When I change the oil on my truck I use that oil on my wooden fence. It works great. And I re-do it about every other year. It's free, looks good and makes the fence last longer.
And that's why my fence looks far better than all those around me. All would do well to note the oil can be put on with a pump sprayer if it's thinned a bit, but mists, so a mask is a must.
Місяць тому+21
As I understand from Jed Clampet it comes up out of the ground. Are you not simply returning it from whence it came?
We built a retaining wall and used old motor oil from our buddy’s auto shop (free), mixed with kerosene, to spray on the wall of 4” X 4” PT wood. We mixed with kerosene to make it thin enough to spray on. We added posts in front of wall, every 8’ & painted them with just the old motor oil, so they were darker. It looks fabulous! It still looks great 3 yrs later.
We had a huge retaining wall made with old railroad ties and every couple of years re-applied used motor oil & diesel. It’s been standing for over 50 years. I also put used motor oil in sand in a big metal bucket. I’ll put my shovels, garden forks, any metal tools in the bucket after use. Keeps everything rust free & clean.
We have old kreosole railway ties as deck posts that have been around our place that long, sitting unwrapped in the ground, never treated with oil or anything. As far as tools, vehicle frames, trailers, etc. I think transmission fluid has more anticorrosive additives in it than motor oil.
The old Railroad Ties had the wood preservative called "creosote". That chemical was the first known chemical carcinogen that cause testicular cancer, along with other cancers, in Chimney Sweeps in England. What is amazing to me is that Hippy Dippy Vegetarian oh-so-natural use old Railroad Ties to make their raised bed vegetable gardens.
I have fence posts on my property that have been there around 100 years. People used to soak them for months in used oil. Then just put them in the ground. They don't rot, and the bugs don't eat them. The only thing that damages them is time, and water. But it takes a lot of time, and a lot of water.
Cap the tops, like they do pier posts an such around marinas, and you'll add even more time. I build a wood fence around part of my dogs' run. I cut a bunch of scrap granite I was allowed to pull from a granite fabricator's scrap pile into 5"x5" squares. I used a variable speed angle grinder and relatively inexpensive diamond polishing disks for granite polishing to polish the edges. Now, the tops of my posts are unique and protected from the elements (I also put a 5 degree angle on the top of all the horizontal 2x4 supports, so water would run off them, rather than sit and soak in.
I had an old time neighbor when I was a kid (40 yrs ago). He’d axe the bottoms to a point to drive them better and he’d soak them in oil like you say. I remember him telling me one day while he was working that his grandfather put in some of the post I was seeing. This old guy was in his late 70’s back then.
A friend of mine built a 70 x 50 foot barn sheathed with 12 inch x 14 ft rough cut poplar boards from his sawmill. Sprayed 50/50 mix of diesel fuel and used motor oil inside and out with a pump up sprayer. Looked like dark walnut stain. After nearly 20 years still no rot.
I read many people use the same on their trailer decking, but one guy said, instead of 50% motor oil he used Tractor Hydraulic fluid because theyre good priced at tractor supply, and after a couple days wasn't oily anymore
I have heard otherwise. Though i tend to agree with you, there are some that say the water travels beneath the oil and is trapped there somewhat. Hmm. Could be. @shirleymurphy1958
my grand father use to have a small dia. barrel he'd put all the used oil in and soak posts in for fencing they never rotted over 50 - 60 years later i'm 71 and some of those post are still in great shape
That’s a great idea. I’ve heard of people drilling 3/4” hole into the center of posts by the ground and filling with oil each year to preserve the underground portion
I have a friend that is a diesel mechanic and he gets me a gallon of used diesel oil every year. I used a roller and put it on my new trailer decking. I let my treated decking dry a month in the summer sun, then put 2 coats of the used oil on it straight, no dilution. It took about a week to dry, and a couple weeks to not smell anymore. Water still beads on it and I get compliments on it all the time. The used diesel motor oil is a much darker black, it looks great on my silver trailer. It has faded some in the past yr, so I may do another treatment, but I doubt I’ll ever need to do it again. It’s not slick at all, even when wet.
Because the compounds are so f ing toxic that nothing (no bacteria or fungi) will ever grow on it !!! Until the water is washing away the compounds on your damned property and well water and then you have to apply it again for another 20 years of happy poisoned wooden fence, perfect heritage for future generations!!! Keep applying the poisons oil each 20 years !!!! I would put an American Flag drilled into the fence, just to show how much you love that land, and people ! '' It works ''
I’ve done my deck, privacy fence, and outside wood siding buildings for several years. It’s the best wood treatment I know of. Learned this from my grandfather. No Thompson’s water stain for me!
I painted my house wood trim with this about 30 years ago.. but I use diesel and roofing tar with a little bit of raw linseed oil. i repaint every couple years then after it reached a permanent stain colour i liked . I stopped about 20 years ago. and I have not stained it again since. and it still holding up and no rot anywhere
Great job that will last! Re-coat when necessary! I remember oiling the floor in my uncle’s grocery store. That floor was easy to clean and was not slippery at all.
I just saw this video. I wanted to tell you a few things from my experience as a 56 yr old. My grandpa was born in 1912. In 1947 he used sawmill lumber to construct a "rack" he basically dug by hand into the side of a small embankment. Stood posts up vertically approximately the length of a car from the edge of the small embankment. Then laid boards horizontally from the top edge of the bank extending out to the posts. He used it and I did my father and his brothers to do all sorts of automotive work. That rack is still there and solid. Of course because of the oil. 3 coats on a trailer or deck is too much all at once. 2 light or one heavy every eight months for a few years is fine. And that's plenty for a long time. This is really the cool part though. You can go to any paint supplier and buy black or other dark color paint pigments. It doesn't take much but you think that deck looks nice? Which it does in my opinion but mix pigment with the oil and BAM! OMG it's like something from the rich and famous magazines!
@EverythingElliott It's actually a good idea because the color in stain is what protects from sun damage, the oil protects from water. I used to use tinted Thompsons, but it never lasted, but I discovered that the darker I went the longer, its protection lasted. For longer lasting protection I would give it a week or two and add another coat, then again with a dark Grey or black color pigment for a final coat. You will get much longer protection do to the wood being more soaked with oil.
The mix I have been using is diesel fuel and asphalt roof tar. My mix is 5 gal diesel(actually about 4.5 as I leave room for the other stuff in the bucket) and 1/2 gallon of roof tar, plain no fiber or anything. I also melt in 2 lbs of gulf wax, cause, hey why not. Comes out chestnut brown and you can adjust the color with more of less asphalt. Works well and is cost effective. I was in the same boat as you. BTW , “my” mix is not original, actually comes from the forest service bulletin from some time ago.
If you want you can mix the old oil with diesel fuel to thin it so you can covermore and being thinner it penetrates better. It may take a few more of these thin coat to get the look you want. It not only protects from moisture, it also protects from bugs.
And add melted wax to it! It repels water! Paint thinner one gallon one cup melted wax with boiled linseed oil or toung oil! Ta da! Last 3 years here in northern Minnesota! Worst weather of all. Got the recipe from Noah Bradley hand made houses! 😊
Heck! Y'all are making me wanna do my own oil changes, again, so I can use the old oil on my new fence. Luv this idea, because I can hack the odor of motor oil, but lived on a farm where former owner had sealed inside and out of enclosed back porch with linseed oil, and the stench of it was so sickening that the smell of linseed oil makes me sick, now.
You are right. I mix used motor oil, with whatever else oil I have laying around and thin it with diesel. My back porch has been there more 20 years with no rot or bug damage. The portion my wife threw a fit and wanted to use Thompsons water seal. We reseal every year. 4 years later. The wood needs replacing. Again. I either burn or use oil. Sometimes both. I've got a board on my bbq pit I built when I was 14. I used both used motor oil of a semi and burnt it. 39 years ago this month on The 19. Still there and still good. Just reburn it every 5 to 6 years. Always sits outside to. Never covered.
I use a combination of two items to protect any wood outside. You have to let it dry fully but it repels water for 2 years before reapplication is needed. It is not slippery when wet with water and it will bring life back to old weathered wood. The mix I use is a 3-to-1 mixture of Used Motor oil from an oil change you do on your car, plus 1 part diesel. I put the mixture in a 2-gallon pump sprayer and spread it with a nylon bristle street broom. When done you can wipe your hand across the bristles of the broom and nothing will come off on your hand. The grain of the wood will swell slightly and close those cracks if the boards are weathered, but it works great. I have tried Thompson's Water Seal and it is not an inexpensive item but the floor will be slippery when using it whereas the use of old oil and diesel will not be. Thompson's doesn't last as long either.
I did this to my deck 2 years ago. Things I encountered. The smell lasted for about a week. This didnt bother me but for some reason the internets make a big deal about this. I probably did 2 coats worth and it repelled water nicely. The sun did fade most of my color out of it which i wasnt happy about. I also did get mold/mildew on my rails that were in sun mostly, I read it feeds on the oil and youre more prone to having it on wood, but a bleach and water mix helps clear it. needs about a week of soaking before I didnt have a film on my hands and shoes. I have since changed to dark tung oil this year to add a darker color and to see how the color fades or doesnt. If it stays, I'll probably do a used oil topcoat as a maintenance item to keep it water repellent. It also does NOT make it more flammable like people want to worry about.
If You want it darker, mix in som carbon black wetted with alcohol. I do that to wood tar, works great. Another trick is to impregnate the wood surface with hot dilute copper sulfate solution and let dry before oiling. Works nicely with motor oil, tar and drying oils such as linseed oil. I had zero mold issues after doing this. Grandparents over here used old motor oil mixed with tar sometimes on docks and all kinds of outdoor farm wood. Only issue I have noticed is that to much oil can make the wood soft.
You got my vote on that. I am old man now & we used creosote and thinner with some diluted tar mix. It has to soak in well and smells for awhile but lasts for years . Smell does go away so thats ok. The wood will not rot & no bugs or insects go near it . Good job on your deck.
You've got the perfect way to recycle. We saved used motor oil to use as a wood preservative, reapplied every other year to really old clapboard on outbuildings. We sprayed it onto compacted earth floors to keep the dust down, keep groundhogs from digging burrows underneath and discouraging insects. We mixed it with rancid vegetable oils and kerosene sometimes. Some folks made whitewash with old white lead paint thinned with kerosene, which sucked it into old fencing ( worked better than limewash to repel insects ).
@@kylemccourt663 Nope. Used motor oil contains a lot of things like nonanes, which are largely inert and oxidise slowly. Used judiciously in spot applications like this and others, they are not a bio-hazard. When gas stations recycle used motor oil, they are also utilised and refined in various ways. The idea is that every waste output should be inputs to other production processes and nothing should be put into landfills or put into long-term storage in 'repositories'. Truth be told, radioactive waste can also be upcycled. The United States does not recycle spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants, but this is a routine practice in France, for example. Used motor oil can be utilised in multiple ways and it's only hazardous if you dump it down the drain, directly into roadside ditches or trash collection receptacles ( I have seen some folks do this ). We should all abhor waste and find ways to utilise and repurpose it instead.
I had 15 - 20 year old clean oil with lost lables in the shed. I also had a small deck that would accumulate moss and slippery black slime making it to dangerous to walk on. Nothing worked for more than a few months and was told that it would have to be ripped out. So I used a pressure clener than used the clean oil. It soaked in and made the browns in the wood pop. It looked like expensive cedar. Very pretty and no more slippery slimy dangerous deck for free. For the first time we love our deck.
So I ended up with my Grandparents farm and the 80 acres that it sits on. On this property sits a huge barn, corn crib, tool shed and a storage shed and the entire property has a 3 strand bar wired fence around it. I know the barn and other buildings range from 80 to 100 yrs old barn being the oldest. So I start fixing the place up replacing rotten wood etc. Once I got it ready I went to my buddy’s auto shop and picked up 2 55 gallon drums of used motor oil and bought 25 gallons of diesel fuel. I cut the oil down to where it could be sprayed with a air gun and from there the rest was history. I collected the trunks of cedar trees for almost a year till I had enough to replace every post on the property and soaked the bottom half in straight oil before I set them in the ground. That was 8 years ago and not one spot of rot or termites have been seen. I bought 6 of the cheap HarborFreight spray guns when the were on sale for about $7.00 bucks and used every gun when I began spraying, all loaded and ready. This saved me thousands in paint or stain. Another tip I got from a old timer is that if you have cedar siding you can used old transmission fluid to add to your stain and it’ll last forever.
Having lost my beloved dog to suspected ethylene glycol (most transmission fluids and break fluids) poisoning, I must warn you that it will kill animals should they drink it or water contaminated with it. I don;t know what a weak solution of it mixed with water will do, if say it mixed with rain water that blew onto your structure, nor do I know how fast it breaks down in the environment. Good luck.
@@edwardmyers3244 ethylene glycol is in antifreeze. There are test strips for coolant in the transmission, and they test for ethylene glycol. Transmission and brake fluid are traditionally mineral oil based, or in early ones, engine oil. Absolutely none in transmission or brake fluid. Dogs used to drink antifreeze because it was sweet, but it isn't any longer. They add a bittering agent to it. Its terrible seeing an animal suffer from drinking it.
I don't see a problem with this. I am on my fourth set of trailer 2x12s and will go this route. One recommendation from a former painter... Start on a board when applying the oil and finish it. When you do square areas, the overlap of areas can show up later when the oil/paint wears thin. For the haters, it's a quality of workmanship thing...most people wont get it until they see the overlap areas in their job months later and go "that looks like crap".
While I don’t see overlap currently, there certainly is a possibility of that as it starts to wear away, you make a valid point, and when I go to reapply this in a couple years, I’ll certainly do that method. Thanks for the tip, and thanks for watching!
@@darrylschmidt704 thats why you should be applying it with a Hudson type pump up sprayer. Filter oil through paint filter to remove dirt and sludge. Thin it with either deisel or gas if it needs. Pump up sprayers will leave less definite overlaps and light/dark patches.
I use straight 5w40 on my wooden decks and walkways in Southern California. It’s recycled, organic, and free. Looks great, stops the sun damage. Saves me a trip to the auto parts store for oil recycling.
I do this with the deck on my work trailer and it works well. I have been strongly thinking about using it on the deck on my house. After watching this, I'm prertty sure I will!
Just finished re-flooring my 24x7 car-hauler trailer, using untreated pine. I did a few extra steps just to try for a maximum results. After cutting the boards to proper length, and because this is the only chance I will get to totally address this surface without making a godawfull mess, I began by choosing which side of each of the boards was gonna be the under side of the finished decking. Put those on sawhorses with this “bottom side” facing up and left them in the sun for a day thinking that the 100 degree heat may “open” the pores a bit more for maximum absorption. Using a paint roller, I applied a heavy coat of a 50/50 mix of used motor oil and diesel fuel paying extra attention to the ends of each. After each coat I let them sit in the sun for 24 hours to “dry”. The total was three coats. During this “drying” time I removed the old decking, removed all the old hardware, wire wheeled any rust that had formed under the old deck and brushed on 3 thick coats of Rust oleum to the entire frame that would be under the new deck. I also used the opportunity to redo all the wiring for lights and brakes on the now naked frame. Now I was ready to put new lumber on the trailer. After placing the boards loosely, and before screwing them down, I mopped on three coats to any area that would be covered by a channel or hold-down strap. Thinking that I will pretty much always have access to this surface of the deck, I did all three applications in one day but over several hours, again looking for maximum absorption. Finally, placed boards and installed the end-plates and self threading deck screws. Then applied three coats of the oil/ diesel mixture over three days. Everybody that sees the results comments on how good it looks with some even asking “ what kinda wood is that?”. I figure the Texas heat is gonna dictate when I need to be reapplying this “secret” preservative. 🫡
yep! all the gravel roads around here had oil dumped on them anywhere there was a house. Saw dad dump who knows how many gallons along the fences to keep the weeds out of them... Pretty common weed killer back in the day.
I really like the way this looks on your deck. My only suggestion is to do the posts that are visible as well, so they blend better. Shou sugi ban, or yakisugi is an ancient Japanese method of preserving wood by scorching it, scrapping it then coating it in oil. It creates a much darker finish than just the used motor oil alone does. It really brings out the variations in the grain of the wood & can be quite beautiful. We've always done this to the bottom of our wooden fence posts. First charring them then soaking that end in a barrel of oil overnight before installing. It's a fair amount of work but easier & far cheaper than replacing fence posts every few years. The 4x4 posts we installed in 87' when we bought our farm are still standing strong.
I second this mans approach, as it's what I do myself. When you shou sugi ban, you're torching until you have an even carbon layer across the board. You should notice it's chatoyancy. I don't scrap it if it's structural, I just oil it while it's still hot. Char and tar, baby. Char and tar.
A long time ago I lived on a working farm and ranch out in the country in Florida for many years. Old oil is good for lots of things. Treating wood, bug repellent, weed killer(lantana), rust inhibitor, etc. Great job on the deck, brother. Cheers.
With 0W16 oil at half the mileage the dealer does, my oil is thin and honey brown. I save it all and put it in the original containers. It's also good for coating inside the doors and painting on any little parts of the suspension that form a light rust.
It looks great. I'm going to try it on my daughter's deck. My grandfather used to use motor oil on his tobacco barns. I remember his barns looked almost black though. He must have put on many coats of really dirty oil over the years.
Used oil is also great for rust control. I "painted" the suspension and lower frame of my old travel trailer several years ago and the protection is complete. I suppose it should be redone every five years, but there's plenty of used oil around.
I soaked legs for two new sawhorses in a bucket of oil/diesel mix for about ten minutes. Painted the rest with oil mix. They sat for three years on the grassy ground, only being moved once. Bottom of legs 6 years later are still solid, no punkiness or corners wet-rotting up. Perfect.
Totally with you on this. I built a bridge across my creek and painted it with motor oil 5 years ago. Lumber is oak, white I believe. Most planks are still good. Ecologically I don’t see an issue. Read the ingredients on any paint or preservative and it says not to drink it. The planks are a bit slick when it’s raining but my dog and I have learned to slow down so nobody has gotten hurt yet. Thanks for posting!
Creosote is by far the best stain I've used by a long shot, it's a shame it's not permitted any more, I get that it's dangerous but it does such a good job preserving wood!
This is a great idea and just what I need to put yet another coat of protection on the back wall of our house that is covered with reclaimed old, I mean really old, barn siding from the northeast. Every few years we put out big bucks to put a sealer on the wood that ends up looking like.... Yes, water repels but only for about 2 years and then I do it all over again. I'm going to do a test in one corner and wait to see what my good man thinks. If he agrees then I'll finish the wall. And I may do the front porch as well as the Thompson has completely worn off. And if I remember correctly, it's what Daddy used on the farm to coat posts. Used oil was always used somewhere else on the farm. You are brilliant!
My formula: 1 part copper-based wood preservative, 1 part diesel fuel, 2 parts used motor oil, and mix 1/2 gallon roofing tar and gasoline together until its all dissolved; add that. Important, clean well, let dry for days, completely. Apply stain at the hottest time of the day. Keep it thin, let it absorb it, and give it all it can take. Fence post can be end-treated by soaking.
i think tar is the magic ingredient for longevity. a fellow once said that his dad put a shingle roof on his house in the Prairies where weather is HOT in the summer and bitterly cold in winter. Two coatings of tar in 60 yrs, no re roofing needed.
Powdered charcoal and raw linseed oil mixed and painted on wood fence posts make them rot proof. Not a good finish for above ground as it never dries. Not charcoal briquettes but real charcoal.
This is what we use to paint with and made our own coatings,I'm fifty three and was taught this from older more experienced painters. Nice to see it being used,great job, CUDOS TO YOU SIR
On my cedar fence I apply a 50/50 mix of used Hydraulic oil and diesel fuel. For every gallon I mix up I add a cup of dark walnut stain. No grass grows around the posts either 👍
I want to try this on my deck railing. The deck is composite, but adding the trex railing is too expensive, so now will try this wood & oil method. Thank you so much for this tip.
Great video, I used transmission fluid for the wood rails on my SeaRay express cruiser for decades. Transmission fluid leaves a mohagany colored finish. Brushed on with a paint brush and wipe off with a rag. There is no environment harsher than the south florida sun and salt water. Now I use a coat of motor oil and then sear with a propane torch to seal/close the pores in the wood and then another coat of oil wiped with a rag. It is beautiful dark walnut with semi-gloss look. Be sure to protect surrounding areas when using a torch.
I 'treated' a retaining wall once with used motor oil when I was underemployed and didn't have a lot of cash. Turned out very good and helped extend the life of the wall. Controversal or not, I don't have a problem with it. To me, it is a very good and economical way to recycle used motor oil.
I just re oiled my trailer decks a couple of months ago and you are right they turn water well. I have been doing it to my hay wagons for thirty years and they were just made from oak that grew on my farm and the first deck lasted over 25 years. I also do my bridge flloor the same way and it lasted 30 years.
I coated the deck on my 4x8 utility trailer using this method. Pressure treated 2x6 boards. Put 3 really good coats on over the course of a week. Looks great, and I can tell that the lumber will last much longer now. I'm going to coat the new deck on my house using new motor oil this fall.
I haven't tried it but great idea...what I have done that turns out a lot like that is take a propane torch for burning weeds and run it over the surface brings out the beautiful grain and naturally water proofs it as well...I will definitely be trying this method as well...great videos...
I'm in the UK and I have used this on a new shed I bought. The finish you get when you buy your shed doesn't last long and buying more of the stuff to add a second coat onto the shed was going to cost a fortune. So I asked my mechanic if I could have some of the old oil - which he has to pay to get rid of - from changing engine oil when servicing a car and he said I could have as much as I like, he even delivered it for me! It worked brilliantly and I wouldn't hesitate to advise anyone to use it on new sheds, or even new wooden fences. As the man says, oil and water don't mix and if you use old oil to protect new wood, the wood, any wood, will last a very long time. After it is absorbed by the wood, you don't get any old oil on your hands etc either. Protect your wood for free folks!
I did that on my old fence after power washing , it stunk for few weeks, but looks like new. Then flipped decking boards and did the same. So waterproof, the puddles on it after rain. Love results. On the contrary to my clean approach to environment this is too small to make damage.
I love this. I just realized this last year. Works great on all kinds of things. I used it on my trailer, various lumber, fence posts, logs, wooden hand tools,..... I already had sourced sealer for my fence, I needed to replace 12 panels, I reused the 4x4 posts, I pulled them all up and oiled the bottom 2ft; they soaked up 3 coats easy. I hear farmers do this and their fence posts outlive them. This nourishes and waterproofs the wood and keeps the bugs away. There are alot of mixtures used to undercoating car/truck frames too. And it's all effectively free. Amazing. I bet this keeps carpenter bees away too......anyone know? If so I have some more wood to treat :)
This has been done for probably close to 50 years just in my family alone if not longer. We do it on all wood. Only thing that works nowadays bc of how cheap the finishes are nowadays. Like you said they don’t hold up. Household paint barely holds up nowadays passed the 5 year mark. But this is not a new thing by any means. I tell everyone with wooden trains to always do it. They always end up loving it and I love in FL. Holds up in our sun and weather so I’m sure it will just fine for you 👍
I like using the effluent from my local waste treatment plant. All my dogs have died over the past 40 years but the deck is still like new. No complaints.
About 10-15% Diesel added to used motor oil. Spray, back roll if you wish (frankly just spray and let soak). Been around since diesel and oil. Houses were sprayed this way. Use old barrels and soak 4x's and 6x's and posts. it just works. For those yelling about this, what exactly do you think is in the oil based stuff at all the supply houses? Personally, I do decks and fences, initially every year for 2-3 years, after that you can get away easily with every other year, even every third. Fence and deck will last easily 100+ years. In some locations where you get a lot of mildew, moss, just add and oil based mildewcide.
General contractor here but when people need a finish that will last but isn't exactly epa friendly we used chemknight. Sadly that's hard or impossible to come by as it's copper content is so high. We can get copper green at hd but it takes loads to get the wood saturated but it works! I live in hippie Oregon and we can't get the muntant green pressure treated wood unless we bring it in from another state. Copper green is sadly our only option for a finish that lasts a long time in hard weather.
it's only controversial now because people want to pretend like the oil we got out of the ground is going to poison the world. While I wouldn't go dumping my used motor oil right next to my well, the rest of the worlds reaction is usually an overreaction.
I'm building a timber frame cabin on piers. I'm thinking of treating the 10x10 sills with the diesel/used motor oil thing.. my question is: is it gonna stay smelly forever and make the inside of my cabin smell like motor oil? Thank you
Not all old school methods are better. There are reasons some of them went away such as the cardboard like sheathing materials we used to use on houses. My concern with this finish is in applications where food is involved. In that case, something food safe like mineral oil would be better. The problem with motor oils is toxicity to humans but it's probably no worse than what we treat pressure treated lumber with.
At my grandma's old house, about every year or two I remember that during spring cleaning we were wiping the wood plank floors with some kind of diesel mixture that smelled very strongly, with a rag. That was one of my jobs, as a child. I was probably around 1st grade or so. My family was doing that partly to kill the bugs in the wood. I'm still alive and well, I'm 60, and I think I can still feel the smell of the diesel mixture, to this day
We have recently done this with our deck railings and new section of fence. We will definitely be doing this when we replace the rest of our deck! It always looks wet, but it's not. And it's not slippery to walk on. 👍
I use 2 parts motor oil, 2-parts clear zinc wood preserver (last year our federal "government" prohibited the sale of good solvent-based wood preserver), 2-parts chosen mix of oil-based wood stain for preferred color. It's what would be termed "transparent" unless you use pigment stains, then maybe semi-transparent. Yes I use two coats. Yes I do it again next year, and the year after. But I do have sheltered sections I have yet to do a second time (7 years now). I have a pergola-style 'roof' over part of my carport in half sun/shade that still looks great. I took this trick from my cheapskate aunt who finally decided her weathered cedar-sided house should look 'refreshed'. She went round to a few transmission repair shops, scrounged 10-15 gal used transmission fluid and used it to 'refinish' her entire house, deck & railings. It honestly looked great for maybe 3 years then needed to be re-applied, but never was (she was aging). It did kinda smell like a car for the first few months. I think new oil would have been better, but the aged color of the oil did look really good. My caveat is, if your wood has bad, decaying spots, deal with that first.
I’ve done this for 40 years the same with all my trailers I have a cabin in Maine. The snow gets so high that they literally ride snowmobiles across my roof are use oil on the siding. I never have a bug problem. I never have water damage problems like you said it’s freeand it works fantastic. I also use it on my Barnes in Texas. No termites here.
Been coating my wood truck bed for 12 years with oil. It lasts great it has salt sand mix in it all winter long. So from November until march. Sometimes sooner if we get an October snow. In the spring when I’m fixing whatever broke over the plowing season I broom it out change the oil and put a new coat on.
the family summer home used that to keep the dust done cuz the access road went right by the house and the dust from cars going by would choke ya out if you sat on the porch.
DEisel and used oil is what we have used for decades on our privacy fence posts, deck, and most definitely our trailers. It is by far more superior that any store bought preservative, repels water, and is easy to apply for the cost of diesel and the oil that would normally have to be disposed of. Makes the wood look good too.
We just built a new deck. We applied used diesel oil on the floor joists because it was really black and we applied used gasoline motor oil on the deck boards. We love it works great
Another benefit: oil doesn't peel, bubble or flake off. This year's coat goes right over last year's. Goes on easy with roller covers from the Dollar Store. Downsides: it has an odor (off-gassing) for a week and best results are with annual application. I use a 1 : 1 : 1 ratio of UMO, diesel and E10 gas for better penetration into the wood.
Used oil works great on rust too. spray in the bottoms of your doors , rocker panels and everywhere rust grow on cars or trucks. spray or brush on frames . It takes less oil than you would think and very little end up on the ground.
Good job Man....... you've made me think.......I'm going to try some brand new engine oil to see what the color looks like ! Transformer oil was commonly used for fences etc years back ... And creasote...... My understanding about deck oils is that the ones with a stronger pigment (colouring) will last longer than a so called clear oil finish which also leeds to a discoloring of the timber , ive built a lot of outdoor wooden furniture and found an average furniture (outdoor) oil drastically reduced the the heat of the timbers in full sun . I remember an oil that's recommended for log homes cd50 , not cheap but what an amazing product if applied correctly according to the instructions..... Great video and I'm sure the outcome will be interesting ! 😉🙃😎 Love from New Zealand ♥️
I love it. I treat all of my outdoor wood with used motor oil. I also pour it around my fence posts to keep the post from rotting in the wet ground. Some complain that it could leach into the ground. Well, guess what, oil comes out of the ground to start with. I'm just putting it back to where it came from.
You're not putting the same thing back in the ground exactly the way it came out. What your putting in the "topsoil" is a concentrated part of what came out. What came out wasn't in the top soil where it could leach into the water table
@@joemendyk9994 Oil is inert after drying. Oil is organic. There is a chemical change in the wood. The wood gets polymerized by the drying oil, which is now locked up. Plants actually grow back. One guy in England showed his plants covered in oil but two weeks later it was like he fertilized them. Microbes eat what is spilled on the ground.
Growing up I used to help my grandparents spread used motor oil on their 1/2 mile ling dirt/gravel driveway. They had a wheelbarrow that held a modified oil drum with holes drilled in it. They got the oil from a local garage. It did a good job of controlling the dust, but I hate to think what it did to the environment.
As for pressure washing: I built the decks on the back of my house 24 years ago. I pressure wash every two years or so. The decks are still solid and the wood looks fine. I don't coat them with anything.
@@EverythingElliott I suspect part of that may be that if you use a very high pressure and narrow nozzle, holding it to close, you can literally dig grooves into the wood. The user needs to operate the washer correctly.
I live in Central America I have always used oil on my wood porches and decks works super great my friends want to varnish or stain I’m with you Oil it does not rot we have lots of rain and sun. no sanding just more oil
My dad built a concrete driveway over 50 years ago. He used to roll used vehicle oil onto it every few years to seal it against the salt. Still looks as good as when he first made it.
I prefer used ATF because it is so dificult to light on fire, and its got this redish color to it. Cool. It works a wonder on wood fences. I also soak fence posts ends in it for abought a week make sure the posts are realy dry. My fence is some 25 years old and every year or two I just spray it down with more you got it more old ATF bugs refuse to make a home out of this treated wood. You can like hold a tiger torch to this stuff and its super tough to get it to burn. 👍
That's my favoite stain for wood preservation too...new ATF even used ATF...looks better than used motor oil...and i can almost gurantee it soaks down further in the wood than motor oil...due to being so thin... It's a delight to work with.
It's also great for rust prevention on metal. So when you re-do your fence, the nails, hinges, gates and metal hardware get the fresh spray to. Just wipe the excess. For vehicles, and perhaps undercoating the frame, add an ounce of liquid soap per gallon to make it stick, and even add in a cup of blaster PB, or WD40 to penetrate the rust and thin the oil. I'm doing a garden fence right now and using lightly used motor oil. It was too light a brown so I added dark walnut oil stain and got the perfect color. A warm brown on fresh wood. Also been thinking of using ATF to mix the colors for reddish tones.
I have a 20 yr old treated pine sleeper retaining wall that drinks up a diesel/sumpoil mix like a booze hound at a bar. Will still be there when i'm long gone.
Yes, spray metals down with ATF. Then when you want to paint it just pressure wash it let it dry for a few days and paint as usual as long as it's enamel or any oil base paint. P.S. I spray my undercarriage down each year just before winter to help with the salt and ice chemicals being used seems to work great on my 08 Ford truck. ATF.😊👍
When I change the oil on my truck I use that oil on my wooden fence. It works great. And I re-do it about every other year. It's free, looks good and makes the fence last longer.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
And that's why my fence looks far better than all those around me.
All would do well to note the oil can be put on with a pump sprayer if it's thinned a bit, but mists, so a mask is a must.
As I understand from Jed Clampet it comes up out of the ground. Are you not simply returning it from whence it came?
Keeps the bugs off it as well
Dumb pollution on your place
We built a retaining wall and used old motor oil from our buddy’s auto shop (free), mixed with kerosene, to spray on the wall of 4” X 4” PT wood. We mixed with kerosene to make it thin enough to spray on. We added posts in front of wall, every 8’ & painted them with just the old motor oil, so they were darker. It looks fabulous! It still looks great 3 yrs later.
Kerosene, diesel oil, very close in the distilling tower of oil products btw.
And it burns great!😂
And smell for months….
We had a huge retaining wall made with old railroad ties and every couple of years re-applied used motor oil & diesel. It’s been standing for over 50 years. I also put used motor oil in sand in a big metal bucket. I’ll put my shovels, garden forks, any metal tools in the bucket after use. Keeps everything rust free & clean.
Doesn't it stink?
Doesn't it stink?
We have old kreosole railway ties as deck posts that have been around our place that long, sitting unwrapped in the ground, never treated with oil or anything. As far as tools, vehicle frames, trailers, etc. I think transmission fluid has more anticorrosive additives in it than motor oil.
The old Railroad Ties had the wood preservative called "creosote". That chemical was the first known chemical carcinogen that cause testicular cancer, along with other cancers, in Chimney Sweeps in England. What is amazing to me is that Hippy Dippy Vegetarian oh-so-natural use old Railroad Ties to make their raised bed vegetable gardens.
I actually saw that tip, of putting oil in sand and keeping tools in it, on Martha Stewart's show years ago!
I have fence posts on my property that have been there around 100 years. People used to soak them for months in used oil. Then just put them in the ground. They don't rot, and the bugs don't eat them. The only thing that damages them is time, and water. But it takes a lot of time, and a lot of water.
They would also drill a filler hole near the base just to top off
@@BonsaiZendog I thought the hole was mid ways up? I did mine up higher.
Cap the tops, like they do pier posts an such around marinas, and you'll add even more time.
I build a wood fence around part of my dogs' run. I cut a bunch of scrap granite I was allowed to pull from a granite fabricator's scrap pile into 5"x5" squares. I used a variable speed angle grinder and relatively inexpensive diamond polishing disks for granite polishing to polish the edges.
Now, the tops of my posts are unique and protected from the elements (I also put a 5 degree angle on the top of all the horizontal 2x4 supports, so water would run off them, rather than sit and soak in.
I had an old time neighbor when I was a kid (40 yrs ago). He’d axe the bottoms to a point to drive them better and he’d soak them in oil like you say. I remember him telling me one day while he was working that his grandfather put in some of the post I was seeing. This old guy was in his late 70’s back then.
Is there any motor oil ,I guess used motor oil will work?
A friend of mine built a 70 x 50 foot barn sheathed with 12 inch x 14 ft rough cut poplar boards from his sawmill. Sprayed 50/50 mix of diesel fuel and used motor oil inside and out with a pump up sprayer. Looked like dark walnut stain. After nearly 20 years still no rot.
I read many people use the same on their trailer decking, but one guy said, instead of 50% motor oil he used Tractor Hydraulic fluid because theyre good priced at tractor supply, and after a couple days wasn't oily anymore
How does it smell a hot summerday?😵🤮
Used oil is a wonderful anti rust spray for undercoating your vehicle.
@@shirleymurphy1958 Agree that but only from the gearbox and mixed with a thickener!
I have heard otherwise. Though i tend to agree with you, there are some that say the water travels beneath the oil and is trapped there somewhat. Hmm. Could be. @shirleymurphy1958
You are spot on. I have been doing this for 30 years and the price is right. Good job.
As far as his house goes he could color match and just pay over those red white and blues
my grand father use to have a small dia. barrel he'd put all the used oil in and soak posts in for fencing they never rotted over 50 - 60 years later i'm 71 and some of those post are still in great shape
That’s a great idea. I’ve heard of people drilling 3/4” hole into the center of posts by the ground and filling with oil each year to preserve the underground portion
i still use that trick , probably do 200posts every year
I learned this from my grandfather as well and use this method for fence post and many other things on the farm
add a little creosote and theyll last even longer. but you can't buy it anymore cause of the greeny leftards
I learned this technique from my grandfather I still use it
I have a friend that is a diesel mechanic and he gets me a gallon of used diesel oil every year. I used a roller and put it on my new trailer decking. I let my treated decking dry a month in the summer sun, then put 2 coats of the used oil on it straight, no dilution. It took about a week to dry, and a couple weeks to not smell anymore. Water still beads on it and I get compliments on it all the time. The used diesel motor oil is a much darker black, it looks great on my silver trailer. It has faded some in the past yr, so I may do another treatment, but I doubt I’ll ever need to do it again. It’s not slick at all, even when wet.
My dad used to take the oil changes and "paint" the wooden fence on the property. The fence is still looking good 20 years later. It works.
Because the compounds are so f ing toxic that nothing (no bacteria or fungi) will ever grow on it !!! Until the water is washing away the compounds on your damned property and well water and then you have to apply it again for another 20 years of happy poisoned wooden fence, perfect heritage for future generations!!! Keep applying the poisons oil each 20 years !!!! I would put an American Flag drilled into the fence, just to show how much you love that land, and people ! '' It works ''
In the 60's we lived in a dirt road in Arizona, always dusty. My dad would change his oil and spread it across the dirt road to cut down the dust.
It’s just super thin asphalt, so why not?
And still smell old oil after month…..
And how's your Dad?
I’ve done my deck, privacy fence, and outside wood siding buildings for several years. It’s the best wood treatment I know of. Learned this from my grandfather. No Thompson’s water stain for me!
I painted my house wood trim with this about 30 years ago.. but I use diesel and roofing tar with a little bit of raw linseed oil. i repaint every couple years then after it reached a permanent stain colour i liked . I stopped about 20 years ago. and I have not stained it again since. and it still holding up and no rot anywhere
Great job that will last! Re-coat when necessary! I remember oiling the floor in my uncle’s grocery store. That floor was easy to clean and was not slippery at all.
I just saw this video. I wanted to tell you a few things from my experience as a 56 yr old. My grandpa was born in 1912. In 1947 he used sawmill lumber to construct a "rack" he basically dug by hand into the side of a small embankment. Stood posts up vertically approximately the length of a car from the edge of the small embankment. Then laid boards horizontally from the top edge of the bank extending out to the posts. He used it and I did my father and his brothers to do all sorts of automotive work. That rack is still there and solid. Of course because of the oil. 3 coats on a trailer or deck is too much all at once. 2 light or one heavy every eight months for a few years is fine. And that's plenty for a long time. This is really the cool part though. You can go to any paint supplier and buy black or other dark color paint pigments. It doesn't take much but you think that deck looks nice? Which it does in my opinion but mix pigment with the oil and BAM! OMG it's like something from the rich and famous magazines!
I honestly never thought about tinting it, but that is a great idea. Thanks!
I remember they used to spray used oil on gravel roads worked great till some tree hugger thought is wasn't envirementally save ?😮
@@lucianonotte1444Ah the good old days…
@EverythingElliott It's actually a good idea because the color in stain is what protects from sun damage, the oil protects from water. I used to use tinted Thompsons, but it never lasted, but I discovered that the darker I went the longer, its protection lasted. For longer lasting protection I would give it a week or two and add another coat, then again with a dark Grey or black color pigment for a final coat. You will get much longer protection do to the wood being more soaked with oil.
@@lucianonotte1444 Don’t you mean a bark eater! 😂
The mix I have been using is diesel fuel and asphalt roof tar. My mix is 5 gal diesel(actually about 4.5 as I leave room for the other stuff in the bucket) and 1/2 gallon of roof tar, plain no fiber or anything. I also melt in 2 lbs of gulf wax, cause, hey why not. Comes out chestnut brown and you can adjust the color with more of less asphalt. Works well and is cost effective. I was in the same boat as you. BTW , “my” mix is not original, actually comes from the forest service bulletin from some time ago.
Holy Cow, and how toxic is the rainwater runoff from your roof? Somewhere on the scale of toxic->carcinogen..... or quite possibly both.
Add transmission fluid for red tint
@@occamraiser Probably about as toxic as all the rainwater running of all our asphalt roads everywhere.
@@occamraiser and those lines in the skies for the last 30 yrs, how toxic are they?
If you want you can mix the old oil with diesel fuel to thin it so you can covermore and being thinner it penetrates better. It may take a few more of these thin coat to get the look you want.
It not only protects from moisture, it also protects from bugs.
It protects via toxic, cancer causing elements.
And add melted wax to it! It repels water! Paint thinner one gallon one cup melted wax with boiled linseed oil or toung oil! Ta da! Last 3 years here in northern Minnesota! Worst weather of all. Got the recipe from Noah Bradley hand made houses! 😊
Heck! Y'all are making me wanna do my own oil changes, again, so I can use the old oil on my new fence. Luv this idea, because I can hack the odor of motor oil, but lived on a farm where former owner had sealed inside and out of enclosed back porch with linseed oil, and the stench of it was so sickening that the smell of linseed oil makes me sick, now.
You are right. I mix used motor oil, with whatever else oil I have laying around and thin it with diesel. My back porch has been there more 20 years with no rot or bug damage. The portion my wife threw a fit and wanted to use Thompsons water seal. We reseal every year. 4 years later. The wood needs replacing. Again. I either burn or use oil. Sometimes both. I've got a board on my bbq pit I built when I was 14. I used both used motor oil of a semi and burnt it. 39 years ago this month on The 19. Still there and still good. Just reburn it every 5 to 6 years. Always sits outside to. Never covered.
Exactly, mix the diesel fuel with it first.
I use a combination of two items to protect any wood outside. You have to let it dry fully but it repels water for 2 years before reapplication is needed. It is not slippery when wet with water and it will bring life back to old weathered wood. The mix I use is a 3-to-1 mixture of Used Motor oil from an oil change you do on your car, plus 1 part diesel.
I put the mixture in a 2-gallon pump sprayer and spread it with a nylon bristle street broom. When done you can wipe your hand across the bristles of the broom and nothing will come off on your hand. The grain of the wood will swell slightly and close those cracks if the boards are weathered, but it works great. I have tried Thompson's Water Seal and it is not an inexpensive item but the floor will be slippery when using it whereas the use of old oil and diesel will not be. Thompson's doesn't last as long either.
I did this to my deck 2 years ago. Things I encountered. The smell lasted for about a week. This didnt bother me but for some reason the internets make a big deal about this. I probably did 2 coats worth and it repelled water nicely. The sun did fade most of my color out of it which i wasnt happy about. I also did get mold/mildew on my rails that were in sun mostly, I read it feeds on the oil and youre more prone to having it on wood, but a bleach and water mix helps clear it. needs about a week of soaking before I didnt have a film on my hands and shoes. I have since changed to dark tung oil this year to add a darker color and to see how the color fades or doesnt. If it stays, I'll probably do a used oil topcoat as a maintenance item to keep it water repellent. It also does NOT make it more flammable like people want to worry about.
I wonder how Trans fluid would look? Nice red hue maby😂
@@lancep9394 STINKS
Thanks for sharing your experience. I was wondering about smell and if it left a oily film on for a bit.
Because they don't want you to use one of our greatest resources...OIL!
If You want it darker, mix in som carbon black wetted with alcohol. I do that to wood tar, works great. Another trick is to impregnate the wood surface with hot dilute copper sulfate solution and let dry before oiling. Works nicely with motor oil, tar and drying oils such as linseed oil. I had zero mold issues after doing this. Grandparents over here used old motor oil mixed with tar sometimes on docks and all kinds of outdoor farm wood. Only issue I have noticed is that to much oil can make the wood soft.
You got my vote on that. I am old man now & we used creosote and thinner with some diluted tar mix. It has to soak in well and smells for awhile but lasts for years . Smell does go away so thats ok. The wood will not rot & no bugs or insects go near it . Good job on your deck.
You've got the perfect way to recycle. We saved used motor oil to use as a wood preservative, reapplied every other year to really old clapboard on outbuildings. We sprayed it onto compacted earth floors to keep the dust down, keep groundhogs from digging burrows underneath and discouraging insects. We mixed it with rancid vegetable oils and kerosene sometimes. Some folks made whitewash with old white lead paint thinned with kerosene, which sucked it into old fencing ( worked better than limewash to repel insects ).
LOL I wonder why! Perfect way to recycle.... right into your water table.
@@kylemccourt663
Nope. Used motor oil contains a lot of things like nonanes, which are largely inert and oxidise slowly. Used judiciously in spot applications like this and others, they are not a bio-hazard. When gas stations recycle used motor oil, they are also utilised and refined in various ways.
The idea is that every waste output should be inputs to other production processes and nothing should be put into landfills or put into long-term storage in 'repositories'. Truth be told, radioactive waste can also be upcycled. The United States does not recycle spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants, but this is a routine practice in France, for example.
Used motor oil can be utilised in multiple ways and it's only hazardous if you dump it down the drain, directly into roadside ditches or trash collection receptacles ( I have seen some folks do this ).
We should all abhor waste and find ways to utilise and repurpose it instead.
Cool video. This comment section is a gold mine of good ideas!
I had 15 - 20 year old clean oil with lost lables in the shed. I also had a small deck that would accumulate moss and slippery black slime making it to dangerous to walk on. Nothing worked for more than a few months and was told that it would have to be ripped out. So I used a pressure clener than used the clean oil. It soaked in and made the browns in the wood pop. It looked like expensive cedar. Very pretty and no more slippery slimy dangerous deck for free. For the first time we love our deck.
Where did you get clean oil for free?
Thank you for sharing your experience. Does it smell? Would it be bad for my dog? I have oil from my son changing out his oil, could that be used?
His shed.
I did this years ago on a new mailbox post and loved the look so much that I also did my wood shed two years ago.
One tip I use is to filter the oil thru a couple of old tee shirts together the carbon particulate out and it won’t rub off before it weathers !
So I ended up with my Grandparents farm and the 80 acres that it sits on. On this property sits a huge barn, corn crib, tool shed and a storage shed and the entire property has a 3 strand bar wired fence around it. I know the barn and other buildings range from 80 to 100 yrs old barn being the oldest. So I start fixing the place up replacing rotten wood etc. Once I got it ready I went to my buddy’s auto shop and picked up 2 55 gallon drums of used motor oil and bought 25 gallons of diesel fuel. I cut the oil down to where it could be sprayed with a air gun and from there the rest was history. I collected the trunks of cedar trees for almost a year till I had enough to replace every post on the property and soaked the bottom half in straight oil before I set them in the ground. That was 8 years ago and not one spot of rot or termites have been seen. I bought 6 of the cheap HarborFreight spray guns when the were on sale for about $7.00 bucks and used every gun when I began spraying, all loaded and ready. This saved me thousands in paint or stain. Another tip I got from a old timer is that if you have cedar siding you can used old transmission fluid to add to your stain and it’ll last forever.
Having lost my beloved dog to suspected ethylene glycol (most transmission fluids and break fluids) poisoning, I must warn you that it will kill animals should they drink it or water contaminated with it. I don;t know what a weak solution of it mixed with water will do, if say it mixed with rain water that blew onto your structure, nor do I know how fast it breaks down in the environment. Good luck.
@@edwardmyers3244 antifreeze has ethylene glycol.
@@edwardmyers3244 ethylene glycol is in antifreeze. There are test strips for coolant in the transmission, and they test for ethylene glycol. Transmission and brake fluid are traditionally mineral oil based, or in early ones, engine oil. Absolutely none in transmission or brake fluid. Dogs used to drink antifreeze because it was sweet, but it isn't any longer. They add a bittering agent to it. Its terrible seeing an animal suffer from drinking it.
I don't see a problem with this. I am on my fourth set of trailer 2x12s and will go this route. One recommendation from a former painter... Start on a board when applying the oil and finish it. When you do square areas, the overlap of areas can show up later when the oil/paint wears thin. For the haters, it's a quality of workmanship thing...most people wont get it until they see the overlap areas in their job months later and go "that looks like crap".
While I don’t see overlap currently, there certainly is a possibility of that as it starts to wear away, you make a valid point, and when I go to reapply this in a couple years, I’ll certainly do that method. Thanks for the tip, and thanks for watching!
Yep, I always do a full board length at a time. Might take a bit longer, but certainly looks worlds better in 5-6 months.
@@darrylschmidt704 thats why you should be applying it with a Hudson type pump up sprayer. Filter oil through paint filter to remove dirt and sludge. Thin it with either deisel or gas if it needs. Pump up sprayers will leave less definite overlaps and light/dark patches.
I prefer to spray it on
Pro tip: use fresh oil mixed 50/50 with diesel. It goes on super easy, looks great, and gives a much cleaner finish, and it's still very inexpensive.
I use straight 5w40 on my wooden decks and walkways in Southern California. It’s recycled, organic, and free. Looks great, stops the sun damage. Saves me a trip to the auto parts store for oil recycling.
I do this with the deck on my work trailer and it works well. I have been strongly thinking about using it on the deck on my house. After watching this, I'm prertty sure I will!
I put down plywood on a utility trailer 25 years ago and coated top and bottom with used oil, still in great shape. Thanks for the video.
Just finished re-flooring my 24x7 car-hauler trailer, using untreated pine. I did a few extra steps just to try for a maximum results. After cutting the boards to proper length, and because this is the only chance I will get to totally address this surface without making a godawfull mess, I began by choosing which side of each of the boards was gonna be the under side of the finished decking. Put those on sawhorses with this “bottom side” facing up and left them in the sun for a day thinking that the 100 degree heat may “open” the pores a bit more for maximum absorption. Using a paint roller, I applied a heavy coat of a 50/50 mix of used motor oil and diesel fuel paying extra attention to the ends of each. After each coat I let them sit in the sun for 24 hours to “dry”. The total was three coats. During this “drying” time I removed the old decking, removed all the old hardware, wire wheeled any rust that had formed under the old deck and brushed on 3 thick coats of Rust oleum to the entire frame that would be under the new deck. I also used the opportunity to redo all the wiring for lights and brakes on the now naked frame. Now I was ready to put new lumber on the trailer. After placing the boards loosely, and before screwing them down, I mopped on three coats to any area that would be covered by a channel or hold-down strap. Thinking that I will pretty much always have access to this surface of the deck, I did all three applications in one day but over several hours, again looking for maximum absorption. Finally, placed boards and installed the end-plates and self threading deck screws. Then applied three coats of the oil/ diesel mixture over three days. Everybody that sees the results comments on how good it looks with some even asking “ what kinda wood is that?”. I figure the Texas heat is gonna dictate when I need to be reapplying this “secret” preservative. 🫡
Sounds like you did a great job and really took your time with that project
@@EverythingElliott thank you sir.
I'm not clear on what purpose the diesel component serves.
@@joewoodchuck3824most likely propose would be to thin the oil a bit to help it absorb deeper into the wood.
@@joewoodchuck3824 The diesel (or any distillate) thins the oil so it absorbs better and deeper into the wood.
My husband grew up on a dirt road and they used to come through and spray oil on it to keep the dust down.
yep! all the gravel roads around here had oil dumped on them anywhere there was a house.
Saw dad dump who knows how many gallons along the fences to keep the weeds out of them... Pretty common weed killer back in the day.
I really like the way this looks on your deck. My only suggestion is to do the posts that are visible as well, so they blend better. Shou sugi ban, or yakisugi is an ancient Japanese method of preserving wood by scorching it, scrapping it then coating it in oil. It creates a much darker finish than just the used motor oil alone does. It really brings out the variations in the grain of the wood & can be quite beautiful. We've always done this to the bottom of our wooden fence posts. First charring them then soaking that end in a barrel of oil overnight before installing. It's a fair amount of work but easier & far cheaper than replacing fence posts every few years. The 4x4 posts we installed in 87' when we bought our farm are still standing strong.
That’s a good idea, I was kinda thinking out of sight out of mind, but I think you’re right I’ll go back and coat them
I second this mans approach, as it's what I do myself.
When you shou sugi ban, you're torching until you have an even carbon layer across the board. You should notice it's chatoyancy. I don't scrap it if it's structural, I just oil it while it's still hot.
Char and tar, baby. Char and tar.
ua-cam.com/users/shortsUccZsqEqvGA?feature=share
Cool! I'm gonna light my deck on fire tomorrow. That should look great! (jk)
A long time ago I lived on a working farm and ranch out in the country in Florida for many years. Old oil is good for lots of things. Treating wood, bug repellent, weed killer(lantana), rust inhibitor, etc. Great job on the deck, brother. Cheers.
With 0W16 oil at half the mileage the dealer does, my oil is thin and honey brown. I save it all and put it in the original containers. It's also good for coating inside the doors and painting on any little parts of the suspension that form a light rust.
It looks great. I'm going to try it on my daughter's deck. My grandfather used to use motor oil on his tobacco barns. I remember his barns looked almost black though. He must have put on many coats of really dirty oil over the years.
I'm sure after years and years of doing it, the wood got progressively darker with each coat
No controversy, just good sense. Repurposing is better than recycling, because you know the end result.
This crap was buried eons ago for a reason. Repurposing plant life poison is not better than recycling.
So Nicely said !!
I make my own too. Wood Log planter boxes 90% oil/ 10% diesel. Glow in the sunshine.
*10w30 is too dark. You should've used 5w50.*
@@1nvisible1 lol
Initially raises flammability. Within about three days, that’s down to about a10% increase. At about two weeks, it is about the same as raw wood.
As a kid on the farm one of my jobs was to “waste oil” all the wooden gates and posts every year. Worked a treat!
Used oil is also great for rust control. I "painted" the suspension and lower frame of my old travel trailer several years ago and the protection is complete. I suppose it should be redone every five years, but there's plenty of used oil around.
Nice job. I have been doing this for 30 years! I too just do 1 coat every couple of years.
I’m ok with applying more as the product is free. Thanks for watching
I soaked legs for two new sawhorses in a bucket of oil/diesel mix for about ten minutes. Painted the rest with oil mix. They sat for three years on the grassy ground, only being moved once. Bottom of legs 6 years later are still solid, no punkiness or corners wet-rotting up. Perfect.
Also, you made a new word! (punkiness). I'll try to use it in a sentence:)
Totally with you on this. I built a bridge across my creek and painted it with motor oil 5 years ago. Lumber is oak, white I believe. Most planks are still good. Ecologically I don’t see an issue. Read the ingredients on any paint or preservative and it says not to drink it. The planks are a bit slick when it’s raining but my dog and I have learned to slow down so nobody has gotten hurt yet. Thanks for posting!
Right on, love how the grain is all darkened and contrasty. Nothin quite like a gorgeous wood grain.
Creosote is by far the best stain I've used by a long shot, it's a shame it's not permitted any more, I get that it's dangerous but it does such a good job preserving wood!
This is a great idea and just what I need to put yet another coat of protection on the back wall of our house that is covered with reclaimed old, I mean really old, barn siding from the northeast. Every few years we put out big bucks to put a sealer on the wood that ends up looking like.... Yes, water repels but only for about 2 years and then I do it all over again. I'm going to do a test in one corner and wait to see what my good man thinks. If he agrees then I'll finish the wall. And I may do the front porch as well as the Thompson has completely worn off. And if I remember correctly, it's what Daddy used on the farm to coat posts. Used oil was always used somewhere else on the farm. You are brilliant!
My formula: 1 part copper-based wood preservative, 1 part diesel fuel, 2 parts used motor oil, and mix 1/2 gallon roofing tar and gasoline together until its all dissolved; add that. Important, clean well, let dry for days, completely. Apply stain at the hottest time of the day. Keep it thin, let it absorb it, and give it all it can take. Fence post can be end-treated by soaking.
When you say ‘part’, can that mean gallons? You later specify 1/2 gallon each of roof tar and gasoline so I wouldn’t want to get proportions off.
i think tar is the magic ingredient for longevity. a fellow once said that his dad put a shingle roof on his house in the Prairies where weather is HOT in the summer and bitterly cold in winter. Two coatings of tar in 60 yrs, no re roofing needed.
@@omegaman7456 these formulas are probably close to what pitch was back in the day. Obviously worked on wooden ships.
Powdered charcoal and raw linseed oil mixed and painted on wood fence posts make them rot proof. Not a good finish for above ground as it never dries. Not charcoal briquettes but real charcoal.
Its gorgeous!
This is what we use to paint with and made our own coatings,I'm fifty three and was taught this from older more experienced painters. Nice to see it being used,great job, CUDOS TO YOU SIR
Yes. and I did this to my trailer as well. Good Job. IT DOES LAST!!! thanks for sharing.
I always like the look of black oiled wood. The alternating tan and dark grey just look so much better to me than conventional brown stains.
On my cedar fence I apply a 50/50 mix of used Hydraulic oil and diesel fuel. For every gallon I mix up I add a cup of dark walnut stain. No grass grows around the posts either 👍
Now that’s some good thinkin
I want to try this on my deck railing. The deck is composite, but adding the trex railing is too expensive, so now will try this wood & oil method. Thank you so much for this tip.
I use automatic transmission fluid mixed with diesel. A beautiful hue, no insects, and no carpenter bees. Learned it from my grandfather.
Great video, I used transmission fluid for the wood rails on my SeaRay express cruiser for decades. Transmission fluid leaves a mohagany colored finish. Brushed on with a paint brush and wipe off with a rag. There is no environment harsher than the south florida sun and salt water. Now I use a coat of motor oil and then sear with a propane torch to seal/close the pores in the wood and then another coat of oil wiped with a rag. It is beautiful dark walnut with semi-gloss look. Be sure to protect surrounding areas when using a torch.
The deck looks great. Love how it came out.
Thanks! I'm super happy with the outcome as well!
I 'treated' a retaining wall once with used motor oil when I was underemployed and didn't have a lot of cash. Turned out very good and helped extend the life of the wall. Controversal or not, I don't have a problem with it. To me, it is a very good and economical way to recycle used motor oil.
Modern technology is just wonderful, but if you want something that actually works, old school is the best!
That's the case for a lot of things these days!
🤣
B;b;;b;;;b;b;;b;bb;;;b;bb;bb;;bb;bb;bb;;bb;b;bb;bb;;;bbb;;;bb;bb;b;;;;;;;;b;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;b;;;;;;;;;;;;;b;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; khan@@EverythingElliott
I just re oiled my trailer decks a couple of months ago and you are right they turn water well. I have been doing it to my hay wagons for thirty years and they were just made from oak that grew on my farm and the first deck lasted over 25 years. I also do my bridge flloor the same way and it lasted 30 years.
Nothing will beat modern polymer coatings. But this is a good cheap option.
I coated the deck on my 4x8 utility trailer using this method. Pressure treated 2x6 boards. Put 3 really good coats on over the course of a week. Looks great, and I can tell that the lumber will last much longer now. I'm going to coat the new deck on my house using new motor oil this fall.
I haven't tried it but great idea...what I have done that turns out a lot like that is take a propane torch for burning weeds and run it over the surface brings out the beautiful grain and naturally water proofs it as well...I will definitely be trying this method as well...great videos...
I'm in the UK and I have used this on a new shed I bought. The finish you get when you buy your shed doesn't last long and buying more of the stuff to add a second coat onto the shed was going to cost a fortune.
So I asked my mechanic if I could have some of the old oil - which he has to pay to get rid of - from changing engine oil when servicing a car and he said I could have as much as I like, he even delivered it for me! It worked brilliantly and I wouldn't hesitate to advise anyone to use it on new sheds, or even new wooden fences. As the man says, oil and water don't mix and if you use old oil to protect new wood, the wood, any wood, will last a very long time.
After it is absorbed by the wood, you don't get any old oil on your hands etc either. Protect your wood for free folks!
I did that on my old fence after power washing , it stunk for few weeks, but looks like new.
Then flipped decking boards and did the same. So waterproof, the puddles on it after rain. Love results. On the contrary to my clean approach to environment this is too small to make damage.
I love this. I just realized this last year. Works great on all kinds of things. I used it on my trailer, various lumber, fence posts, logs, wooden hand tools,..... I already had sourced sealer for my fence, I needed to replace 12 panels, I reused the 4x4 posts, I pulled them all up and oiled the bottom 2ft; they soaked up 3 coats easy. I hear farmers do this and their fence posts outlive them. This nourishes and waterproofs the wood and keeps the bugs away. There are alot of mixtures used to undercoating car/truck frames too. And it's all effectively free. Amazing. I bet this keeps carpenter bees away too......anyone know? If so I have some more wood to treat :)
This has been done for probably close to 50 years just in my family alone if not longer. We do it on all wood. Only thing that works nowadays bc of how cheap the finishes are nowadays. Like you said they don’t hold up. Household paint barely holds up nowadays passed the 5 year mark. But this is not a new thing by any means. I tell everyone with wooden trains to always do it. They always end up loving it and I love in FL. Holds up in our sun and weather so I’m sure it will just fine for you 👍
Hoping to get a little more life out of the finish than the expensive chemical sealers that the big box stores peddle now a days
I like using the effluent from my local waste treatment plant. All my dogs have died over the past 40 years but the deck is still like new. No complaints.
About 10-15% Diesel added to used motor oil. Spray, back roll if you wish (frankly just spray and let soak). Been around since diesel and oil. Houses were sprayed this way. Use old barrels and soak 4x's and 6x's and posts. it just works. For those yelling about this, what exactly do you think is in the oil based stuff at all the supply houses? Personally, I do decks and fences, initially every year for 2-3 years, after that you can get away easily with every other year, even every third. Fence and deck will last easily 100+ years. In some locations where you get a lot of mildew, moss, just add and oil based mildewcide.
General contractor here but when people need a finish that will last but isn't exactly epa friendly we used chemknight. Sadly that's hard or impossible to come by as it's copper content is so high. We can get copper green at hd but it takes loads to get the wood saturated but it works! I live in hippie Oregon and we can't get the muntant green pressure treated wood unless we bring it in from another state. Copper green is sadly our only option for a finish that lasts a long time in hard weather.
Controversial? Nope. I'm 77 and I remember this being done to porches and wood trailer floors when I was a child. What works, works,
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
it's only controversial now because people want to pretend like the oil we got out of the ground is going to poison the world. While I wouldn't go dumping my used motor oil right next to my well, the rest of the worlds reaction is usually an overreaction.
My late neighbor and good friend swore by this on trailor floors.
Leaded gasoline worked too.
I'm building a timber frame cabin on piers. I'm thinking of treating the 10x10 sills with the diesel/used motor oil thing.. my question is: is it gonna stay smelly forever and make the inside of my cabin smell like motor oil? Thank you
I've used Linseed oil with a stain mixed in on my wood garage door that was in direct sunlight all day. It worked great.
I think it looks great! Some of the "old school" methods are just the best.
That’s the truth
Not all old school methods are better. There are reasons some of them went away such as the cardboard like sheathing materials we used to use on houses. My concern with this finish is in applications where food is involved. In that case, something food safe like mineral oil would be better. The problem with motor oils is toxicity to humans but it's probably no worse than what we treat pressure treated lumber with.
At my grandma's old house, about every year or two I remember that during spring cleaning we were wiping the wood plank floors with some kind of diesel mixture that smelled very strongly, with a rag. That was one of my jobs, as a child. I was probably around 1st grade or so. My family was doing that partly to kill the bugs in the wood. I'm still alive and well, I'm 60, and I think I can still feel the smell of the diesel mixture, to this day
I did my trailer with the same method and it turned out great.
We have recently done this with our deck railings and new section of fence. We will definitely be doing this when we replace the rest of our deck! It always looks wet, but it's not. And it's not slippery to walk on. 👍
been using it on all my garden tool handles, scythe, hammer handles ect for decades.
You did it right, been doing my trailer for years with the motor oils i change from all my equipment. Transmission fluid has it's purpose too.
This looks beautiful and so does your trailer!!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I use 2 parts motor oil, 2-parts clear zinc wood preserver (last year our federal "government" prohibited the sale of good solvent-based wood preserver), 2-parts chosen mix of oil-based wood stain for preferred color. It's what would be termed "transparent" unless you use pigment stains, then maybe semi-transparent. Yes I use two coats. Yes I do it again next year, and the year after. But I do have sheltered sections I have yet to do a second time (7 years now). I have a pergola-style 'roof' over part of my carport in half sun/shade that still looks great. I took this trick from my cheapskate aunt who finally decided her weathered cedar-sided house should look 'refreshed'. She went round to a few transmission repair shops, scrounged 10-15 gal used transmission fluid and used it to 'refinish' her entire house, deck & railings. It honestly looked great for maybe 3 years then needed to be re-applied, but never was (she was aging). It did kinda smell like a car for the first few months. I think new oil would have been better, but the aged color of the oil did look really good.
My caveat is, if your wood has bad, decaying spots, deal with that first.
Sooo glad I stopped in here, thanks boys 😊
I’ve done this for 40 years the same with all my trailers I have a cabin in Maine. The snow gets so high that they literally ride snowmobiles across my roof are use oil on the siding. I never have a bug problem. I never have water damage problems like you said it’s freeand it works fantastic. I also use it on my Barnes in Texas. No termites here.
I do this exact same thing to my deck every 3 years, it works better than any sealant or stain I've tried.
That’s reassuring! Thanks for watching
So I’m curious, how long before you safely walk on it without tracking dirty oil on your pavers or inside the house?
@@joeyoungs8426 I usually give it at least 5 days, but could depend on how much sun it receives
Been coating my wood truck bed for 12 years with oil. It lasts great it has salt sand mix in it all winter long. So from November until march. Sometimes sooner if we get an October snow. In the spring when I’m fixing whatever broke over the plowing season I broom it out change the oil and put a new coat on.
I used Cabot Australian Timber oil ( Mahogany Flame ) it look great right now . I did it in the spring. Still looking good.
Looks good! Up in the mountains, we used to utilize our old oil to coat the dirt road. Keeps the dust down.
the family summer home used that to keep the dust done cuz the access road went right by the house and the dust from cars going by would choke ya out if you sat on the porch.
Years ago a town highway Dept in NY would spray oil on all the dirt roads. Some city folks would think it was paved.
DEisel and used oil is what we have used for decades on our privacy fence posts, deck, and most definitely our trailers. It is by far more superior that any store bought preservative, repels water, and is easy to apply for the cost of diesel and the oil that would normally have to be disposed of. Makes the wood look good too.
Do you mix the together or are they separate? Thank you.
Used diesel oil?
We just built a new deck. We applied used diesel oil on the floor joists because it was really black and we applied used gasoline motor oil on the deck boards. We love it works great
I used a gallon of clean oil mixed with diesel on two trailers. looks good, a lighter finish. Less expensive than stain.
Another benefit: oil doesn't peel, bubble or flake off. This year's coat goes right over last year's. Goes on easy with roller covers from the Dollar Store. Downsides: it has an odor (off-gassing) for a week and best results are with annual application. I use a 1 : 1 : 1 ratio of UMO, diesel and E10 gas for better penetration into the wood.
Good idea! Those old wood truck beds lasted a very long time!!
Love it. Been doing something like this with my fence posts for years and it works great.
Used oil works great on rust too. spray in the bottoms of your doors , rocker panels and everywhere rust grow on cars or trucks. spray or brush on frames . It takes less oil than you would think and very little end up on the ground.
Good job Man....... you've made me think.......I'm going to try some brand new engine oil to see what the color looks like ! Transformer oil was commonly used for fences etc years back ... And creasote...... My understanding about deck oils is that the ones with a stronger pigment (colouring) will last longer than a so called clear oil finish which also leeds to a discoloring of the timber , ive built a lot of outdoor wooden furniture and found an average furniture (outdoor) oil drastically reduced the the heat of the timbers in full sun . I remember an oil that's recommended for log homes cd50 , not cheap but what an amazing product if applied correctly according to the instructions..... Great video and I'm sure the outcome will be interesting ! 😉🙃😎 Love from New Zealand ♥️
I love it. I treat all of my outdoor wood with used motor oil. I also pour it around my fence posts to keep the post from rotting in the wet ground. Some complain that it could leach into the ground. Well, guess what, oil comes out of the ground to start with. I'm just putting it back to where it came from.
@@EverythingElliott
That's just dumb. But oil floats on the water it doesn't disappear under the water.
You're not putting the same thing back in the ground exactly the way it came out. What your putting in the "topsoil" is a concentrated part of what came out. What came out wasn't in the top soil where it could leach into the water table
@@joemendyk9994 Oil is inert after drying. Oil is organic. There is a chemical change in the wood. The wood gets polymerized by the drying oil, which is now locked up. Plants actually grow back. One guy in England showed his plants covered in oil but two weeks later it was like he fertilized them. Microbes eat what is spilled on the ground.
I have been doing this for years down here in Texas. Nothing else works but this.
I helped an Uncle do the decking and lean to on the barn back in the early 70s with well used diesel and tractor oil. Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY
Growing up I used to help my grandparents spread used motor oil on their 1/2 mile ling dirt/gravel driveway. They had a wheelbarrow that held a modified oil drum with holes drilled in it. They got the oil from a local garage. It did a good job of controlling the dust, but I hate to think what it did to the environment.
As for pressure washing: I built the decks on the back of my house 24 years ago. I pressure wash every two years or so. The decks are still solid and the wood looks fine. I don't coat them with anything.
Some people are very anti-powerwashing of decks and I’m not sure why
@@EverythingElliott I suspect part of that may be that if you use a very high pressure and narrow nozzle, holding it to close, you can literally dig grooves into the wood. The user needs to operate the washer correctly.
@@EverythingElliott🙄🤨😳😱😭
I live in Central America I have always used oil on my wood porches and decks works super great my friends want to varnish or stain I’m with you Oil it does not rot we have lots of rain and sun. no sanding just more oil
I have used old transmission fluid with good results. It gives it a reddish tint also. Which I think looks nice.
My dad built a concrete driveway over 50 years ago. He used to roll used vehicle oil onto it every few years to seal it against the salt. Still looks as good as when he first made it.
Did the oil leave it slippery?
Love it. Will do my Equipment Haulers and Utility trailers this winter. I have a couple with hardwood decking that never seems to last.
70/20/10- used oil/linseed/gasoline. Used a garden spray bottle. The gas makes it dry quicker and the linseed slightly lightens/browns the colour.
Thank you!!!!!!
Great video. At the plant that I work at we treat our flatbed trailers with used engine oil and last a very long time.
I prefer used ATF because it is so dificult to light on fire, and its got this redish color to it. Cool. It works a wonder on wood fences. I also soak fence posts ends in it for abought a week make sure the posts are realy dry. My fence is some 25 years old and every year or two I just spray it down with more you got it more old ATF bugs refuse to make a home out of this treated wood. You can like hold a tiger torch to this stuff and its super tough to get it to burn. 👍
That's my favoite stain for wood preservation too...new ATF even used ATF...looks better than used motor oil...and i can almost gurantee it soaks down further in the wood than motor oil...due to being so thin... It's a delight to work with.
@kevinoneill41 ATF- automatic transmission fluid?
It's also great for rust prevention on metal. So when you re-do your fence, the nails, hinges, gates and metal hardware get the fresh spray to. Just wipe the excess. For vehicles, and perhaps undercoating the frame, add an ounce of liquid soap per gallon to make it stick, and even add in a cup of blaster PB, or WD40 to penetrate the rust and thin the oil. I'm doing a garden fence right now and using lightly used motor oil. It was too light a brown so I added dark walnut oil stain and got the perfect color. A warm brown on fresh wood. Also been thinking of using ATF to mix the colors for reddish tones.
I have a 20 yr old treated pine sleeper retaining wall that drinks up a diesel/sumpoil mix like a booze hound at a bar. Will still be there when i'm long gone.
Also good for equipment that lives outdoors. I undercoat rigs, my sawmill, wood truck bed, driveway, conveyor, more.
That’s the truth. Thanks for watching!
Yes, spray metals down with ATF. Then when you want to paint it just pressure wash it let it dry for a few days and paint as usual as long as it's enamel or any oil base paint.
P.S. I spray my undercarriage down each year just before winter to help with the salt and ice chemicals being used seems to work great on my 08 Ford truck. ATF.😊👍
So for your drive way, do you just do oil? Or do you add anything? Tips would be great thanks!