal. Tung oil has a clean finish when applied correctly. As such, it helps you to show off your workpiece’s inherent grains and color.

Tung oils come in a variety of colors, depending on the manufacturer. Some of them will be darker, while others will be brighter. The majority of tung oil treatments will not significantly discolor wood. When you apply it to wood, this will impact the final result. On the other hand, Tung oil does not brown lumber as much as stains. Darkening on the wood sometimes occurs, not due to the tung oil finish.

Pure tung oil is lighter in color, whereas polymerized tung oil is darker. On the other hand, pure tung oil would be thinner than linseed oil and the well-known Waterlox Original finish.

Dark tung oil, which is just pure oil combined with a resinous hydrocarbon, is also produced by some manufacturers. When applied to wood, this will give it a more prosperous, darker finish.

For example, the Dark Tung Oil from Milk Paint 

Dark Tung Oil

The Real Milk Paint Company’s Dark Raw Tung Oil is water and alkali resistant. However, it’s similar to Pure Tung Oil, colored with a non-toxic naturally occurring resinous hydrocarbon. There are no PCBs in the resin; hence it is non-carcinogenic. It’s stain-resistant, penetrates well, is stretchy, and is unlikely to be checked. Dark Raw Tung Oil dries quickly, consolidates the wood surface, and leaves a dark matte finish on the surface. Store Dark Raw Tung Oil in an airtight container with as little airspace as possible.

How to prepare and apply Dark Tung Oil

• The ideal operating temperature for applying Dark Tung Oil is above 50°F ( 10°C ).
• Make sure the surface of your project is free of dust, debris, or grime.
• Examine the surface to check if it is porous. Dark Tung Oil works by seeping into the material and plugging the pores left open. As a result, if your material is not porous, Dark Tung Oil will not adhere to it. Apply a small amount of water on the surface to see if it’s passable. It is porous if it absorbs water. If it doesn’t, and there are beads on the surface, sand and strip the surface.
• If you want to sand your surface, we advise using sandpaper with a grit of no more than 220. A sandpaper grain of too high a number will polish the surface, preventing optimal absorption of Pure Tung Oil.
• We recommend Soy Gel: Paint and Urethane Stripper if you need to strip your surface.
• If you want a different colour than the tung oil, we recommend staining the wood with water or alcohol-based dyes before applying the Dark Tung Oil. You should oil-based paints since they tend to seal the wood and prevent the absorption of Dark Tung Oil.
• It is not necessary to use a wood conditioner to keep the tung oil from seeping into the wood.
• Dark Tung Oil is a naturally thick liquid that needs thinning to soak into the wood. You can thin Dark Tung Oil with a variety of thinners. Check to see whether the tung oil has thinned.
• First, apply a thick coat of paint. Allow up to 40 minutes for the tung oil to permeate the surface.
• Apply a second coat, wait for it to dry, then repeat the process.
• Continue this technique until you obtain the appropriate number of coats, or the wood is completely saturated. When oil puddles on the surface and the wood no longer absorbs oil throughout most of the surface, you know it’s saturated. Wait 40 minutes to be sure. If the oil is still dripping, the character has become saturated.
• Remove any extra tung oil puddling or collecting on the surface with a clean rag or cloth.