Tung Oil over Wax

Uh-oh, blotchy spots! A thorough cleaning with mineral spirits should fix it — then, apply either wax or oil, but not both. October 28, 2005

Question
I have a customer that I have done several interior furniture projects for in teak. Recently, I went back to shoot some photos of the projects. I wanted them to look their best, so I offered to add another coat of oil to them (I am using Old Masters tung oil). They looked great when I did them, but as they dried over the next few days, I was contacted by the customer and told they were getting a mottled appearance. Apparently, between the time that I originally oiled and delivered them a few months ago and the time I re-oiled them, the customer had waxed them. Now I need to figure out the best way to undo the mottled look and even them out. Is it possible to just wipe them down with mineral spirits to remove the oil, or should I use steel wool and more oil to rub it in deeper? I just applied the last coat with a foam brush and wiped it down with a paper towel.

Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
What's that old saying? "Good deeds never go unpunished." Mineral spirits might clean it up somewhat. It sure won't hurt it. You may have to use 0000 steel wool. Just try mineral spirits first.

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You never should have oiled over the wax. Just keep washing it down with the mineral spirits. You will know you have it all off when the rags you are using wipe clean. Then you will have to decide if you want to oil or wax it.

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From the original questioner:
If I had known they were waxed I wouldn't have done it, but that is in the past now. I'll just wipe it down with mineral spirits to remove the oil and get the bar back to the way it was. I am still surprised that it mottled going over the wax. I would think that if the bar was waxed consistently, the oil should have been either completely absorbed or completely repelled.