What is Danish Oil?

By Ben Staerck 28 Nov 2020
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Danish Oil
From £9.95

All about Danish Oil

Danish Oil provides many benefits to wood and so is a popular choice for wood finishing. In this article we discuss the history of Danish Oil, how it's made, the ingredients used and common applications of Danish Oil around the home.

What is Danish Oil?

Danish Oil is a wood finishing oil used to protect and nourish wood from the inside. There are many different types of Danish Oil available; that’s because unlike Tung or Linseed Oil, Danish Oil isn’t a naturally occurring oil, it's actually a blend of oils and so is open to interpretation by different brands.

Why is Danish Oil so popular?

Danish Oil is our top-selling Wood Oil, and for good reason, it has many benefits:

It's easy to apply with a cloth or brush
It dries quickly in only 4-6 hours
It's food and toy safe when dry
It will help the wood repel dirt and liquid stains
It's water resistant
It dries to a lovely, smooth, satin finish

What is Danish Oil made out of?

Typically Danish Oil is made out of either Tung Oil or Boiled Linseed Oil. These oils are then thinned with a solvent liquid to make the Oil easier to apply. We add a small amount of varnish to our Danish Oil too. This makes it harder wearing, gives it a lovely smooth touch and also helps improve the oils ability to resist dirt and staining.

Danish Oil on Wood

Here our Danish Oil has been used to finish this Acacia Wood.

Why is it called Danish Oil?

Since Danish Oil is not a naturally occurring oil, it's unusual that we refer to it like it is! It appears that the term was first used when Danish furniture began to be exported around the world in the 20^th Century, and was used by brands to offer an oil that provided a ‘danish’ look to match the widely popular furniture.

Danish Oil Uses

Danish Oil is a versatile oil and so can be used on many surfaces. All Wood Oils will enhance the grain of the wood and increase its natural beauty, but beyond the cosmetic appeal Danish Oil is great for finishing all wooden surfaces:

Kitchen Worktops
Utensils
Furniture
Doors
Window Frames
Skirting Boards
Hardwood Floors
Turned Wood
Toys

Danish Oil can be used on both Hardwoods and Softwoods and can also be used on interior and exterior wood. However, we do recommend that for all exterior woods you use Teak Oil.

We also don’t recommend Danish Oil for chopping boards. If you’re looking for this, use our Chopping Board Oil.

Danish Oil Overview

Some additional good-to-know information about Danish Oil:

Drying Time – 4-6 hours
Re-coat – Apply three coats for best results
Coverage – 20m2 per litre

Another great reason to use Danish Oil is that it is easy to re-apply and repair spot areas. Flooring for example often gets more use along the routes people commonly walk in a room. With Danish Oil you could restore the oil to those areas without the need to sand and oil the entire floor each time.