The Truth - Rubio Monocoat Really That Good?
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- Опубліковано 19 вер 2024
- Is Rubio Monocoat all it is cracked up to be?
Rubio Monocoat pure: amzn.to/3G45ZxW
Wood Whisperer's video: • How to Apply Rubio Mon...
Are Rubio Monocoat products really that good? In this video, we test out Rubio Monocoat to see if it's really that great!
After using Rubio Monocoat for half a decade, it is now my go-to finish for furniture and woodworking. The protection of Rubio Monocoat is top notch and nothing beats that smell!
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I just applied this product to a greenland style kayak paddle, definitely an endurance test, it goes on easily, and not too difficult to buff out, looks great, smells good too, a lot easier than linseed and wax, thanks for your video as I have had some difficulty finding proper instruction from the company, the technical sheet doesnt say much, just wait 12 hours to cure, so the information you supplied has certainly helped a lot
Been using Rubio almost exclusively for a couple years and love it. I’d recommend using a white Scotch Brite pad as the applicator. Cut off the smallest piece needed rub it in.
Thanks for the video.
I second the white scotch pad.
This just popped up in my feed at a very appropriate time. I'm not too far off from finishing a dining table and have been agonizing over how to finish it. I think I may have the answer now 😊
An adamant Poly guy for thirty plus years. Perfectly dry, clean, ventilated(???) and conditioned space required. Apply first coat. Light sand. Rinse repeat three or four times. Last coat, find three paint brush bristles......one more coat. Found Rubio Monocoat through a UA-camr and tried it out maybe two years ago. Amazingly simple. Almost hard to screw up as long as you make sure you remove the excess. Put it on a toy box for my grandkids. Banging in and out of it for over a year now. Drinks sitting on it. Some pretty good test subjects and it still looks awesome. Have started to use it on furniture builds and even refinishing some antiques. Doesn't yellow like Poly. Not killing my lungs. When I have a top that I think will be exposed to liquid, I have tried a ceramic top coat. Will let you know how it works over time, but for most things, I am now a Rubio man. Yes, it is expensive, but for the ease of use and durability, worth every penny.
Have you used it on cutting, charcuterie boards?
@@sjb3460 No, I use cutting board oil on cutting boards. I have heard it is food safe, but haven't tried it.
T@@poppamad979 thanks. I have decided not to make cutting boards for now. I will be making premium, heirloom-grade charcuterie boards. Last week I bought zebra wood, curly cherry, purple heart, calico walnut, rainbow sycamore, curly maple and some leopard wood.
Right now I'm investigating finishing the charcuterie boards. I don't want them to be used as a cutting board or tossed in the back of the cabinet with the pots and pans. I want my customers to proudly display their charcuterie boards as decorating accessories. I have plans to buy other premium quality wood with lots of figure and character (no wormholes or hollow knotty wood). I'm considering a French polish but I'm concerned that someone will use my board as a chopping block and ruin the finish. My goal is to have my charcuterie boards fought over like Grandma's cast iron skillets are fought over by daughters and daughters-in-law. hahaha My sister has my mother's and our grandmother's which is fine as I'm a poor cook. I'm a retired tool and die maker and Army CH47 helicopter mechanic.
@@poppamad979did you ever try a ceramic? It seems the idea for the ceramic coatings came from automotive finishes. Which I want to explore more because there are tons of highly rated automotive branded ceramic finishes for a fraction of the price of those marketed towards woodworkers.
I’ve used Rubio and Osmo both and have got to say that the color of the two influences my choice quite a bit; but then I’m also thinking the cost shapes even that. If it’s a lighter color like white oak, elm, ash, beech etc, then I’m reaching for Osmo. If it’s walnut, sycamore, black cherry then the Rubio. If it’s quartersawn then absolutely the Rubio. I think they both have their place.
I prefer Osmo in most applications. I've finished walnut, mahogany, cherry, oak, and ash with it in the past few years and I've had no complaints or fuss at all. My standard application practice is to wipe a flood coat on with a white scotchbrite pad then wipe off 20 minutes later with an old teeshirt. I don't typically buff it out until the second coat 24 hours later. The second coat I apply with a clean cloth with a thin film layer and again wipe off 20 minutes later. I will say that hard wax oils aren't the best if you work in any cold environment. I think it realistically needs to be 55F or higher.
Rubio's colors are noticeably better in my eyes. To be fair I've only used a few offerings from each manufacturer....but even still, I think I prefer Rubio.
I love using Rubio; just like you said it is very easy and hard to mess up. I found I like using their applicator pads to rub in the finish. The pad is pretty much non-absorbent, so you don’t lose much Rubio compared to using a cloth applicator. Pour on some finish, use the applicator pad to distribute and buff into the wood, then a few minutes later come back with a clean cloth to remove any excess remaining.
I've not used Rubio, but have done some work with Odie's Oil (another hard-wax oil)---mostly on Cherry---and I like it for all the reasons you mention... easy & foolproof to apply, not time-sensitive, doesn't require a completely dust-free environment like poly, smells nice, no VOCs, don't need gloves, hard-wearing, easy-to-repair, etc. It's great to work with.
Odie's doesn't have pre-colored oil, but they have (powdered) pigments you can add to create your own colors. I love this stuff too! It's similarly foolproof... the resulting color depends only on the pigment you add, and not on how long you leave the oil before wiping (unlike a stain, which is *very* time sensitive).
The only potential drawback w/Odie's is that they don't have a hardener like Rubio does, so a full cure takes a few weeks (though it's OK for light duty after a few days, and it smells nice enough that I don't mind leaving it inside the house while it cures).
I have found Rubio Monocoat about 15 years ago, and I love it.
I used it for a mahogany door ( as in the main door). And now, three years after, still looks like new. It is , of course , the outdoor version. But, it is the best stuff I have ever used
Is your house close to either coast of the US or is it landlocked?
It is actually in Danmark. About 800 meters from the sea. A lot of rain and wind
Does your door get sunshine on it ? How well does it protect the door from UVs and does it break down like a Helmsman?
@@webcrawler3332 It gets sun in the afternoon.
Thank you for the response.
I just finished a 60 x 84" hickory dining room extension pedestal table for my daughter and finished it with Rubio. I didn't think one small set of the finish (off hand I cannot remember the volume but it wasn't 1.3 L) would be enough so I bought two. This was the first time I used Rubio. One would have been plenty. Wow it really goes far. Also, It is so fast and easy to apply and looks and feels great. I burnished it with a white Scotch Brite pad as the final finishing touch and it looked great. I am building two low back Maloof inspired chairs out of cherry right now and am definately using Rubio. One reason is that before the final glue up and assembly I can pre-finish the components and if any final adjustments have to be made to the chair after assembly it will be super easy to just finish the unfinished wood without having to worry about having the finish be level. I have been using Maloof's finish (or a version of it) for my chairs and have been happy with the look and feel but 4-5 coats and the fact that the odor lingers for 2-3 months made me try Rubio. So much better.
For walnut and cherry it's my go to finish and I will do the maintenance oil after 36 hours to give it a bit more depth and shine. It is an oil though and it gives lighter colored wood that ambering that makes it look like every other lighter colored wood with oil on it. Make sure you use something like Bloxygen or similar to displace the air because it will crust over in the can. If your going to mortgage the house to buy some you better take care of it.
hey James, thanks for this feed back, been on BLO since the begining, i see many youtuber using this product and i was like .. damn i would give it a try ... and then my blo looks at me angrily .. so does my wallet , and i m back in the old habbits :D
I'll give it a try, hope to be as positively pleased as you seems to be!
I used monocoat on for the solid cherry countertop in our laundry room. It sees quite a bit of use, gets wet often, and still looks great. I love it. I'm using it on my table once I'm done.
Rubio is my favorite also. Don’t forget precolor raises the grain so unless you knock that down a bit it’s not ok. I’ve got a habit of using black precolor, let it dry for 24 hours. Then use two parts black Rubio along with one part charcoal for a crystal effect on wood you are not trying to bring out the wood color itself.
We are just finishing 2000 plus metres of European oak as coving, skirting, picture rail etc. smoked oak finish was required and we could achieve this with the tinted product. Our experience:
- 240 grit finish is fine
- we don’t use the accelerator and it dries for handling in hours
- apply it with white scotch pad; leave 5 minutes (no need for longer) and wipe off excess
- expensive to buy but it goes so far - the cost in material per square metre is easily offset by less labour cost
Just cracked open a can of osmo for the first time and I loved it for the same reasons- easy to apply, low VOC, and a nice warm color and natural texture.
I have been watching you for years at this point and I never noticed until now that you are a fellow woodworking boardgamer!
oh yes. lots of family fun there!
Love your positive spirit, the in depth, but still simple explanaitions for "average Joe".
Instead of boiled linseed oil, I’ve become a fan of Tung oil and a coat of wax Similar Results between the two but linseed oil turns yellow (more and more over time) and takes longer to dry.
First and foremost James, best wishes to you and your family.
In Belgium (Flanders), Rubio Monocoat is mainly sold for the treatment of parquet floors. It will therefore have to give a very good protection to the wood.
I love using Rubio Monocoat! It’s become my go to finish for the last two years! It’s so pleasant to use
James. Please try a fix that may work for your stain in the wood table. I had my cat knock over a glass of water on my teak table. The water ran under a steel box we had on the table and it stained it deeply and was very black. I put on a thick damp coat of "Bar Keepers Best Friend" its a powder like ajax cleaner. I found it at the orange box store. I made a paste with water and the powder and left it over the stain overnight. It lightened the staining by 75% the first application. I applied it three times and it removed almost 95% of it. I then lightly scraped the table and re-finished it. We couldn't see the stain anymore! Worth a try!
BKF contains Oxalic acid, a.k.a. wood bleach. Works well on tannin stains.
I haven't used Rubio yet, but its on my list to try. Now... my next project will be finished with it.
Thanks for sharing an always no nonsense layman's explanation...I've started using either Odies Oil or Tried & True which both appear to provide a handsome, durable finish, but I'll invest the $60 to try this Rubio because you were impressed with its results...with me, nearly everything is R & D..Thanks again!
I also like the Rubio monocote. Just started using it, when before, my favorite was the old Deft wipe on poly. There now is a 'ceramic' top cote that originated in the auto paint industry, and now is available for wood. Not sure if Rubio has it or not, but there are several sources.
Just used Osmo on a harp - looks and feels great, we’ll see how it holds up
Smart. Can't use a film finish on an acoustical musical instrument, as it will change the tone. Well, unless that's what you want.
Never heard of Rubio before, but I'll certainly have to check it out. I'm a huge fan of using Stockholm Tar on wood. Everyone talks about the nasty BLO stuff, but gimme Stockholm Tar any day of the week! It's more expensive than BLO, hence why so many have turned their backs on it, but I love the color it gives to wood and the anti-microbial action that stops the blooms of mold and mildew in humid environments. Thinned with turpentine, a little Tar goes a long way, and you can add shellac flakes to it to make a harder surface, what's sometimes referred to as "boat soup" by nautical enthusiasts. For tool handles, Stockholm Tar is hard to beat.
This is why I switched to Osmo a year ago. Easy to apply, no need to remove the entire surface to fix one area, and provides some level of protection. It's been my go-to finish and I love it.
Osmo is just a touch flatter than Rubio or Odies. Just for anyone reading. You of course can polish and buff any of them to a full shine if so inclined. However for a one and done finish. Rubio is the most satin odies in the middle and osmo the most matte.
@@James_T_Kirk_1701 Osmo also makes a satin finish which is pretty good. I just prefer matte for my work.
I also like Osmo, but it does have a less-good odor than Rubio because it does have *some* VOC content (the Polyx I think moreso of the Osmo options). Osmo also is a one-part, ready-to-go finish.
@@scyphuspanis5515 Yes it had some VOC but it's not too bad - goes away within a couple of hours. I've only used the Polyx so maybe the others are better.
@@Erik_The_Viking They also have a gloss version.
I'm a HUGE fan of Rubio Monocoat. It's a big hit with my wife since I'm not leaving toxic fumes around our home and the stuff does smell great. Once the scent wears off I'm due for another project!
Ah James, I was hoping you were going to say no difference, lol. I’m sold. Hope you have a great new year
I'm 60 years old, and my dad and my grandfather would always use boiled linseed oil. If dad bought a new tool with a hickory handle. He'd strip off what was put on and use the boiled linseed oil. Now, why? Old school didn't use gloves much at all and boiled linseed oil kept blisters from forming. It's absolutely perfect for hand tools of all sizes and shapes.
interesting! thanks for that information. I never thought of that. I am going to try Odie's oil for my pickaxe handle, to see if it helps with friction. If it doesnt, ill try boiled linseed on my chopping axe handle
Rubio Monocoat is def my fav as well, but a good alternative is Fiddies. Half the price as Rubio.
For deep stains like that from rotten potatoes, something that MIGHT work is ordinary laundry bleach. After removing the old finish, soak the area in bleach straight from the bottle, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, wash it off with lots of water, and let it dry. Whether this will work depends on the wood, if and how it's stained, and what made the stain. I've had good luck with things like magic marker ink that had soaked deep into unstained pine. Like the bottle always says, test on an inconspicuous area first.
Absolutely love Rubio. I used it a couple of years ago for the first time on a chest of drawers I built and since then I'll be hard-pressed to use anything else on furniture. Thanks for this one, James.
Thanks James! This is why I love this channel, impartial information about great products
I haven't used Rubio Monocoat before, but I'm certainly going to give it a try now.
I love BLO and Paste Wax. I've started using more mineral oil and paste wax or a Howard's Feed Wax. Rubio worked great on my table. It was expensive ouch, but worked great, but BLO and mineral oil with paste wax is cheap and still easy to fix. Rubio is definitely more resilient.
I love this stuff. I heard from I don’t remember who that you can rub off too little, but you can’t rub off too much, because of how it bonds to wood. Being that was originally created for hardwood floors, it was designed with extreme durability first and foremost, aka bulletproof on furniture. My brain says “it’s a chemical! It’s not supposed to smell this good! It has to be really bad!” My projects that I didn’t mix with hardener cured in about 3 days, vs 1 day with the hardener. As far as staining goes, Rubio has around 40 different tints that can be added when you’re mixing up a batch, you can also mix and match. So adding color, almost any color, to your project couldn’t be easier, and you won’t be stuck with a large volume of product that’s tinted some crazy color.
Another interesting finish you might consider trying if you haven't already is a lightly diluted milk paint. I'm generally not a fan of really rustic finishes, but I made a stool with somewhat diluted black milk paint, two coats of spray lacquer, and a coat of paste wax and I'm in love with it. The paint still has a decent bit of opacity, but the grain still shows through. As it has experienced wear and tear, the paint has sort of faded along the hard edges, which highlights some of the lines and details that would be easy to overlook, but it's still not too contrast-y or rustic looking since the whole thing already has some translucency to the paint. It'd be interesting to try it again and swap out the lacquer for rubio monocoat or a similar finish.
What is milk paint? Can you describe it? I would like to try it but in Hungary I will not find a can labeled as milk paint but if you can give me a hint I think i can find the local version of it. 😅
I like boiled linseed oil sometimes I would let it set sit for about a month and put poly on it
My preferred oil is finished - first choice Tung oil because of its durability - it is creating protective film but it takes a lot of time to fully cure, color, food safe and love the smell of it and love the texture after it's cures . Second BLI love the way it gives color tunes to the wood, the texture, because i am not using home made it's not food safe and it doesn't give the protective film like the Tung but i think it cure faster. Denish oil for fast cure, much less durable than the above but it is keeping the natural colors of the wood. I using also water based poly if doing properly it's can be beautiful and give an excellent protective film on the wood fir indoor projects but not so for outdoor projects while the project is subjected to direct sun light - i live in the desert
This is awesome timing, I’ve been overthinking how to finish a small kitchen table and chairs for awhile now. Thank you!
I’ve used it on an olive wood console table in a business entrance way and it is holding up great. It is easy and does smell great as well!
After switching to it for game tables I instantly fell in love with it. Especially being a smell and ease of application are a godssend.
When you consider time applying other finish, lower volume usage I would argue you're saving money in finish if you're doing it as a business and can afford it I highly recommend. My dicetrays have never looked better than after I switched!
I had my floors refinished recently and used Pallmann Magic Oil 2K. So far it seems to hold up better than the poly it replaced. Walking on the floor feels like soft velvet. As a bonus they left me the extra oil and hardener for future repairs.
Our house was built about 3 years ago, with Eastern White Oak floors throughout. Beautiful wood. MANY square feet. Flooring contractor's preferred finish was Rubio Monocoat. Not something I'd heard of, having been only tangentially connected with woodworking for quite a few years, but they convinced me it was the best choice. Three years later? I agree. Beautiful, durable as hell and a really nice feel.
But now I have a problem. I'm building a massive set of built-in bookcases (6' high x 5 shelves x 46'(!) long). Given wood availability and prices, I'm using sande plywood--a pale tropical hardwood with very subdued grain and occasional pale green areas to it. I think Rubio would be a good choice, BUT...the cost seems eyewatering for that size project. I'll have to compare prices to, maybe BLO plus shellac.
Rubio is one of many brands of hardwax oils, which are typically blends of drying oils like linseed, tung, or maybe safflower, and waxes like beeswax and carnauba. Rubio's primary differentiator is their accelerator (hexamethylene diisocyanate, if you want to know and/or be worried by scary chemical names) which causes the oils in it to polymerize (harden into a solid) within a few days to a week, rather than the weeks to months that pure linseed or tung oil would otherwise take.
But there are other polymerization catalysts that are used in other brands of hardwax oils, though not generally as fast-acting as Rubio's - typically heavy metal driers like cobalt, manganese, & zinc salts. These also give people pause, especially for food contacting surfaces, but the FDA considers them food safe once they are fully cured (30 days, to be safe).
But for bookshelves, I would say you don't really need to worry about the oils in your finish being fully cured at a week versus a month. So if it was me, I'd go with another, cheaper, hardwax oil. The shelves will be dry to the touch in a couple of days at most, and if you have them installed quickly and want to start loading them with books that are particularly valuable, maybe just lay down some brown paper on the shelves under the books, then come back in a few months and slip it out.
Thank you for your take. I’ve only just started using this product after years of Lacquer and many dead brain cells Or shellac.
Only downside for fixing is with woods like cherry that darken over time. If you scrape too much you expose the pink fresh wood and it will stick out a long time. I like to use Howards Feed and Wax for maintenance oil.
Made a few oak samples for a book case I'm going to make, so I ordered the smalle tester cans. First time I ever used it, but, boy it was very easy and it does look and smell very good!
Great review. I attended one of Rubio’s workshops a couple of weeks ago. Got hands on with the product. It is so easy to mix the colours to match an existing colour. Fantastic product.
Ken, Southport UK
I have used Rubio on several projects and absolutely agree with everything you say. One thing I wish that people who promote it would address is the proper disposal of the rags used when applying it. My first time using it I had a small garage fire from the left over rags in the garbage can. For whatever reason I got a false sense security with it, because like you mentioned - the no VOC and the wonderful smell. And yes I know shame on me for not disposing of the rags properly. I just like to throw out a reminder to all people when I see videos on Rubio. And yes I still continue to use Rubio and would definitely recommend it. It has held up on my teenage sons desk so must be some good stuff.
Yup I do the same thing I would do with the BLO rags. Lay them flat to cure then throw away. Or put them in the burn pile.
I will have to give that a try! Currently my go to finish is Howard's Butcher Block finish.
Thank you. Cape Falcon Kayaks also recommends Rubio for kayak paddle finishing.
Loved this, thanks!
I'm going to try Rubio someday. Currently using Simple Finish. It does have some VOCs, but not to the same extent as oil based poly. And like its name, it's a simple to use finish.
I'm doing butcher block countertop for my kitchens and I need something that will take a beating and clean up well. I was going to use waterlox which also seems to be of high quality but since I want a matte finish, rubico seems to be a no brainer. Save me a bunch of time with sealing. Thanks for the video.
I would not use Waterlox for a butcher block. That is a film finish and will be at up quickly Rubio would be the. much better choice in my book. It is what I used on my maple butcher lock countertop.
This is fantastic! Been wondering what is so great about Rubio mono-coat.. so many ppl use and mention it but few have explained it this simply. Can't wait to pick some up now. I too love the boiled linseed oil and paste wax finish (Rex Kruger introduced me) but hated that it didn't offer protection! And hated the fake plastic look of built up finishes, thx for the video, simple and to the point!!!
When I retired my wife and I moved to Oaxaca in Mexico from Albuquerque. Products like this are difficult and very expensive to buy here. Generally you have to import them thus the expensive cost from suppliers, with added duty and VAT. I have been making my own hard wax from raw materials I can easily find here in Oaxaca. That is raw linseed oil, beeswax, carnauba wax and limonene (orange oil). I also substitute tung oil for the linseed oil if I don't want to darken the wood. My process is simple; first I apply linseed oil thinned with a little limonene until the wood will not absorb more oil. I wait a week, raw oil takes some time to cure. I then apply a coat of the homemade linseed hard wax. It's consistency is the same as paste wax. This coat will need to cure for a few days. I applied this finish to our yellow pine table that seats ten people. I worried about stains from drinks and food when we have folks over but we are diligent using coasters and place mats. My experience is this finish resists stains and allows for the natural wood feel and is easy to clean. I reapply the hard was about once a year or so to maintain the finish as needed. I'll add that this table does not live in a climate controlled dinning room, in fact the dinning room has floor to ceiling sliding doors on two sides we generally have open because well we live in a tropical mountain climate. Like you I am not a fan of the look of film coating.
I make and sell my own finish called Tung Honey. Pure Tung Oil, beeswax, and carnauba wax blend. I bet you'd love it for ur hand tools but i mostly use it on spoons, charcuterie boards, etc.
Way late to this video but fantastic insight to Rubio Monocoat. Also, awesome to find out that you are a board gamer! Ticket to Ride, Isle of cats, Seven Wonders, Mysterium, love it!
I love my Rubio and now I'm looking forward to receiving Cam's (Blacktail Studio) Nano finish to see how much more it adds from a protection factor.
Its food safe to. I use it for all my carved spoons. And yes it smells great
It is really nice...but I can't bring myself to use it.
I genuinely can't say why, but I just like using the traditional finishes-it feels neat to do it the same way people have done it for hundreds of years.
So personally I usually go with tung oil followed by a wax polish, or a french polish instead if I'm feeling masochistic.
Loved the informative video! Like you have been an oil and poly man for decades, and used my first rubio on a project last month. Love the finish and loved the ease, the cost...well something to get used to.
I have white oak stair treads and rails. I want to match the white oak
Flooring that is pre finished with what appears to be a multi step color stain in the light to warm tone. The floor appears to have a grey wash then a warm stain then a white wipe on wipe off. So the depth is grey in the grain… natural to warm stain on the majority of the wood and finally just an hint of white in the pours on some pieces.
I can figure out how to accomplish the same for my raw stairs.
This year I switched from Rubio to Fiddes Hard Wax Oil, which applies the same, with a great natural color that doesn’t cast lighter wood towards piss yellow like Rubio.
It does smell great! Great video. Thanks for sharing your process and experience. 👍
I agree. Got a jar of Odie's oil a while back. Even easier to use: no mixing, and no need for gloves. Food safe. A jar is expensive, but goes a long way. Yup, the hard wax oils are really nice.
dang thanks for the info, i been using oil from my duramax to finish my black walnut projects. ill try this stuff next time
I am doing a video here soon comparing a few of the new finished. it is interesting so far.
I love the smell of Rubio mono coat and odies oil. I could just breath that all day long.
Perfect timing…thank you! I am just about done with a coffee table ( hackberry live edge slab) and have been pondering what finish to use. After making some BLO/beeswax per your vid, I was going to do several BLO applications and several coats of the homemade paste wax. Now I think I’ll do Rubio. The table top is from a tree that fell next to our cabin so having a coffee table inside that is from said tree should be great.
Have always used either a wipe on poly or a spray (rattle can) lacquer. As well as yours, I’ve seen several videos on Rubio Monocoat, will definitely give it a try.
I have used it over walnut veneer and over epoxy, both times with stunning results. I have 30 plus years of professional finishing experience and I think that I’m switching. Done deal.
I mostly clicked to see your beautiful shop wall, learned something tho 👍
Fantastic video, James! Thanks! 😃
I just hope products like that end up getting to Brazil as well!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
And happy new year!
Thanks for the review, I appreciate your honesty and trustworthiness
Just picked up a 2" thick round slab of Monkey Pod that is going to be a coffee table, but have been debating what finish to use.......I've got my answer now. Always wanted to try Rubio's, so here's my chance.
I have never used it but it is something I would like to try. Thanks for the review.
Hello from Finland! I also love simplicity especially about finishes. I hate painting, multiple coats and cleaning up the brushes etc. So far I've mainly used some oil finishes but now I dare to try Rubio Mono coat. Thanks for the explanation and justification for a handtool worker to use mono coat. Though I might find some Finnish finish as an alternative.
Thank you for this review. My woodworking situation and tastes are similar to yours. I'm going to check this product out.
Well, I did try it. The natural one. Which was described as having an amber color to me but, in fact, it was just white and made my test pieces of wood look pickled. I took the product back to Rockler and told them I was unhappy. The salesperson said he was sorry I was unhappy but they couldn't do anything about it. So it was just a very costly mistake. I won't be trying Rubio ever again. I don't trust their claims and the cost is just far too high to risk again. I'm just adding this for anyone who happens to come by. I probably should have used pure but I'm just done with this brand and its insane costs and colors.
I use Osmo mostly for the waste factor. Without being a 2 part mix I can always use the perfect amount which adds up.
You can use Rubio as a one part it just takes a bit longer to cure.
Thank you for sharing about this! I hadn't even heard of it, but now I really want to get some to use as it sounds fantastic.
That last comment sounded very much like Dad joke 🤣. Good content I have seen many references to Rubio so I might have to look into it. Thanks
My daughter and I make our own finish that we enjoy using. We grind our own shellac flakes, mixed with denatured alcohol, and add in some boiled linseed oil. It's a great finish, and works for turnings as well as flat work. We sand between applications until the grain is filled, and buff it out at the end. It does take a few coats, but it leaves a really great feel to the wood as well. My daughter loves to grind the shellac flakes.
If a lower sheen is desired for the project, it can be rubbed out with steel wool on the last coat, and a little paste wax can be applied for a low sheen appearance.
This finish basically fool proof because it's shellac. If you get a drip or something you can sand it back before the next application, and keep right on going like it never happened. Each application dries in about 10 minutes, so you can do many applications in a single day.
For the potato stain, you might want to try a little oxalic acid. Watch out though, it "bleaches" wood (no chlorine), so might bleach the surrounding wood as well. I've used it to get nasty gray-black stone flour stains out of a table top.
(Don't use a tile saw on the dining table kids :D)
I have been using the Odie's Oil, which I assume would be quite similar to Rubio, for quite awhile now and I love it for many of the same reasons. I will have to give the Rubio a try. I used to really hate taking 5 days to do a finish with all the sanding between coats and subsequent dust and the fumes. Thanks.
Odie’s is a traditional oil in that it will need to be recounted over time as it dries out, so a little different from Rubio in practice.
I've looked at this and thought it was quite expensive... But then that tiny amount you mixed went a long way!!
That tiny amount I mixed is probably enough for two tops this size. Maybe three if you spread it soon enough. So it does go a good long ways.
The cost is deceptive because so very little of it goes a very long way. The per-piece or per-square-foot isn't that high, so you just have to justify that in your head. :)
I’ve used Osmo for the interior birch ply pieces I made for my camper van. I might try Rubio though. I know Cam from Black Tail Studio swears by it for his epoxy projects
They are basically the same. There are slight difference but not much. I use Rubio as I like the smell a bit more.
I've only used fiddes hard wax, started by redoing my floors with it and then the leftovers on a couple little pieces of furniture. Best finish i've gotten by far and not looking back
I LOVE Rubio. And seeing a traditionalist like yourself adapt to this is the last seal of approval I'll ever need!
Yeah I keep hearing good things. Gonna have to try it.
Thank you for this review. I really appreciate the thoughts of a hand tool woodworker using a modern product. I’ve tried it once on a cherry turn table stand and matching record crates. I loved it, but worried about how well it would last. Seems like a long time given this review
Ok great to know! Thanks for the reply
I have Osmo PolyX on order just to try it out (thanks Rocker 20% off coupon), but what I'm using on my current project is Tried & True Varnish Oil. We'll see how it goes... Normally I use T&T original or shellac. I've never had great luck with poly, and I do not miss leaving that behind along with my table saw.
I love your videos! I’ve been a woodworker for a long time and I learn a great deal from you. This finish looks amazing, and you’re right…it’s a little pricey. Prior to mixing the two parts together, what’s the shelf life? Thanks for this.
Rubio's is a great product and I have used it in a number of live edge projects that I have done over the past. It goes on nice and you don't need a lot to cover a large area. The unfortunate reality is the cost of having to purchase it. I have to remortgage my house in order to buy a tin of it.
I’ve heard people speak highly of Rubio monocoat, but I’ve never understood what makes it different. I will give it a try. Lately, I’ve been on a shellac kick. Sometimes I’d use the 1/3 poly/mineral spirits/boiled linseed oil combo. But I’m a pretty big fan of lacquer. I came to woodworking by refinishing electric guitars, and all those old guitars were finished in nitrocellulose lacquer. Same supplier used by Fender guitars were used by Ford and GM to finish their cars during the ‘50’s.
Yeah, probably Nitrokote enamel. My parents remodeled our kitchen in about 1955. The cabinetmaker who did the cabinets used that. Stunk to high heaven while he was finishing them, but was very durable.
@@michaelarighi5268 Yeh, nitro has some seriously high VOCs. Instrument makers prefer nitro because it ages pretty gracefully. Behlen I believe is the main supplier these days, although I've used Deft rattle cans on a few guitars with no problem. Trouble is you have to wait a month before you start sanding, and instrument makers sand to 3000 grit before applying polishing compound.
Thanks for the great review and video. Rubio Monocoat is new to me, and I really appreciate your detailed thoughts. Liked and subscribed!
Great video! Super straightforward and informative