The Best Food Safe Finish | Spoiler: It’s Not Mineral Oil

Video - July 29, 2022

Think you know the best food safe finish? Think again! I tested a few of the most common food safe finishes and you might be surprised at the results. While mineral is the classic go-to food safe finish, I think it’s time we crown a new food safe king, and that’s Tung Oil.

Stuff used in the video:

Don’t feel like mixing your own Tung Oil/Citrus Solvent mixture? Try Half & Half from Real Milk Paint Company.

Discussion

Tim Bacon July 29, 2022 3:17 pm

Nice video, but we were surprised you used the Tried & True varnish oil, which if I read the manufacturer’s website right is more for furniture and is not claimed as food safe. We use the Danish Oil by the gallon for our charcuterie boards, and will try your clever torture test on that to see how it fares.

Thanks for the great content, and please keep it coming.

Tim and Kim

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 7:59 am
  
  It says it’s food safe right on the can. I use it in hopes that the “varnish” will provide a little more protection. I’ve compared their products and generally speaking, I can’t even tell a practical difference between them. But I use the varnish oil since logic dictates that the varnish component will provide a little more protection, while still being safe for food contact. My “conspiracy theory” guess is they now downplay the fact that the varnish oil is food safe because it helps differentiate their product line and gives people a reason to buy more than one can.
  
  Reply
  - Tom July 31, 2022 11:12 am
    
    Great video and demonstration. I use a mix of bees wax and mineral oil and it doesn’t last very long. I wonder if, with some surface preparation (sanding and citrus solvent) could I put tung oil over the top? I would hate to damage a beautiful cherry end grain cutting board.
    
    Reply
Keith Barkhau July 31, 2022 9:43 am

Thanks Marc, great video.

I’ve always used Tried and True on my cutting boards too. Going to try the tung oil on the next one. When cut with the citrus solvent, what sort of dry times were you seeing from the tung oil?

Thanks again!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 12:58 pm
  
  You can apply light coats daily but for a full cure you’re looking at weeks, like most raw oils.
  
  Reply
  - ANNE STERN February 14, 2023 8:42 am
    
    Marc, Thank you for responding to my earlier question about the ratio of solvent to oil! Next one, the other web sites I looked at say to soak, wipe, soak and wipe again, let dry overnight and you’re done. Your reply here indicates that it ain’t so easy. Would you be so kind as to outline your finishing technique? I’m also happy to purchase your book if you can provide me with more details on how to purchase it -the pop up for it keeps disappearing before I can get my pencil out!. Again, many thanks – you’re video convinced me to do what you say! Anne
    
    Reply
    - Marc Spagnuolo February 14, 2023 10:00 am
      
      https://thewoodwhisperer.com/v.....-finishes/ <---Just released last week. This will serve you much better than the book for this particular issue.
    - ANNE STERN February 17, 2023 7:57 am
      
      Marc, Again many many thanks for your quick and helpful reply. Both the Hope Tung oil and the citrus solvent have arrived and I’m ready to start! After reading (and rereading) your suggested article, it seems like three applications, 24 hour apart, should be enough (until age and use require another application). If I’m missing something, please let me know. I so appreciate your taking the time to help me with this. Anne
Kevin Kemp July 31, 2022 9:47 am

It’s my understanding that it’s the solvent in the varnish that is not safe. Once the varnish has dried, the solvent is gone and what remains is safe.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 12:58 pm
  
  That’s what they say and I’ve repeated that same advice. In the end it’s a personal choice. I am at a point in my life where I’d rather start with a non-toxic finish that stays non-toxic instead of using a finish that starts off toxic and eventually becomes non-toxic after 30 days.
  
  Reply
John Kacerosky July 31, 2022 11:03 am

You never did a “cutting up vegetables” as part of the test which would really apply to whether the finish chips and adds little pieces of finish to your food. I agree that the utensils are best served with the tung oil but not sure that a “hardening” product would do well after chopping.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 12:56 pm
  
  None of the finishes here will chip. They don’t produce films so there’s nothing to chip off. Even the oils that dry are still soft in finishing terms.
  
  Reply
Eric July 31, 2022 12:08 pm

Great test Mark!

Curious if the hardening finishes wouldn’t fare as well when tested for knife marks. Though it’s true you have to apply it often, mineral oil and beeswax on end grain boards hide knife marks very well.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo July 31, 2022 12:55 pm
  
  I can only speak specifically from my experience in my kitchen and the boards that receive this tung oil treatment seem to look better for a substantially longer period of time. The finish isn’t really hard, per se, so it’s not really a surface film. There won’t be the white marks you see on surfaces that have a full-on film finish.
  
  Reply
Mark July 31, 2022 12:28 pm

Great comparison. I know a couple woodworkers who have been using tung oil on cutting boards for years. They’ve always swore by it. I never actually tried it, but if I ever make another cutting board (doubtful) I may consider it.

Reply
Dane July 31, 2022 2:15 pm

flaxseed oil(from health food store) for spoons and bowls. As near as I can find out it is essentially Linseed Oil without the hardness and chemicals in commercial Boiled Linseed Oil finishes. It ‘sets’ in a few days and is renewable(by reapplying). it seems to perform the same as commercial BLO without the chemical concerns.
Flaxseed Oil is sold as a food product, so my logic says that it should be food safe.
It will not go rancid like vegetable oils and it actually sets, unlike mineral oil.
I first learned of this from Peter Folensbee, just to give him credit.

Reply
- Amanda July 31, 2022 2:44 pm
  
  Flaxseed oil DOES, in fact, go rancid.
  
  Reply
Dean Hummel July 31, 2022 3:30 pm

Just applied a heated tung oil beeswax finish to a cutting board i just made. Ill let you know ho what works out..

Reply
- Shaun Nelson December 10, 2022 7:43 am
  
  Got those results Dean?
  
  Reply
Ron Labrousse July 31, 2022 9:33 pm

If you’ve used Tried and True as much as you claim you have…then you should know that it will days, if not weeks for it to cure…along with more than one coat. I’ll put T&T up against Tung Oil for any purpose anytime over the long haul. T&T just takes a little more time, a little more patience. I have projects older than you, finished with several coats of T&T, that look as good as the day it was applied.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo December 10, 2022 8:56 am
  
  It’s weird that you’re being kind of defensive about a finish. If T&T works for you, that’s great. Tung oil works better for me and I showed the reasons why in this video. You’ll have to pardon me for trusting direct observable evidence over your personal opinion.
  
  Reply
Jmorein August 1, 2022 8:03 am

Another great video Marc! I wish you had Odies Oil in the mix. I think I might have to run my own test to try and compare!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo August 6, 2022 9:37 am
  
  See my comments about hardwax oils in the video.
  
  Reply
Larry Williams December 2, 2022 9:42 pm

I’m working on an end grain cutting board so I was planning on using the diluted salad bowl finish you have described previously. It seems you have changed to prefer diluted Tung oil. It would be nice if you went back & updated that older post (& maybe I wouldn’t have just spent $45 on some GF salad bowl finish…).

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo December 5, 2022 8:02 am
  
  Hi Larry. I changed my personal preference. The key word there is personal. Nothing I used in the past is negated by what I use today. My hope with these videos is to arm you with information so that you can make your own personal decision.
  
  Reply
Larry Williams December 6, 2022 3:15 pm

You certainly have the right to change your preference. My point in this case was simply that I think it would be nice to update the old cutting board post with at least a link to this new post. A simple statement at the end of the initial description saying “ Please see my updated post on food safe finishes” would be very useful.

The information you provide will evolve and we (readers) can really benefit from new information (new ideas, preferences, products, etc) but only if we see it. Posting new information without updating old information puts the burden on the reader to find everything & merge it themselves. E.g. If I had done a more general search I would have seen the newer post. No one should expect a complete updating of old posts but a middle ground where old posts get links to new related posts would simplify the process for me anyways.

Thanks for all the information you do provide (& all the work that must go into it).

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo December 6, 2022 7:26 pm
  
  Will do. Thanks Larry.
  
  Reply
AQ December 27, 2022 4:21 pm

What are your thoughts on applying Tung oil to an end grain cutting board that has previously been finished with mineral oil?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 3, 2023 4:09 pm
  
  You’ll have to try and see. Mineral oil won’t let the tung oil dry. But if the mineral oil is an old application it might be ok.
  
  Reply
  - Suzanne July 1, 2023 2:25 pm
    
    I have that same question, so I’ll add to it. Doesn’t mineral oil “dry out” over time? (Otherwise, why would it need to be renewed so often?) Any “educated guesses” as to how long one should wait between applying a first (and only) mineral oil finish and an attempt at finishing with tung oil? I am looking at purchasing an edge grain maple top (butcher block) that comes “treated with a penetrating mineral oil protectant.” It further states that the top has to retreated every one to two weeks to maintain the finish.
    
    I promise not to hold you responsible if this doesn’t work out for me!
    
    Reply
ANNE February 3, 2023 7:17 pm

Marc, I need to finish several cutting boards in a recently renovated kitchen and I thought your video was thoughtful and very informative. I’m not a woodworker and not very knowledgeable about how to preserve it. But I like the feel of wood in my hand and I look forward to keeping my new boards in good shape. Do you have a suggested ratio for citrus solvent to Tung oil when mixing them together? It looked like you were putting in equal amounts.
P.S. Thanks for noting the update on your recommendation on your prior video! That’s how I found this latest site.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 6, 2023 12:00 pm
  
  It’s not in stone but I usually aim for 50/50.
  
  Reply
Michelle Buck September 15, 2023 3:57 pm

Hi Marc,
I made a charcuterie board and applied stain and then stenciled acrylic craft paint on it. I am seeking a food safe clear finish that will not ruin the acrylic artwork (smear it). Home Depot product options are Watco Butcher Block oil or an epoxy such as Famowood glaze or Varathane super glaze. I had not intended on applying a thick resin epoxy and am not even sure those products are safe to set food on them. Do you have knowledge on how to safely coat such an item? Thank you for your time!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo September 19, 2023 8:58 am
  
  Most wood finishes are food safe once cured, meaning you can place food on them without much concern. In your case i’d look at water-based finishes that will layer a coat on top of your stain and paint, sealing it in and making sure the board can sustain the occasional cleaning. https://amzn.to/46bRR0M
  
  Reply
Honey January 7, 2024 2:52 pm

Wow, great video and comments follow-up. Exactly the information that I needed today. Thanks for your time and insight!

Reply
Adam R February 4, 2024 5:00 pm

Would the tung oil be good for subsequent, maintenance coats? Or is something else preferable?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 6, 2024 9:00 am
  
  You can really use whatever you like at that point, but subsequent coats of a tung oil mixture should be perfectly fine.
  
  Reply
Jonathan March 13, 2024 7:26 am

Hey Mark,
Nice work. One additional resource to consider. You mentioned in your video that it’s difficult to find out what is in various commercially available finishes. You showed some and said that “a lot of companies will just out-right lie… so avoid things that say Tung oil finish, since it’s probably just diluted varnish.”

To find out most of the ingredients and their relative safety, people can read each product’s Material Safety Data Sheet that is on file with the EPA.

Google the name of a finish followed by the initials MSDS, and you can see the Material Safety Data Sheet that has been filed with the EPA. It will list most, if not all of the ingredients in the finish and describe their toxicities in the uncured state. I looked up the Watco Tung Oil Finish in this video to discover that it does indeed contain a significant amount of Tung oil along with solvent and chemical drying agents. So other than a food safe solvent and drying agents, the formula is very similar to yours. I agree with you that I would prefer the entire formula be food safe rather than trust the curing process to make it so. Also your formula is more environmentally safe since it would have zero VOCs, unlike most commercial finishes. However, for book shelf or a coffee table for example, Watco’s Tung oil finish should perform well, look good and probably be just fine

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 14, 2024 5:06 pm
  
  Thanks Jonathan. I’m definitely familiar with SDSs and have used them for a long time to figure out what’s in a finish. Unfortunately, they are almost never exhaustive. Some things just aren’t required by law to be reported on the SDS. It’s really just a list of specific chemicals on a specific list in quantities requiring reporting. Still, a very good reference for finding out about the chemicals known to be hazardous that might be in the finish. I think what you see there with the Watch Tung Oil would be the exception that proves the rule. Good to know they actually do put some tung oil in there, though with a generous helping of other toxic ingredients. :)
  
  Reply
Diana Nazaroff March 29, 2024 1:12 pm

Hi Marc, I just found your information.
Question for you. I just had some countertops made out of beams from an old warehouse for my kitchen. Heart pine. The contractor used Watco Tung Oil on them and from my research it is not considered food safe. I have some MilkPaint Co. pure tung oil in the house that is supposed to be food safe. Can I use that on top of the Watco and negate the non food safe oil? Or will the solvents and other chemicals cure out? The tops need more oil on them, I believe he only put on one coat, but I wanted to get an experts opinion before I move forward.
Thanks!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo April 3, 2024 9:54 am
  
  Most qualified finishers subscribe to the belief that nearly all finishes are food safe once cured. After the solvents flash off and the polymerization occurs, you should be left with inert material on the surface. It’s up to you whether that’s good enough for you and your family, however. As for using pure tung oil over the watco, I don’t believe that’s going to make much difference. The toxic solvents are not going to go away and pure tung oil isn’t going to do anything other than slow down the curing process. Now if using pure tung oil makes you feel more comfortable, I’d say give the first coat at least a week to cure and then proceed with buffing in some coats of pure tung oil. With each application you want to wipe off all the excess so there’s no standing oil on the surface. Wait a few days and if the surface feels dry to the touch, you can apply another coat the same way. And you can keep doing this until you’re satisfied with the appearance. The oil should take about a month to get to full durability so keep that in mind.
  
  Reply

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The Best Food Safe Finish | Spoiler: It’s Not Mineral Oil

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