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Exceptional Polymerized Tung Oil Wood Finishes
Beautiful, Durable and Environmentally Friendly.
Since 1965.
Shop Now
Exceptional Polymerized Tung Oil Wood Finishes
Beautiful, Durable and Environmentally Friendly.
Since 1965.
Shop Now
Exceptional Polymerized Tung Oil Wood Finishes
Beautiful, Durable and Environmentally Friendly.
Since 1965.
Shop Now
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About us

Sutherland Welles

At Sutherland Welles, we invite you into a realm of woodcraft passion and dedication that we proudly infuse into every product we offer. As you explore, you’ll discover more than just wood finishing solutions – you’ll find a commitment to excellence that runs deep within our formulations and craftsmanship.

Our products are meticulously crafted to elevate the innate beauty of wood while providing robust protection against the challenges of time, wear, and moisture. Embracing Sutherland Welles means embracing a partnership with a brand that shares your passion for woodworking, one that empowers you to bring your creative visions to life with unparalleled finesse and enduring quality.

Join us in celebrating the world of woodworking mastery and experience the difference that our products can make in your projects.

Your Favorite Finishes Now Come With The Assurance Of Third Party Testing For Low Chemical Emissions.

Sutherland Welles Original, Botanical, and Millie’s Polymerized Tung Oil are Greenguard product certified for low chemical emissions.

What is Tung Oil?

Why Tung Oil?

Sutherland Welles, ltd. Polymerized Tung Oil finishes is an environmentally friendly, traditional oil based finishing option. 

Why choose Sutherland Welles Tung Oil for your wood finishing projects?

Tung oil is a naturally derived oil from the nut of a Tung tree. Native to China, Tung oil has been used to preserve wood, metal, and stone for centuries. Tung oil penetrates the grain of wood, enhances its appearance, and provides a protective, flexible, water-resistant finish.

Polymerization and Sutherland Welles Tung Oil

Sutherland Welles Ltd, uses only the highest quality Tung Oil, imported from China where the oil is extracted from the tung nut using a cold press method, not the lesser grade petroleum distillates extraction method. Our hand-crafted finishes are made from heat treated, or polymerized, tung oil.

Polymerization is a heating process that changes the tung oil to:

About Sutherland Welles Ltd.

We are a small, family-run business and pride ourselves on providing exceptional environmentally friendly products and customer service! Our environmental impact is very important to us as parents and owners of Sutherland Welles.

In 1965, before it was trendy to be “green”, Frank Sutherland Welles dedicated himself to creating an 100% pure Tung oil product. Frank’s commitment to providing a natural, nourishing, renewable wood treatment while creating an exceptional bond and protection was visionary.

Frank’s vision is the foundation of our business that has grown into a variety of products to make wood beautiful in homes, boats, businesses, and public spaces since 1965.

The legacy of sustainable products formulated with as low toxicity as possible has been at the core of the company’s values and vision, and will remain so into the distant future.

What is everyone is saying about Sutherland Welles, Ltd?

Explore Our Product Lines

Interior Polymerized Tung Oil

Sutherland Welles’ Original Formula/Interior Polymerized Tung Oil is a beautiful, durable, and easy to use finish appropriate for a variety of interior finishing projects.

Exterior Polymerized Tung Oil

Our Exterior Polymerized Tung Oil is an excellent exterior clear finish coating for a variety of outdoor applications.

Murdoch's Polymerized Tung Oil

Our hybrid Polymerized Tung Oil and resin system that combines the benefits and beauty of tung oil with the extra protection of a resin.

Botanical Polymerized Tung Oil

Sutherland Welles Botanical Polymerized Tung Oil line was created to offer an alternative to petroleum solvent finishes.

Wiping Varnish

Our first line of resin fortified Polymerized Tung Oil finishes that are made using our polymerized tung oil and resin.

Old World Concentrated Stains

Sutherland Welles stains can be mixed to form a variety of colors or successive layers of different stains help create an antiqued effect.

Woodcare Accessories

After many years of research, and trial and error, we've come up with several outstanding products to help you along with your project.

Tung Oil Paste Waxes

Sutherland Welles Tung Oil Paste Waxes are an environmentally friendly option for a hand rubbed, tung oil wood finish.

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Find the Right Product for Your Project!

Search our products to help select the right wood finisher for your project. We’ll help you determine which finish will work best for your materials and situation.

Completed Projects

Video Tutorials

Watch. Learn. Finish.

Tips, highlights, and uses of Sutherland Welles Polymerized Tung Oil wood finishes.

Do You Need Help?

Our team is ready to help you determine the perfect product for your project.
Just call or email us!

Frequently Asked Questions

Many of our customers always have questions about our finishes and process. Read below to find your answer. Reach out to our experts at Sutherland Welles for any questions you may have.
Raw Tung Oil is a VERY SLOW drying oil. It takes upwards of 6 weeks for raw Tung oil to cure and often remains sticky during that 6 weeks.
Yes, it can be used on any porous stone, unglazed tile, and metalworks. It is best to use any relevant Sealer (check products for best usage) and fewer coats will be needed.
Yes, ALL of our finishes are considered inert and food safe after they are full cured for 30 days, except our Millie’s All Purpose Penetrating Tung Oil. Millie’s finish is the quickest to reach food safety usage, as it is formulated with Polymerized Tung Oil, Citrus solvent, and beeswax with no added driers making it usable once DRY, usually after just 3 days. This is great finish for salad bowls, cutting boards, and counters such as a kitchen island to be used as food prep.
Yes, the only difference is the UV and Mildecide additives between the two. They are fine to use indoors.
A natural White China Bristle brush (stainer-style, square tip) is best to use to apply our finishes, especially the film finishes in the Murdoch’s line. This brush is available on our online store. A short-napped, synthetic floor pad can be used for large floors. A Scotts blue shop towel can be used for small tight areas. It can also be sprayed using a HVLP sprayer to a achieve a light thin coating.

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