The development of our Botanical Polymerized Tung Oil line is the culmination of our goal to produce a Polymerized Tung Oil wood finish with the lowest toxicity possible. There are many facets in developing a wood finish with the “lowest toxicity” as possible. Standards for defining “low toxicity” are few and far between. For us, our concerns extended to both the environmental impact of producing and using a solvent-based wood finish as it relates to both the environment and the wood finisher.
Environmentally speaking, producing a wood finish with a 99% botanical component is one of the best ways to address the ozone depleting effects of solvent based systems that are formulated with fossil fuels by-products. It’s incredible to think that you can produce one of the highest quality wood finishes that is formulated by renewable, all botanical ingredients! First we start with pure Tung Oil, an all natural vegetable oil, pressed from nuts grown from Tung trees. Next we polymerize, or cook, our Tung Oil to its “maximal thermal threshold” which develops a gorgeous sheen and a hard protective coating without having to add urethanes or varnishes to make the coating more durable. Our polymerization process minimizes the need for additional chemical driers. Moreover, we are using chemical driers with the lowest toxicity available.
The next component that reduces the toxicity of our Botanical Polymerized Tung Oil is the thinning of the Polymerized Tung Oil with our plant-derived solvent, Di-Citrusol™. This super-clean solvent is formulated by distilling the peels of citrus fruits such lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruits. Di-Citrusol™ is the purest, lowest toxic solvent in its class available today! Not only is it finisher-friendly, but environmentally speaking, this coating is again contributing to renewing the earth as it utilizes what would be considered the “unusable” peels from citrus fruit, in addition to the benefit of the oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange that occurs while the tree is growing. This solvent is totally free of any petroleum distillates.
All our Polymerized Tung Oil finishing products share the unique properties of our Loc-Lamin® Finishing System; which is the cross-linking of oil molecules in each layer of Polymerized Tung Oil facilitating layer-to-layer bonding while maintaining a flexible coating. This improved flexibility is key to coating integrity as the wood responds to the seasonal changes in moisture content of the wood that occur over time. Our Polymerized Tung oil, applied according to the recommended instructions will never peel or delaminate. This unique line of low-toxic Polymerized Tung wood finishes can be used on wood, masonry, porous stones, terra-cotta tiles and cork. It can also be used as a water-resistant coating over milk paint finishes. The color of the oil mixture ranges from a light green to a light orange depending on the predominant citrus content of the citrus press but will remain a neutral color on the wood with very little ambering. It has a pleasant, light citrus aroma. The workability of the oil has been maximized allowing more time before the oil sets up.
We feel we have succeeded in providing the highest quality Polymerized Tung Oil Wood Finish with the lowest level of toxicity on the market today. Sutherland Welles Ltd. ® Botanical Polymerized Tung Oil captures the ultimate “hand-rubbed look” while meeting the exacting requirements of ethical and environmental responsibility. We are proud of the achievement.