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The one thing that Larry Daniel had been used to reading on his “honey-do” list was master bath remodel. In Larry's words, his master bathroom had been “stuck in the ‘80s.”
Larry’s wife had been patiently awaiting a new master bathroom so when the time came to tackle the project, she had some magazine articles, pictures and examples with the ideas she had in mind for the look and feel of the remodel.
“My wife is the one that had seen an article and pictures of a bathroom in Architectural Digest Magazine where someone had used wood around the tub,” he said. “For the remodel, we decided to make the tub surround and vanity top out of Walnut. Since this project was in the bathroom, we wanted a product that not only protected it, but also enhanced the wood’s beauty too.”
After doing quite a bit of Internet research on Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes (www.waterlox.com), Larry went to his local paint store, Askew-Taylor Paints, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and shared the scope of his project. Askew-Taylor Paints has carried and sold Waterlox Original Tung oil finishes for many years. They agreed that Waterlox would provide the protection Larry and his wife were looking for as well as bring out the natural beauty of the wood.
“Waterlox made the Walnut tub surround and counter top in our bathroom remodel look really rich and beautiful and I decided to use it anywhere I could in the remodel,” he said. “It highlights the grain of the wood and it makes it really warm in appearance. The Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish was so easy to use; I just applied it and let it dry. I hate painting but this was so DIY friendly it was really easy to use.”
Larry also decided to make a teak corner “shower caddy” and finished it with Waterlox’s Marine Finishing System. “Even the really nice and expensive shower caddies that are on the market today have to be hung on the shower arm and don’t look very nice,” Larry added. Larry cut strips of teak and slipped them into a 3/8” stainless steel channel in one corner of the shower for all their shower essentials (Waterlox suggests being diligent about removing any soap or shampoo that comes in contact with the shelves as these will soften the finish). “Of course my wife uses two out of the three shelves!” laughs Larry.
The couple was so impressed with the performance of Waterlox, they used the leftover product they purchased to seal the front door of their home, which had been fading over the years. “We’ve got a teak front door, kind of an Asian design with several inlaid panels,” he added. So I sanded, cleaned and applied the Waterlox products as described in the Waterlox Marine Finishing system guide on Waterlox.com. It looks tremendous,” said Larry. “I really look forward to using Waterlox again in the future. It’s a great product with endless applications and uses.”
Waterlox resin-modified Tung oil-based finishes are different from other types of wood finishes on the market and offer a “best of both worlds” alternative. For example, raw oils penetrate into the wood but will not provide any real protection to the substrate and will need to be recoated often due to oxidation.
Surface finishes such as urethanes (either water or oil-based) will lie on top of the surface, look more like plastic, can be brittle and once breached will fail. The reason we are the best of both worlds is because Waterlox’s resin-modified Tung oil formation penetrates like raw oil, but protects and nurtures the wood without being brittle and having the plastic look of surface finishes.
About Waterlox
Founded in 1910, Waterlox Coatings Corporation, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation’s leading manufacturer of premium wood finishes, handmade from resin-modified Tung oil. A fourth-generation, family-owned company, now run by Chief Executive Officer Jay Hawkins and Vice President Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, Waterlox continues to manufacture products using the finest ingredients, combining Tung oil, resins, mineral spirits and other ingredients to produce a complete wood finish that gives the look and feel of naturally oiled wood. Waterlox products represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection for both interior and exterior wood finishing projects and also supply tools for application.
For more information about Waterlox, please visit www.waterlox.com or call (800) 321.0377. Also, Like Waterlox on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @tungoilfinishes.
