Interior woodwork/cabinetry

WD40 I use this leaves no residue, even do the wood floor, looks great for a long time. Not slippery.

Ken

All of those oils work very well on unfinished wood. On wood that already has a finish/sealer, which is virtually all motor home factory cabinets, it can leave the wood spotty as the oils will penetrate only those areas where the factory finish has failed.

wny_pat wrote:
All the wood finishes in my 1994 Foretravel are oem oiled, not lacquered. They are not warped and even the tambour rolling cabinet doors work perfectly. And they do soak up a 50:50 mixture of linseed oil and "turpatine" really well. And the wood is real wood with dove tailing. No pressed board anywhere!!

An "oiled finish" is a very good protectorate for bare or previously oiled wood. It is applied easily and rubbed to a low sheen finish. It's one downfall is that it is not a good finish for areas with high humidity or water vapor.

Here is a brief lesson on applying an oil finish:

Amateur Woodworker website wrote:


Linseed Oil

A linseed finish takes a considerable amount of time to dry and new wood will need several coats in order to produce a satisfactory finish. Boiled linseed oil takes "only" one day to dry and, as such, is a more popular option. Pure linseed oil takes about three days to dry, but provides better protection. Neither type of linseed oil is suitable for outdoor projects.

Apply the oil with a cloth and rub well into the wood. Leave at least 24 hours between applications. Once you are satisfied with the finish, buff with a soft cloth.

Danish and Teak Oils

Danish and Teak oils take less time to dry than linseed (thank goodness) and also provide a more resilient finish. Both oils are better suited to new projects than linseed, and it is best to relegate linseed to the older projects that already have linseed on them. Teak oil provides a slight surface sheen while Danish oil leaves a low luster.

Apply these oils with a soft cloth of brush and do not apply too much oil at a time (as it will not soak in). In between coats of oil, sand the wood down with a fine silicon-carbide paper. Typically, it is best to use four coats of oil.

Refinishing will not take many coats.

All the wood finishes in my 1994 Foretravel are oem oiled, not lacquered. They are not warped and even the tambour rolling cabinet doors work perfectly. And they do soak up a 50:50 mixture of linseed oil and "turpatine" really well. And the wood is real wood with dove tailing. No pressed board anywhere!!

Nearly all cabinets do indeed have a "finish coat" on them. If the surface looks dry it means the shine is dull from waxes &/or dirt or maybe it had a matte finish to begin with, therefore never will "shine". To test for a "finish sealer" use a fine mist water sprayer to dampen an area with one shot of water. If the water beads &/or runs off it is has a finish sealer. If it soaks in either the finish sealer has worn off or it was never sealed.

Most manufacturers don't do a oil rub finish--it is most likely a polyurathane or acrylic finish either with a semi-gloss or matte finish. The acrylic will not be helped much by an oil polish but better result will be seen with an oily type conditioner at least initially.

Newly sealed wood may not "take up" oil polishes but older surfaces can become worn/porous and will soak in some oily products and give a "shine" for a while but oil can attract dirt and the surface may not have a consistent finish appearance. Washing with Murphy's and drying will reveal the true wood and finish situation.

If the cabinets don't look as fresh as you want after cleaning the finish can be refreshed with some oil cleaners or a rejuvenator product but be sure the surface did not have an acrylic applied 1st or the results may not be pleasing.

Either way...nice wood can always be refinished and is well worth the time and effort to do so.

Thank you.

All cabinets have some sort of "finish" on them. The only ones that don't are marked "unfinished" and they will attract and hold dirt like crazy. Like previously said the "finish" could be super dull and not visible like a semi gloss or glossy finish. Like I stated in a post, the most important thing for cabinets is to prevent UV discoloration. Look at my previous post and you see a link to Home Depot for the product or look for a product with UV inhibitor in it.

Trust me, I've been building cabinets and furniture for 45 years now. Ive toured kitchen cabinet manufacturers and have not seen one that does not put some sort of "finish" on their cabinets.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

Blaster Man wrote:

FormerBoater wrote:
...On our Eagle the wood cabinets are not coated or sealed and soak up the product that I have found to keep them looking new...

Same here. Depends on the coach...also depends if you have real wood or the fake press board.

My Monaco coach uses real wood and so was the wood on my friends Liberty. If the cabinets are not sealed on any coach, they would be all warped in a short time. They have all types of sealer from glossy to dull. I have never seen any cabinets, in any coach, regardless of price, that were not sealed. Solid wood if not sealed will warp more than particle board, which is why they are all sealed at the factory.

My cabinets are not sealed...maybe it depends on what you called "sealed." The cabinets in my MH are exactly like the ones in the stick house and treated the same way...with Murphy's Oil Soap or stain if they are marked.

from what I've see on most MH cabinets, they definitely are lacking in finish, I looked at a 06 HR yesterday that was in mint condition but the cabinets were in need of a topcoat or a oil rub. I would use a tongue oil of some sort. Do a small area first to see if it will soak in or improve the finish/look.

Warm soapy soft water and wipe with a lint free soap (to get the dust off). I also noticed when I took a cabinet slide drawer out from it's compartment, the stain numbers used on the real wood was on the very back of the drawer.