• The forum upgrades have been completed. These were moderate security fixes from our software vendor and it looks like everything is working well. If you see any problems please post in the Forum Technical Support forum or email us at forum_moderator (at) aawforum.org. Thank you
  • Congratulations to David Wyke, People's Choice in the April 2026 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Ted Pelfrey for "Cherry Blossoms on Cherry" being selected as Turning of the Week for April 27, 2026 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Sam Maloof finish

The video is different from the Sam Maloof finish I learned.

Two different mixes, and this is what I think is the actual recipe.

Equal parts of tung oil, boiled linseed oil, and polyurethane. The tung oil was the real stuff, not the tung oil finish that is sold. The polyurethane was usually semi-gloss. Three or four coats were applied and wiped off.

This is the second mix, following the first. Equal parts real tung oil and BLO. Add some beeswax until you get the consistency you like. I'm not sure how many coats Sam applied of this mix.

This can be modified to suit the user. In the first mix, I use 50 percent Minwax gloss polyurethane, 25 percent tung oil, and 25 percent BLO. The higher proportion of polyurethane gives the finish a little more water resistance and also adds some extra gloss. I apply two coats and occasionally three. I think it is really close to a Osmo PolyX finish and a lot cheaper.

I seldom use the second mix. I have experimented and substituted carnauba wax for beeswax.
 
The "Tung Oil Finish" that is shown in the video may contain no tung oil, and it definitely has other stuff in it, mostly solvent. Probably not what Sam used, and a big enough goof by the presenter that it makes the rest of his pitch untrustworthy.
 
Thanks hughie.

How many coats?
Is buffing needed?
As I understand Sam used three coats as his standard then buffed, how much buffing? How much shine do you want?
 
The "Tung Oil Finish" that is shown in the video may contain no tung oil, and it definitely has other stuff in it, mostly solvent. Probably not what Sam used, and a big enough goof by the presenter that it makes the rest of his pitch untrustworthy.
Yes, Sam as I heard used pure Tung oil no additives what so ever, mind you I am commenting from a far here.
 
I've used Maloof's finish recipe on furniture and cabinets many times over the years. More recently on bowls I mix Tried and True Danish oil with General Wood Bowl finish, half and half. Get the best results when I let it cure until it's almost too hard to wipe down.
 
Noticed he didn't loosen the lid before heating the mixture. I'm curious.....is that available as a readily mixed finish? And if so, by whom?
 
Back
Top