My boss swore by a two-day cure time for oil finishes, but a job in Austin proved him wrong

He always said, 'Give it two full days, no less,' for any oil finish to fully set before light use. I followed that for years. Then I had a rush job for a client in Austin's humid summer, and after 36 hours the finish was still tacky. A local finisher there told me to check with a wax paper test, and sure enough, it stuck. He said in that heat and damp, you need at least three, maybe four days. Ever have a finish take way longer to cure than you planned?

4 comments

4 Comments

vera1954mo ago

Oh yeah, humidity totally wrecked my schedule on a Florida job last year.

samflores4mo ago

Heard it can warp wood that fast?

the_thomas1mo ago

Bless your heart, I've watched pine boards twist up like a pretzel on a humid afternoon. That kind of fast warp will make you question everything you thought you knew about wood.

murphy.tessa4mo ago

Oh, the classic 'two days anywhere' rule. Sounds like your boss never had to fight the soup-like air in a Texas summer. I learned the hard way that a finish schedule is more of a loose suggestion when the humidity is high enough to swim in. You start adding buffer days just for the weather to have its say.