Beg to differ. My mom's waxed barn board table has regularly rebuffed hot pots, boiling water, even fallen candles. Why? The damaging element melts a couple layers of WAX, not a volatile finish. Know the phrase "That'll buff right out"? Uh, actually true, in this case. Poly (I don't want it in my house), waterlox etc, no. You could theoretically spot sand, TRY to match (if the whole table didn't scorch or make a white spot, or shrivel) but good luck matching the depth, the stain, the level, and not raising the grain. (And I have, in the past, refinished furniture with poly. I'm making up for past sins.) You'd really have to be a professional. Anyone can do wax. And it feels good and looks really lustrous. Now, as to will wax encapsulate lead paint, I can't give you an answer on that, because I don't think anyone has done the science. Your state or county health department's lead abatement program might have answers, but they will undoubtedly take the most conservative course, which will be, "are you crazy? You can buy a nice plastic kids table at walmart for 99 cents! why would you do that?". The lead issue is not one to be attacked from a single object in a home. You need to look at the whole picture. Say the word lead and everyone freaks out. That makes it very hard to get real answers. The safest course? This may not be the best use for those particular boards. But someone else might do it, let their kids use it for 10 years and have no detectable lead levels, if the boards and the rest of the house are clean. (Lead is not considered to pose the same kind of health hazard for adults, so making a table for adults might be better.) Sorry, no easy answers. Do your own research and make your own decision.

The wood looked like it was probably unstained, and it is gorgeous. I would prefer it over most oak, but white oak is much more appealing to me than the red oak that is more common here. I talked to a couple of guys today -- one about the materials and one about the installation -- both about finishes. One likes the oil finishes but says a lot of folks think they are too much upkeep. Our discussion reminded me of my marble counters -- in a good way. The other guy said the oil finishes show dirt and most people are happier with a polyurethane finish -- also reminded me of the marble, but more of the nay sayers. He did suggest getting a large enough piece of something to treat with the oil and set on the floor where we can walk on it and the dogs track across it. I do have some smooth finish plywood in the garage that I could do that with. I am still making inquiries on the availability and checking out the finishes. I'm looking for smaller quantities of the stuff to sample, but it's not easy to find so far. I did have 2 people say it would be feasible to lay the flooring, sand and then finish room by room at least with the oil finishes. That may help us get it all done. Moving out for a mooth or more is not an option with 2 dogs, a 19 year old cat and one in high school with lots of activities, but I'd like to get it done before the holidays begin. I didn't think that would be a problem, but it's looking a bit tight.

I was actually reading an article the other day saying that no wood finish has actually been officially FDA approved as food safe. However they're all generally considered safe lacking evidence to the contrary. Anyway, here's what Flexner says about the food-safety of driers (and presumably this applies to mineral spirits as well). "Salad-bowl finish is simply a wiping varnish. The implication in the name is that it is safe for contact with food and for small children who might chew on the finished wood. It is safe of course, once it has cured, but so are all the other available varnishes and wiping varnishes. The safety concern is the metallic driers used to speed the drying of the finish. Lead was once used and it isnÂt safe. But lead isnÂt used anymore. It takes several driers to replace the lead, and there are only a few driers available. So all varnishes use essentially the same driers. There is no difference in the safety factor of any of these driers. All are safe. ItÂs amazing to me how the food-safe myth continues to be repeated in woodworking circles. (And more amazing still that salad-bowl finish is considered safe while the other wiping varnishes arenÂt!) Food safety is a non-issue. All finishes currently available to woodworkers are safe to eat off of or chew on once the finish has fully cured. Curing occurs faster the thinner the film and the warmer the surrounding air. Press your nose up against the hardened finish and take a whiff. If you can smell anything, the finish isnÂt cured. Give it some more time." Here is a link that might be useful: Flexner article on varnishes

Sorry, but I have to say I'm laughing at this thread. There is no such thing as a perfect floor finish. And, if you took the advice of some of these posters, you may come out just as disappointed. Set your criteria, what is important to you and what isn't. Then study each form of finish to find the one that best fits your desires for it. Verily, one size does not fit all. Granted tung oil will only give you a matte finish. If your top criteria was shine, you picked the wrong one. Other than increasing the vibrancy of the wood grains, tung oil is about as matte a finish as you can get. It is also an oil, if you want that feel of a slick, plastic like coating, no oil will give you that. Done right, they will still feel like unfinished wood. Yet, from what I can see from your photo, it looks like your culprit is not the tung oil, rather it's the soap you are using. It is chemically reacting to the tung oil, breaking it down. (See that milky film on it? That tells me that.) What can you do now? 7 applications of tung oil (that's only 1 coat unless you waited 1 month between applications) does mean that it's saturated in about 1/4in. Unless your floorboards are an inch or more thick, it makes no sense to try and sand them down. You are not going to get that tung oil out of those boards. After having sanded just the film off, reapply 1 or 2 applications of tung oil. Then yes, you're going to need to start waxing your floors. There's no way around it. You're stuck with what you have, deal with it the best you can. Throw the soap you've been using away, and find something less aggressive. Also insure that your wax does not do the same thing. You must use a natural wax. But, it's the wax that can easily be replenished, let it take the abuse.