The beaker on the left contains Raw Linseed Oil and the beaker on the right contains Boiled Linseed Oil.
What is linseed Oil?
Linseed oil is obtained from the seed of the linseed–flax plant and is one of the most useful, and most popular natural finishing oils in the world.
It has been used for hundreds of years for the protection and maintenance of interior and exterior wood, and is often used as an ingredient in paints, varnishes, and stains.
Linseed oil is easy to use and affordable.
Raw vs Boiled Linseed Oil
Raw Linseed Oil is the purest form of the oil, extracted from the flax seed and sold without any chemicals, solutions, or additives to preserve it. This is perfect for oil-based paints as it allows them to completely level and set properly, giving a smoother finish. However, slow drying times often limits the use of Raw Linseed Oil to items where drying time is not a consideration.
Boiled Linseed Oil is regular Linseed Oil that is treated with hot air and additives so that it dries quicker. Unlike the name suggests, it isn't actually boiled!
Linseed Oils are a traditional option for nourishing and protecting wood, but which is the best one to use? Once dry both oils will provide a similar level of nourishment and protection to the wood and they will both slightly darken and enhance the woods natural grain. But since regular Linseed Oil can take up to three days to dry, we always recommend using Boiled Linseed Oil when it comes to oiling all wooden surafces.
Boiled Linseed Oil still isn't a super fast drying oil, taking upto 24 hours to dry, but compared to Linseed Oil it is lightening fast! If you're looking for something faster, take a look at our full range of Wood Oils. Or, if you don't know what oil you need, read this post compares them all - Wood Oil Finish blog post.
Our Boiled Linseed Oil
After vigorous testing and research, we believe Boiled Linseed Oil is a superior quality oil. It can be used both indoors and out, on hardwoods and softwoods, and on furniture, flooring, doors, worktops, window frames and on pretty much all other items made from wood.
Not only has it been treated with hot air so it dries quicker, but it also helps prevent drying and deterioration, and forms a tough, hard wearing finish that imparts a natural lustre. Take a look at our video showing you how to apply it...
Maintaining wood with Boiled Linseed Oil
For maintenance of new or used items, simply re-oiling once a year is sufficient for year-round protection. Further coats can be applied to high use areas more frequently, if required.
If you'd like to buy some, you can find it on our website here - Boiled Linseed Oil
Restoring older wood Boiled Linseed Oil
When restoring old items of wood, it is important that you remove all previous oils, waxes or finishes before applying the Oil. If the surface feels rough, it should be sanded smooth first, for best results. You can use our Wood Cleaner to clean the wood before oiling, or you may need to use white spirit or similar if you need to remove old coatings of oil or varnish.
If you have any questions regarding oiling wood or about our products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
