Full review: (Waterlox) – DEFINITION & COMPARISON

In the world of woodworking and carpentry, one of the most important aspects of a project is its looks.

When we look at a structure made from wood, we pay attention to small details, the color, the feel, and so much more. So as you see, when doing a wooden project, we must use the proper tools and finishes.

What if we tell you that there are several ways that you can make your project look alive for a long time?

One of the most popular ways to make the wood look better is at the end of the crafting process.

One of these ways is to use the proper finish or varnish.

The Waterlox oil finish is the main topic of our article today.

Because of the precision and the finished stated, we will be reviewing this finish.

Let’s get into the article and see what a Waterlox finish is and its differences from the rest of the finishes.

What is a Waterlox finish?

As we mentioned, there are several kinds of finishes in the carpentry work line. Most of the finishes are chemical-based or water-based.

Unlike most of the finishes in the woodworking industry are highly chemical, they can be dangerous when in contact with the eye or skin; however, the Waterlox finish is oil-based, meaning that there are natural ingredients inside it.

Now let’s see why the Waterlox is one of the best sealers in the industry.

The oil used in the Waterlox finish is the Tung oil, which is a Chinese plant, and the effects of this oil on the wood are immaculate.

If you have a piece of pale wood, meaning that the wood that you have is white as snow, but you want it to be more saturated and contrasted, this is where the Tung oil comes in.

When applying the Tung oil to wood, the colors change entirely; however, you may think that using such oil on the wood will make it oily. But other ingredients in the Waterlox sealer take care of that problem.

The other chemicals inside the Waterlox make the oil penetration much faster, meaning that your finish will be entirely inside the wood within days.

And the drying process is also one of the advantages of the Waterlox; it dries much quicker than the other finishes on the market.

On the plus side of the matter, the Waterlox offers much more protection against heat and moisture than the other sealers.

Now that you have a basic knowledge about the Waterlox finish, we were hoping you could keep reading further to get to the comparison we prepared for you.

Waterlox vs. Lacquer: which one is better?

In some of our previous articles, we talked about the Lacquer finish very straightforwardly, but today we will be comparing the Waterlox with the Lacquer.

You have to know some fundamental differences, so let’s start with a chart, shall we?

Waterlox	Lacquer
It does not change color over time	Consistency in color over the time
It gives the wood the maximum heat and water protection	It makes the wood durable, however not as much as the Waterlox
Significant changes when applied for the first time	Minimum color changes after applying the finish
Relatively hazardous	Hazardous for skin

However, the chart is pretty self-explanatory, but it won’t be any harm to describe it to you.

As you can see, some critical factors among these set them apart:

• The first factor is that the color of the wood changes when applying the Waterlox, and this quality is why most people use this sealer because it gives the wood a whole new character.
• The second fact is that the chemicals in both finishes are dangerous; however, if we would put a percentage on the dangers of touching each, we would say: %20 Waterlox – %80 Lacquer. Therefore we advise you to use protection when using both.
• The third factor is that you don’t need to repeat the process as soon as the time passes after the first application.
• The durability of both sealers is exceptional; however, when choosing one as the best oil finish with the maximum quality, you will have to select the Waterlox.

The chart suggests that the Waterlox is better than the Lacquer finish. Still, we would say that it depends on the use that you are having for these finishes, meaning that every sealer has its particular service, and you have to consider that when purchasing wood finishes.

Now that the comparison is over and you know what a Waterlox is and its differences from its competitor, let’s get to the last section of the article, the conclusion.

Eventually…

In this article, we talked about some of the finishes that carpenters can use in the woodworking industry, and then we mentioned the Waterlox sealer, which was the central part of the article.

You can choose the correct finish for the job with the comparison we offered in this article.

We hope this article will help you get your wooden projects to the next level, and you can present them much better.

We presume that you enjoyed this article as much as we did. If you have any additional questions about the “Full review: Waterlox” article, feel free to contact us via the comment section below this very article.