Can you tell me about brushed/rubbed wood finishes?

[Adsibob]

We have had some oak furniture made. We specified the stain and hard wax oil so that it would match our flooring exactly (the manufacturer of the floor pointed us to the Saicos pear stain and the Saicos hard wax oil - very similar product to OSMO).

 We have had the piece stained and oiled and have been asked by the maker whether we want it rubbed. The hard wax oil we went for is a clear Matt finish, no gloss whatsoever. It looks really good, though we now realise the floor has been Rubbed with a very fine steel wool to give it a tiny bit of sheen. Ignoring the aesthetic difference between rubbed and not rubbed, are there any other differences to take into account, particularly in terms of durability? Will rubbing remove some of the hard wax oil or not?

[Adsibob]

I was hoping somebody clever like @SteamyTeaor @ProDave would comment on this. My main concern is whether rubbing with a product like 0000 steel wool would create a more or less permeable finish. I would prefer the look of the rubbed finish, but I don’t want to compromise it’s resistance to water.

[Tom]

TBH I always thought you shouldn't use wire wool on oak - something about microscopic shards of the wool left in the wood rusting or reacting with the tannins or something. I might be completely talking out of my arse though

[SteamyTea]

I think you are talking about burnished, not rubbed.

Best get some samples made up and play with the ones you like.

[Adsibob]

To clarify, this is not an aesthetic question. I have already made up samples and I really like the look of the rubbed finish. It gives a very slight sheen, which makes the wood look much more premium. And I’m not worried about particles of steel rusting the wood, because using the correct steel wool, that isn’t an issue. My question is purely about the performance of rubbed wood versus un-rubbed. Rubbing obviously does something to the hard wax oil coating. The heat must change it in some way, or it might push the wax oil deeper into the pores of the wood, or it might take some of it off. I just don’t know.

[Makeitstop]

If you have a hard wax oil finish and would like it to have a "slight" sheen to it, you could try a white 3M scothbrite pad, on an inconspicuous piece to see how much it brings it up.

 

As mentioned above re: burnishing, there is minimal abrasion to using a white pad and this will burnish the surface to some degree.

Edited September 24, 2022 by Makeitstop