Question from Jennifer L.
Hello Debra,
My husband and I bought the “Trued and True” varnish and danish oil to finish our hardwood floor, due to concerns over our baby’s health while crawling. We hired a “professional” to do the work and unfortunately he did not follow the directions, and left it puddling on the floor for days! The floor has taken weeks to dry after wiping it clean.
Although it is now dry, there is a lingering odor that smells like the linseed oil. My question is, do you believe the smell/fumes to be harmful to little lungs even though it has been described as one of the least toxic floor finish by several sources? It is a no VOC product but the smell is so strong!
I should also mention that we are not moved into the house yet and we are turning the heat on 80 degrees at night with the windows closed and opening up the house during the day. I am afraid to turn the heat up too high for a bake out. Is this temperature OK?
Thanks very much for any help and advise you can give us!
–Jennifer
Debra’s Answer
This looks like a wonderful wood finish from the description on the Tried & True Wood Finishes website. All renewable resources, no VOCs, even meets the FDA food safe standards.
There’s nothing toxic here that I can see.
However, I have had experience in the past using other all-natural paints and wood finishes made from natural oils and resins as these are, and I find the odors from the natural resins themselves can be very strong. And they can take a long time to completely cure.
The instructions say to use a very small amount, so if instructions were not followed, there may be more resin offgassing than intended.
You’re going in the right direction with the heat.
I have no personal experience with this product. You can always contact the manufacturer with this kind of question. They should be able to tell you exactly what to do.
Debra, my question is about teak oil. I’m looking at purchasing a wooden drum (instrument) that is made of wood and has numerous coats of teak oil applied. That sounded pretty natural (and I’m choosing the wood drum rather than one made of synthetic materials), but I did wonder about any odor associated with the natural oil…so I searched online and found that teak oil isn’t typically as natural as the name might sound. Apparently it can have a very strong smell and undesirable ingredients. I searched your site and didn’t find much about teak oil in particular but came across this old discussion we had about natural/synthetic finishes. It seems to me that the safety data sheets about the teak oil products would pertain mostly to their use in a direct-exposure situation (like if you were the one applying the finish, or working in a job where you used the oil all the time). So inhalation in that setting would be very different from inhalation from a finished product. But since I haven’t seen the product in person and haven’t had products finished in teak oil before, I don’t know whether there is any odor at all and whether any such odor would be toxic, specifically to a child. I read on several woodworker sites/forums that all the different types of finishes are non-toxic once cured/dried. Is it safe to assume that the coats of oil applied to the drum are cured and thus non-toxic?
Well, interetingly enough, “teak oil” actually could be “simple mineral oil, linseed oil, tung oil or oil/varnish blend.” This according to a woodworker who researched teak oil extensively.
It’s been my experience that ALL wood finishes I’ve used eventually cured to a point where there was no odor. The amount of time varies widely, but eventually, your drum will have no odor. I just don’t know how long it will take. In the meantime it will be outgassing whatever solvents were used in the teak oil.
Hi Debra, I came to you site to see what I could learn about Danish Oil – particularly the Tried & True brand mentioned here. I was looking at a wood-slat bed foundation (where the natural rubber mattress would be placed directly on this bed frame with attached headboard, rather than using a separate foundation and frame). At any rate, the company uses Tried & True brand Danish oil…and the product says Non-toxic right on the front of the label, but the SDS seems rather vague and seems to say there is something toxic. The Q&A above is from 2008, and I saw that you have another Q&A from 2013 on wood finishes on children’s furniture in which you say that Danish oil can be toxic. Have you learned anything more about this Tried & True brand? If I contact the company, what exactly would I need to ask them?
Here’s the MSDS: http://images.opentip.com/full/JSS/9375MSDS_DanishOil.pdf. Things are changing all the time, so it’s always best to check everything anew.
First it says that the HMIS health rating is 1, which is low.
Then it says the exposure limit is none. Can’t get any better than that.
No VOCs.
Low odor.
Vapor may cause irritation.
Complies with FDA 21 CFR Section 175.300 as safe for food
contact surfaces.
There is nothing in this product that would be required to be listed as toxic or hazardous.
On their website they say, “Tried and True wood finishes are made from all-natural renwable ingredients that do not contain solvents, toxins, or heavy metal dryers. Safe for food and skin contact…Tried & True wood finishes are based in a polymerized linseed oil system. Polymerization is a naturally occurring drying process where the oil solidifies and bonds with a wooden surface. Tried & True wood finishes are composed of 100% renewable ingredients coming from trees, bees and seeds! There are no petroleum solvent thinners and no metallic driers in Tried & True wood finishes…All Tried & True wood finishes are made from sustainable agricultural resources. Linseed oil is a plant derived material, pressed from the seeds of the flax plant. The beeswax used in Original Wood Finish is a by-product of honey production, and varnish resin used in Varnish Oil (hardened tree sap) is a natural forest product…After the impurities are removed, the linseed oils we use are polymerized or “aged”, this means they have enhanced drying properties. No petroleum distillates, or other solvents, or their derivatives are added. No heavy metal driers are used. The methods we employ are adapted from 18th to early 20th century finish making. We combine quality control, current technology and traditional formulations to enhance the properties of the natural ingredients used in Tried & True…All Tried & True wood finishes comply with the product safety standards established by the FDA: “safe for food contact surfaces” (FDA 21, Sec 175.300). Beeswax and natural varnish resin are FDA approved as non-allergic and non-hazardous. Our products, or any of its ingredients, are not regulated under the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (Title 40) or the EPA Resource and Recovery Act (Title 49).”
I haven’t ever used this product, but I don’t see any problem with what they have described here.
More and more I’m seeing products reformulated to be less toxic that other products in their generic category. So you need to always look at the product itself, and not assume toxicity because other products in that category may be toxic.
Thank you for all of that info, Debra. One other question: have you ever used a product like this? I’m wondering about the odor. I know that sometimes natural products can have a strong odor (at least it’s strong to those of us who are sensitive, even if it isn’t bothersome to others) — not toxic, but smelly nonetheless. I see that “low odor” was listed as one of the features — but I’d like to hear from someone who knows the challenges of the sensitive ones.
I haven’t ever used this particular product. I’ve used other natural finishes that had strong natural odors.
There are two types of finishes: natural and synthetic.
The synthetic finishes are made from petroleum, have less odor, and dry faster.
The natural finishes I’ve used are made from natural resins and oil that have more odor and take a long time to dry and cure. But they are beautiful and durable once you go through the process.