waterproofing...tung oil??/

[southpawsgarage]

im new here..forgive me...been readin the forum...enjoyin variety of topics and answers...i have used epoxys..and fiberglass for many years..both work great as waterproofers...but are alot of work..
...now here is new thought...
anyone out thier tried using tung oil..???..
i used to do furniture refininshin as hobbie....it is not only food safe..but works awesome on wood..leather..and other materials....was used as waterproofer in china..Marco Polo introduced to world...
is awesome on woood...rockhard finsih...super tough..easy to refinish..dries to satin finish..awesome for bottoms of floor is my thought..and anyplace else you decide you care to protect.....not sure how would stand up...Any ideas???.

[Deryk the Pirate]

The chinese rubbed it on their junks and they float!

[afreegreek]

im new here..forgive me...been readin the forum...enjoyin variety of topics and answers...i have used epoxys..and fiberglass for many years..both work great as waterproofers...but are alot of work..
...now here is new thought...
anyone out thier tried using tung oil..???..
i used to do furniture refininshin as hobbie....it is not only food safe..but works awesome on wood..leather..and other materials....was used as waterproofer in china..Marco Polo introduced to world...
is awesome on woood...rockhard finsih...super tough..easy to refinish..dries to satin finish..awesome for bottoms of floor is my thought..and anyplace else you decide you care to protect.....not sure how would stand up...Any ideas???.

you came to a site where CPES is worshiped a gift from God to tear droppers..

[Oldragbaggers]

Worship might be a strong word, but there are a lot of us here that do appreciate the qualities that CPES brings to the table, enjoy using it and don't mind paying for it.

As far as tung oil goes, I really love tung oil and use it a lot on the furniture I refinish. (Just about every piece of furniture in my house came from an auction of one kind or another.) One thing I have found though is that usually the pieces I do with tung oil seem to need a little spruce up and a fresh coat every few years, so I know it has a limited life span. If something that sits indoors needs to be refreshed occassionally, I would think that a trailer that is exposed to the elements would probably need it even more often.

You sound like someone who likes to work with wood finishes so giving the camper a regular once over may not be a problem for you. I personally don't mind a day with a can of tung oil and a cloth. Hand rubbing a beautiful piece of furniture almost has a zen quality to it.

If you try it and it doesn't last or turns out to be more maintenance than you anticipated you can always refinish later with something else like a spar varnish. It certainly gives wood a beautiful look though.

Bottom line these trailers are individual creations. There is no right or wrong way, there is YOUR way. I look forward to seeing how your build turns out.

[CarlLaFong]

The chinese rubbed it on their junks and they float!

I'm not touching that one

[StPatron]

Welcome southpawsgarage.

You'll find examples here of a variety of materials being used for undercoating floors along with (usually healthy) debates on the pluses and minuses of each. I don't recall tung oil being suggested previously, so will be interested in that part of the discussion.

The product qualities that you mention would seem to make it desirable for countertops... food preparation in enclosed or "hatched" galleys.

Some good info here:
http://www.woodworkdetails.com/Knowledge/Finishing/Tung-Oil.aspx