Has anyone used hard wax oil finish such as Fiddes, Rubio or Osmo?

Packard

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
4,750
Has anyone used hard wax oil finish such as Fiddes, Rubio or Osmo?

How durable is it?
How difficult to apply?
Where would you use this?
What are the advantages?
What are the disadvantages?
Why are they so damned expensive?

 
We used Rubio Monocoat on walnut dining table. Followed that with the universal maintenance oil for more of a satin appearance. The finish is beautiful with a surface that is very pleasing to the touch.
Durability has been very good. One scratch required a repair. It was trivial to re-apply just to the one area. The ability to make a spot repair is amazing.
Will update with pictures when time permits.
 
I haven't used Osmo, but I've used Rubio Natural on several recent baltic birch projects. A desk, small cabinet, and 10 kitchen drawer boxes. Application is easy, squeegee on, buff with pad, wipe off excess. Cures in 5 or so days.

I used Natural as it kept the wood closer to its native color, adding slightly yellow tones. I tested the Pure but it was more of an orange tone, however Pure looks great with darker woods such as walnut (Natural has white and will lighten darker wood).

As for wear, I've noticed the desktop is much smoother where I use the mouse, but I think that would happen with any surface/finish. Otherwise, all the projects still look fresh.

Stumpy Nubs recently released a video where he uses boiled linseed oil coated with paste wax and achieved similar results at a much lower price. Rubio is also made with BLO.
 
Rubio PCE stain and 2C Pure on my white oak kitchen cabinets - pretty hard to mess up. So far very (+2yrs) happy with stain resistance (red chili oil and coffee to name a few) and on the hand, feels amazing. Does off gas, some would argue the toxicity of that, but I didn't find it off-putting.

I used Rubio PCE stain and Odies products on my eastern white pine floors (Odies naked on heart pine) and also very happy with stain resistance. Time will tell, but again, the feel is perfect, personally. Applying PCE in the field (large area, flooring) you do need be mindful of speed/lapping. Not to through Odies in the mix, but I touch up scratches (dog) just to make the house smell good - with no gloves on.

Expensive yes, but high-yield to quantity spec'd. PCE samples can be purchased through eco-buildingproducts.com

Terrible pic...

View attachment 1
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0562.jpg
    IMG_0562.jpg
    250.1 KB · Views: 178
Osmo -- Love it, but yes, pretty expensive. Fantastic on walnut, oak, etc. I use it on fine pieces only.

A little goes a long way, so you use less than the ordinary finish for each application. I apply it with a white pad (non-abrasive).

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]
 

Attachments

  • dining table osmo.JPG
    dining table osmo.JPG
    61.4 KB · Views: 2,371
  • tage frid chairs osmo.JPG
    tage frid chairs osmo.JPG
    71.2 KB · Views: 2,334
ChuckS said:
If a cabinet is made of plywood, I'd probably choose a more economical finish such as General Arm-R-Seal.

Arm-R-Seal suggests 3 coats compared to Rubio's one coat. What you save on the front-end costs you more time on the backend.

In small sizes, it's $28USD for General Arm-R-Seal Satin (pint size) vs. $50USD for Rubio Pure (350ml).

Prices are much higher (especially for Rubio) as you get into liter and gallon sizes but a little Rubio goes a long way. It would be interesting to see if there are any specs for how much coverage you get in real-world use from a 350ml can of Rubio compared to a pint of Arm-R-Seal.

I haven't used Osmo but their Poly-X requires two coats.
 
4nthony said:
Snip.
Arm-R-Seal suggests 3 coats compared to Rubio's one coat. What you save on the front-end costs you more time on the backend.
Snip.

That may be true about the overall costs in mass applications. But I thin the Arm-R-Seal as recommended by the supplier (usually 10% to 15%), and so for a cabinet or two, one can (good for about 130 - 150 sq ft diluted) more than does the job.
 
ChuckS said:
Osmo is suitable for cabinets, though it has all kinds of choices:https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product-type/oils/project/cabinets/brand/osmo

Kerf uses Osmo Poly-x on their cabinets.

Their veneer page shows examples of how, presumably, Osmo changes over time.

Never mind, they say on the site only the edges get Osmo.

The plywood has a VOC-free factory-applied, UV cured finish. Edges are finished with Osmo Polyx-oil, a benzene-free oil and wax finish that is both durable and repairable.
 
ChuckS said:
But I thin the Arm-R-Seal as recommended by the supplier (usually 10% to 15%), and so for a cabinet or two, one can (good for about 130 - 150 sq ft diluted) more than does the job.

True. I don't think thinning is allowed with Rubio :D
 
"Stumpy Nubs recently released a video where he uses boiled linseed oil coated with paste wax and achieved similar results at a much lower price. Rubio is also made with BLO."

Don't know what BLO Stumpy used but the Rubio uses cold pressed and filtered oil that is actually boiled afterwards. Expensive stuff.

Hardware store BLO is crudely processed and not actually boiled. Instead driers are added.
 
When I recently did research into using Rubio, I came to the conclusion that I would buy syringes and actually do the math so I would only pull out the amount I would need for the guesstimated square footage I was going to do (including the hardener).  Seemed like the best way to get the most from the $50+ can. 
 
I'm under the impression that Osmo makes several types of finish and that lumping them all in the same bracket is about as helpfull as suggesting that all Makita tools are ace cos one drill driver they made was good.

Dunno about other brands though.
 
Rick Herrick said:
When I recently did research into using Rubio, I came to the conclusion that I would buy syringes  Snip.

By the time I read up to this point of your sentence, I thought you were trying to mean to say that you needed to sell blood to afford the Rubio!!! [tongue] [big grin]
 
I use 10cc syringes to mix Rubio in batches in small plastic cups as I finish a piece.  You get pretty good as you go and I usually finish with minimal extra product.
 
ChuckS said:
Rick Herrick said:
When I recently did research into using Rubio, I came to the conclusion that I would buy syringes  Snip.

By the time I read up to this point of your sentence, I thought you were trying to mean to say that you needed to sell blood to afford the Rubio!!! [tongue] [big grin]

No Chuck, I had to sell blood to buy Festool (and WP and TSO, ahh, you get the picture) ... [eek]
 
Could/should I use any of these products over polyurethane? My cherry bench I pre finished before assembly is on day 6 of 21 before clamping. Wondering if/when I could apply one of these products to the accessible areas like the top/ends/shoe storage areas and if their 5 day cure time should align with the 21 day cure of the general finishes high performance?
 
Back
Top