Professionals have equipment to keep dust and insects away from the surface, and can minimise the effect of weather during the drying period. Most people do not have access to this equipment.

Most so-called Tung oils readily available in hardware chains have artificial dryers added in an attempt to make them more do-it-yourself friendly. Some contain quite toxic chemicals such as mineral spirits, Terebine, and urethanes.
 
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. Recently a popular product that we know of has become unavailable to consumers and this makes Orange Tung Wood Oil one of the few genuine natural alternatives still on the market. The fact is that the raw ingredients for oils such as the one we produce, are very costly and because they are not embraced by the 'popular' mass market the volume produced is not sufficient for some businesses to 'stay afloat' unless, like us, the commitment in the business is to remain small enough to be in control and big enough to make a dent in the market. And boy has Howard Products ever done 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 Orange Oil, in other words Orange Tung Wood Oil. This way you will benefit from all the good features pure Tung Oil has to offer, while avoiding the problems associated with toxic additives.
 

So how do I use Orange Tung on my project?
 
For flooring or decking the best approach is as follows:

1. Before any coating is applied new timber must be well seasoned i.e. matured for up to six weeks. Make sure the wood is clean and free from oil, dirt build-up and all other coatings. Your timber may need to be washed down using a timber cleaner; we sell and recommend PowerLift an amazing wash which within 10 minutes will bring tannins, oils and previous coatings to the surface in a sludge which can be easily washed away. The timber should then be allowed to dry for about 3 days and must be completely dry before the oiling process begins. If a smooth finish is required you must sand the floor and remove all residual dust. To apply Orange Tung Wood Oil to decks we recommend using a Wagner Deck-Mate which has a 2 litre oil reservoir mounted on it and a control valve so that you can regulate oil flow to the pad. It also features a two sided protruding bristle in the centre of the pad to oil the gap between boards. This unique labour saving device is just $59.95; we believe you won't do better than that.
   
   
   For interior floors we have the Edgerite fine bristle applicator which features a 'flat-to-floor' mechanism ensuring that your finish is smooth and ripple free. It also comes with a high quality extendable aluminium handle, all for just $35.00. Please do not use lambs wool applicators as they apply too much oil to the timber. To clean any of our applicators, use a small amount of mineral turpentine or neat orange oil. When cleaned after use the applicators can be used time after time.

2. Apply your first coat thinly and evenly over the entire surface: Work the mixture well into the wood. If the wood has too much natural oil in it, introduced oils such as ours will not be able to penetrate properly. If left unattended this could create a blotchy finish. If you see any oil not drying uniformly or pooling blend it away. Please note: The likelihood is that if you have properly prepared your wood there will be NO excess oil to be concerned about.

3. Throughout the process continue to keep an eye on the wood finish during the drying process. Excess oil left unattended may result in what is known as varnishing. This is a blotchy finish which will scratch and mark easily.

4. After the surface is completely dry which takes approximately 24 hours (however this can vary depending on timber porosity and weather conditions) you can apply the second coat ensuring that you repeat the removal of the excess oil step.

5. A third coat is recommended. Three coats is best for flooring or decking in our opinion. However some industry professionals recommend more coats than this.

6. After the final coat is completely dry, allow two to three weeks minimum to ensure the surface is completely cured before applying the recommended coat of SunWax or Feed-N-Wax. 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 it is important to wax it fairly regularly, especially after periods of harsh weather conditions. We recommend Howard Sunwax for outdoors and Feed-N-Wax for interiors.

This technique can be easily adapted for sealing raw wooden furniture, both indoors and in the garden, or to any other timber items to which you want to give a long-wearing layer of protection. With wooden furniture you can hand-rub the Orange/Tung mix into the grain and burnish it dry using friction. To get directions on how to make yourself an old fashioned shellackers 'rubber' to hand rub Orange Tung into your project, email us. By the way, excess oil should never be an issue when using this method. We recommend a light coating of our Sun-Wax product to maintain a long lasting finish in outdoors areas or Feed-N-Wax indoors. For occasional scuff repair, use a dab of Howard Feed-N-Wax applied carefully with an abrasive sponge pad or similar. Avoid cleaning with warm, soapy water. Soap residue causes milkiness in the finish and it harbours bacteria. Use a little orange oil on a sponge mop. If you really do need to clean using soap use Howard Clean-A-Finish blended with water and when dry rub some orange oil or Feed-N-Wax over the area to remove any soapy residue.

Please Note: Preparation and application is the key to a successful finish.
Orange Tung Wood Oil is a unique blend of natural products requiring a degree of tender loving care and patience to achieve optimum results. 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.

Points to remember

• Drying time will be affected by the density and porosity of the wood you are working on. Harder timbers may take longer to dry

• Drying time will be affected by natural conditions such as cold and wet weather or extreme humidity. Aim to use our mix on a warm, dry day.

• Do not panic if your Tung Oil and Orange Oil mix is taking a little longer (or even a little less) time to dry. It is a natural product, and responds naturally to the conditions that surround it during application.

For occasional scuff repair, use a dab of Howard Feed-N-Wax applied with Howard #0000 steel wool or Howard Premium Gold, our new plastic re-usable fine abrasive . Avoid cleaning with warm, soapy water. Use a little orange oil on a sponge mop. If you do need to clean using soap use Howard non chemical Clean-A-Finish and when dry rub some orange oil or Feed-N-Wax over the area to remove soap residue.

For long-term maintenance a coat of Feed-N-wax every few months is a good idea and will extend the life of your deck, floor or furniture for many years.

A few known problems that have been experienced and can be rectified:
Indonesian timbers such as Merbau (pron; Merboo), which contain very visible streaks of dark oil and flecks of yellowy wax deposits in the grain can tend to resist introduced oils. This type of wood must have the oils and waxes removed from the upper surface for best results when applying decking oil. PowerLift is the best product we know of to do this successfully. Timbers such as Merbau can also darken when coated with penetrating oil such as Orange Tung. To many people this isn’t a problem, especially as dark flooring is currently very popular in the industry. For those who wish to keep decking or flooring light there is a product that we can supply which is called Spa-N-Deck. This product is used after PowerLift to completely wash away any areas that are darkening thus creates a surface which will only darken back to a natural degree when penetrating oil is added.

An orange peel effect is sometimes created either by not properly removing excess oil or because of some reaction to other oils or chemicals in the wood you’re working on. We do add a special vegetable oil product to the mix which combats this problem however it can be rectified in small areas by rubbing it way with #0000 grade steel wool or Howard Premium Gold fine plastic abrasive saturated with Howard Orange Oil.

Sometimes we hear that although the floor looks beautiful and the customer is very happy with it, there is a slight oiliness still evident that while not sticky, tends to come off on socks and so forth. This effect can occur with extremely hard wood, especially if the humidity is very high and the temperature very hot. This problem will eventually solve itself as the oil and the wood overcome the elements surrounding them and settle down. To deal with this problem immediately rub some pure Howard Orange Oil into the sticky areas and this will clean the stickiness away. To prevent this problem make sure that you wipe away any excess oil after each coat, as per our instructions. Also make sure that each coat is thoroughly dry before applying any following coat
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At this time not many of our numerous stockists carry this special blend: Speak to them and see if they will get it for you.
Alternatively it can be ordered via our 1 800 672 646 mail order number: We hand blend the product at our facility.
Our Tung/Orange Mix is priced as follows:
5 litres: no UV inhibitor added: $ 145.00 with UV inhibitor added by volume $170.00
20 litres: no UV inhibitor added $525.00 with UV inhibitor added by volume $625.00
Freight is charged at $15.00 for up to $150 worth of product and increases by $5 for each $100 worth thereafter.
We don't count the addition of UV ray absorber into the freight component. 5 litres remains at a $15.00 freight charge. Freight charge for the 20 litre drum will be charged at a rate that we will subsidise but it will vary depending on the state it's being sent to from NSW.

Don’t hesitate to email us for further advice or help with problems.