Treating reclaimed pine sink unit

[rrog]

Hi everyone, I have a reclaimed pine belfast sink unit that isn't fitted yet. I don't know whether it has already been treated with anything or not. My question is what do I use to waterproof it, especially the draining area? Also it will be situated under a window and be exposed to the sunlight, does this make any difference to what is used? Looking at some of the posts, tung oil seems to be the best, but is it the best in this situation? Also it has a lot of intricate carving, is it best to use an artists paint brush for doing this? I hope someone out there can help. Thanks Claire

 

[Scrit]

I have a reclaimed pine belfast sink unit that isn't fitted yet. I don't know whether it has already been treated with anything or not. My question is what do I use to waterproof it, especially the draining area? Also it will be situated under a window and be exposed to the sunlight, does this make any difference to what is used?

If you treat with anything remember that fungicides, insecticides, etc are toxic - to you as well the target. I'm a bit curious, if it hasn't got signs of boring insects or rot, why would you think it is going to develop them now? I can vividly recall my mother scrubbing our solid wood worktops with a scrubbing brush when I was a kid (1950s) - scrubbed then wiped and left to dry naturally. They weren't even oiled. Dishes and pots were never left to drain, but always dried immediately (but then the frying pan was unenamelled steel). That drainer was a good 30 years old by the time we moved from that house and it wasn't split or rotten, either.

One thing to note about oil finishes. Most of them dry with an exothermic reaction. i.e. they generate heat as they dry, so at the end of a session unfold and flatten out your cloths and spread on the ground outside to dry overnight. Screwing them up and rossing them into the bin still wet has been known to cause a fire.

If you want to seal it then you should give it 2 to 3 coats of Auro worktop oil or stand oil (linseed oil heated in the absence of air/water). Polymerised tung oil, danish oil and boiled linseed oil can contain metallic driers which can be toxic so a careful check needs to be done on them before use. I doubt that sunlight will make any difference - other than to fade the wood beneath the finish, something that cannot be avoided. I'd use a bridled glue brush or a stencil brush to oil the carved areas. As for the carvings you're probably wasting your time with an artists brush as the object of the exercise is to get the oil into the wood rather than in top and stippling on then taking off the excess with a lint-free white cotton rag (well-washed old T-shirt, vest, knickers, etc) would seem to be a good way to go.

Scrit