DIY Decking Oil

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Last updated 5:06 pm, Thursday 4th August 2011

Decking oil, how to make it yourself!

At the end of 2008 I like many fellow Aussies added on a hardwood timber deck to our new home.

The timber deck consists of a large, i.e. 100m2, part of which is a covered alfresco area and part which is an open veranda with stairs to the lawns.

The handrails and timber decking is made of 2cm solid Spotted Gum and the guard rails are of stainless steel. The timber decking was an important contributor to the overall architectural look of the home giving it a contemporary Colonial/Balinese feel.

It also represented a significant financial outlay so maintenance was crucial to preserve the wood finish.

Professional deck oiling experience

It came as a huge shock that two layers coats of shop bought timber decking oil plus labour came in at $600 of which $160 was the oil and the remainder labour. Now this may not sound much but given our Northern aspect and the harsh Australian environment we would need to do this at least four times a year, so thats at least $2400 a year!

In the first instance we had the professionals do the job and it took 3 weeks for the decking wood oil to dry. It was at this point that I began to looking at how I could do the task myself.

After trial and not too much error here is the way I now do the job.

Timber Decking Oil Recipe

Raw Linseed oil 4 parts

Mineral turps 11 parts

Terobene (drying agent) 1 part

This formula can be scaled up or down suit to your needs.

The cost saving is at least 50% less than the pre-made mix.

Equipment to apply the home made Decking Oil

4 Clean plastic bottles that previously held mineral water 1.5/2L work best

I store each of the individual components in a separate bottle, and only when I want to use the product I make up the mix in bottle 4. These bottles and contents are now part of the kits.

Gloves are a must as the job is mucky and you are dealing with potentially dangerous liquids so mark your bottles clearly and keep well out of the way of food stuff and kids.
Mask. the smell will get to you and make you dizzy
Funnel to transfer liquids from larger cans etc
Old towel remnants
Eye protection
Stool for comfort
Plastic spray bottle

I have found the spray bottles for the company who makes "Method" cleaning products simply wonderful. So when I have finished one of their product e.g window cleaner I simply rinse it out with water and then fill in the decking oil.

Please note if you increase your Linseed proportion check that the spray gun will still work and not clog up.

Preparation for application of the decking oil

Clear the deck and give it a good clean i.e remove decking furniture and give it a good sweep. if it is dirty wash down with a weak solution of beach (I do this once a year regardless).
Make sure your deck is dry and check you are not expecting rain for the next 4 to 7 days to give the oil chance to penetrate fully into the wood.

Application of the decking oil

The professionals use a whole raft of equipment if you have it use it.. I have found that if I decant the decking oil into a good quality recycled spray bottle all I do is sit on my stool and spray 1m2 areas and then move on.

For my handrails I spray on the decking oil onto an old bit of towel and rub it on, this also works well on stairs.

Make sure you have an even coat, I think it is better it do multiple coats than one thick coat as you don't have the inconvenience of long drying times plus I think you get better oil penetration of the wood.

By the way this decking oil is excellent on wooden garden furniture. Make sure you don't get it onto anything but the wood as it does stain!

Have a go you will be amazed at how easy it is and how cheap it is to make and use your own decking oil. I first made up a litre as I too was not sure but when I say that I was happy with the results I bought in bulk and saved even more.

Hints and Tips

First off do not be tempted to cut back on the turps in the ratio, otherwise you run the risk of the oil setting too thick and sitting on the surface of the wood, ending up with a sticky discolored patch. If you have a sticky patch the way to fix it is to up the turps (by about 50%) so making a thin mixture, just paint this onto the sticky area and work it in a bit over 10 minutes - what happens is that the old mixture goes liquid again and spreads with the new - fixing the mistake.

Also this is a good way of doing a once in a while 'refresh' of your deck; i.e. go over the deck with a specific deck cleaning mixture; wash that off and let the deck dry - then paint on the thinned version of the decking oil to really soak everything in well. Also while you are this up close and personal with your deck use this as a chance to use scrapper or blade to take off any deposits or marks that got attached to the decking oil.

Related Tags: oiling, cleaning, home

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Comments left

Paul said:
There are some who say that linseed oil encourages fungal growth when applied to timber decks. Do you have any comment about this?
ON Sat, 12 Jun 10, 4:20pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Eco Guy said:
  Hi Paul,
  
  I haven't seen any fungal growth and we have been applying the mix to our deck for over a year now. I'd imagine the turps would work against that problem.
  ON Sat, 12 Jun 10, 6:11pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Paulo said:
hi, what is Terobene? cannot find any translation to portuguese. Paulo
ON Sun, 20 Jun 10, 8:30am probably from Portugal Reply to this comment
Anthony said:
Add some Eucalyptus or Tea Tree Oil to the mix. Even oil of cloves as these are anti mould and fungal.
ON Wed, 21 Jul 10, 8:28am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Scott said:
This sounds great. I would like to use it on treated pine. Do you see any problems with this? Also, can I tint it so it has a different colour, and if so, what do I use and how much? Thanks.
ON Mon, 6 Sep 10, 9:17pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Eco Guy said:
  Hi Scott,
  
  It should work on treated pine. If I was you I'd try it out on some scrap first and see how that goes. As for the tinting, really depends on the age of the wood and sun exposure - I'd take a wood sample to your local paint supplier and get them to match to the colour you are looking for. I'd suggest mixing the tint slightly thinner than you need and apply many light coats to build up the colour to what you want - that way you remain in control of the job.
  ON Tue, 7 Sep 10, 3:34pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
David said:
Hi Eco Guy, that s sounds great as I also have an expensive deck. Can you please advise me where to purchase or who makes the terobene as I cannot seem to locate it. Thanks and good work as you have saved a lot of people a lot of money. David
ON Fri, 17 Sep 10, 9:44am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Eco Guy said:
  Hi David, Feast Watson make it - need to go to Mitre 10 in Australia to get it. basically its an aid to help the oils get into the wood and therefore make it dry quicker.
  ON Thu, 23 Sep 10, 4:39pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Beth said:
Just put penatrting oil stain on my deck. We have been in a drought for MONTHS. 2 hours after application, out of no where - breif thunderstorm. What do I do?
ON Mon, 27 Sep 10, 1:27am probably from United States Reply to this comment
Clementine said:
I'm probably going to seem like an idiot, but could you tell me where to get raw linseed oil from? ;x Thank you.
ON Sat, 23 Oct 10, 12:09pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Dave said:
  Raw linseed oil can be obtained at any hardware outlet .
  ON Wed, 16 Feb 11, 11:15pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
David said:
Hi just wanting to know does the raw linseed oil make the timber decking stain a lot darker than normal and how long would using the Raw Linseed oil 4 parts Mineral turps 11 parts Terobene (drying agent) 1 part last before re-applying Cheers David
ON Thu, 3 Mar 11, 4:13pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Ray Sawford said:
It sure sounds great to me.........I am going to try a small batch for some treated pine outdoor furniture which I have made.........I will even go out on a limb and try tinting it to match some other furniture close by.........Dark tile grout or brickies mortar tint powder might do the trick.......Eh !.......coloured Clay and Ochre etc has worked for centuries as a tinting medium in many cultures and has stood the test of time,for sure.
ON Thu, 24 Mar 11, 10:02pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Ian said:
Hello. You could use low odour turps with your mixture. It may save the smell a bit. You can but it in Cairns under Diggers brand. I tried engine oil and kero a couple of times. It goes prettty dark but stops the wood rotting. I ended up cleaning it off before I came across your receipe and used a shop bought oil. Cheers
ON Wed, 27 Apr 11, 9:16pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Mat said:
Does the oil have to be Linseed oil? Can you use any other variety. ie old olive, engine oil. As long as you mix it with Turps what's the difference?
ON Sat, 11 Jun 11, 12:41pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Eco Guy said:
  No you cannot - has to be a natural oil that is thin. Engine oil is anything but and quite likely would damage the wood.
  ON Sun, 12 Jun 11, 8:01am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Crazywife said:
How often would a deck need to be treated with the Timber Decking oil. i am new at this.
ON Wed, 29 Jun 11, 8:51am probably from United States Reply to this comment
Tracey said:
HI I'm from Canada and am about to recoat our deck which we have just fully sanded down. Can you tell me what Mineral turps is? Never heard of it and I am wondering if it is an aussie term. lol! Cheers, Tracey
ON Thu, 8 Sep 11, 6:36am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Eco Guy said:
  From wikipedia: Mineral turpentine, also known as turpentine substitute, turps substitute, or just turps is an inexpensive petroleum-based replacement for the vegetable-based turpentine. It is commonly used as a paint thinner for thinning oil-based paint and cleaning brushes, and as an organic solvent in other applications.
  ON Thu, 8 Sep 11, 8:54am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Sue said:
Hi Eco Guy, Thanks so much for this 'recipe'! Could you tell me, as our deck is narrow and close to things that we don't want to hit with overspray, could we paint this mixture on with a paintbrush? I'm also wondering how much to buy in the way of ingredients as I'm not sure what the coverage would be. Would you know what the expectation would be per square metre for 2 thin coats, please? We have stairs and decking that measures about 65m2. Thanks again! Sue
ON Tue, 20 Sep 11, 10:30am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Eco Guy said:
  Hi Sue,
  
  Coverage is about 500ml (0.5L) per meter square I'd say of finished mixed product. Really comes down to how 'hungry' your wood is for it. Also do not overcoat, as anything which sits on the surface just does not soak in and goes tacky on you and then turns black from all the dirt and crud that sticks to it and is worse in open deck areas - the premixed oil based products will do exactly the same BTW. You want to be _just_ under over feeding it.
  ON Tue, 20 Sep 11, 11:11am probably from United States Reply to this comment
Sue said:
Hi again Eco Guy, Doesn't that make this more expensive than something like Bondall (17m2/L, single coat) or Feast & Watson (6-10m2 per litre, single coat)? Or is there more to it than that? Thanks, Sue
ON Tue, 20 Sep 11, 2:58pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Eco Guy said:
  Let me check with the lady of the house.. It's actually around 100ml per meter square atm. As I said it depends how hungry the wood is as to how many times you need to apply. If you buy the ingredients in volume once you have found it works for you, should be somewhat cheaper than the premixed versions.
  ON Tue, 20 Sep 11, 5:24pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Sue said:
Thanks!
ON Wed, 21 Sep 11, 7:52am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Darren said:
I recently used decking oil but my sons spilt it on the outdoor rubber/cork type mterial tiles. What can I use to remove the decking oil without removing the colour from the tiles and cleaning the surface? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Cheers Darren
ON Tue, 18 Oct 11, 10:22pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Colleen said:
Can you also apply this with a brush or only the spray bottle method?
ON Fri, 21 Oct 11, 4:10pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Kim said:
Hi Eco Guy, thanks for sharing the recipe and wisdom :) Did you mean TerEbene rather than terObene??? the former is all that comes up when I google it..... Am trying to find out of it's toxic as I have a baby who will be eating off of the decking no doubt and we are super conscious of chemicals in our house. Any info would be fab. Not alot found on google. Cheers! Kim
ON Sun, 30 Oct 11, 8:36pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Ranjit said:
I am a bit lost on the measurements What do you mean by parts on the liquid measurements???? Tks
ON Sat, 5 Nov 11, 9:31am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Dracher said:
  If you have 10 litres of liquid consisting of orange juice, Coca cola and gin, in which 2 parts are gin, 4 parts are orange juice and 4 parts are Coca Cola, then each part is 1 litre. 2+4+4=10. If you had a very big deck, then Raw Linseed oil 4 parts, Mineral turps 11 parts, Terobene (drying agent)1 part would give you 16 Litres of decking mix if each part were 1 litre, but if each part is a teacup full, then you would have 11 cupfulls of decking mix.
  ON Sun, 27 Nov 11, 1:38pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
  - Dracher said:
    CORRECTION! You would have 16 cupfulls of decking oil. Sorry , each part is whatever amount you choose to make it, but each number of parts must employ the same measure.
    ON Sun, 27 Nov 11, 1:42pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Dip Bhattacharya said:
I am going to follow exactly as it is described in this nice article. I made some phone calls just now (28th Nov, 11) about pricing for various items here in Melbourne. Here we go:

1) Raw Linseed Oil - $7.50 Lt at Mitre10 Chelsie

Womersley's Mitre 10 Chelsea H Cnr Springvale & Wells Rd, Chelsea Heights, 3196 VIC 03 9781 9500

2) Coles Smart Buy Mineral Turpentine at any Coles Supermarket - I think they are around $5/6 per Lt or less. Pretty cheap as you need more of this.

3) Terebene - $18.99 per 500 Mil at Mitre10. Pretty pricey but only need to use one part.

I hope the mixture will ultimately come similar or close to the one of those such as Cabot's Australian Timber Decking Oil. Will see...

Cheers...Dip
ON Mon, 28 Nov 11, 2:22pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
- Dip Bhattacharya said:
  Little price correction to above, 1) Raw Linseed Oil - $7.50 per 500 Mil (or half a Lt). It is around $12.00 for a Lt. Cheers. Dip
  ON Mon, 28 Nov 11, 3:01pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
  - Wez said:
    Ok the mix sounds great but has anyone compared price per liter or are we assuming this is cheaper Crystal paints do a natural deck oil for $30 for 4 litres which works out to be $120 for 16 litres Basic add up for 16 litres of Eco mix is $146 unless Ive got wrong prices on each item it seems cheaper to buy from retailer ??? What's your price per litre mr Eco guy ??? Only have 240m2 to cover that's all please help with pricing
    ON Sun, 11 Mar 12, 11:04am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
    - Eco Guy said:
      The price (as always) depends on the volume you need. Do remember you will need to keep reapplying this mix every once in a while. So do a sample mix to see if it works for you, but don't use the price points of that to determine the cost going forwards. If it does work for you - buy in volume, the ingredients won't go off I assure you.
      ON Sun, 11 Mar 12, 9:45pm probably from United States Reply to this comment
Wez said:
Cheers mate Can't seem to find the terebene any clues on bulk places for it ???
ON Mon, 12 Mar 12, 9:50am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Stuart said:
You'll have to coat 4 times a year if you use linseed as it doesn't have any UV absorbtion properties. A better value option is to pay for a quality decking oil that has been designed for purpose. This will require far less maintenance.
ON Thu, 19 Apr 12, 9:17am probably from Singapore Reply to this comment
- Eco Guy said:
  Maybe, but if you are having to coat 4 times a year, then any consumer commercial product would also require a higher rate of application - so your period of maintenance may go down, but the costs would still be greater.
  
  There are professional grade decking products which are actually rated for multiyear coverage - although again that is ideal conditions and also you need to make sure that your application is spot on; otherwise you have a blotchy look to your deck. These work by effectively sealing your deck with a coating that has a built in stain. But yet again what you save in maintenance you pay for in cost.
  ON Thu, 19 Apr 12, 3:19pm probably from Australia Reply to this comment
Ian said:
Hello there I'm in the process of trying to restore my hardwood decking after some fairly poor quality treatment and I have a question: Do you have a specific reason for using raw linseed oil instead of boiled? I've been using a similar mixture to yours for restoring the finish on furniture for about 40 years but using boiled linseed oil not raw. I hadn't thought of using it outside though. On furniture, raw linseed never really dries and remains slightly tacky attracting dirt, whereas boiled linseed oil mixed about 1 to 2 with turps, is absorbed quickly and dries in a few hours. Maybe you just don't have boiled linseed where you are but I'd be interested to know if you've tried it. Check out the characteristics of both on the net under furniture restoration and you'll see what I mean. Thanks for the idea of making your own decking oil in any case. Ian
ON Fri, 31 Aug 12, 12:05am probably from France Reply to this comment
David said:
Can I use this recipe on a deck that has previously been treated with a water based oil?
ON Thu, 17 Jan 13, 10:36am probably from Australia Reply to this comment
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ON Fri, 29 Mar 13, 10:56pm probably from India Reply to this comment
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ON Thu, 11 Apr 13, 9:27pm probably from India Reply to this comment

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