Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What's the best way to apply your finishes?

A: High quality brushes (Purdy brushes are great), real lambswool rollers only, as well as lambswool flat applicators/pads, and pump-up sprayers for larger surfaces (Chapin makes excellent industrial sprayers- key is 'Viton' seals).  You can also rub the finishes on with an old T-shirt.  Once you get into doing fine finishing/furniture grade finishes for counters, cabinets, floors, etc. you can wet-sand, power buff, build up wax layers, etc.  That does enter the realm of 'finishing' and not 'applying.’ Land Ark is beautiful using traditional fine finishing application methods.

Q: How long do your finishes take to dry?

A: That depends greatly on the circumstances.  If possible, don't apply our finishes in full sun or rain (or freezing weather).  A typical application, say on a timber frame, would be one coat one day and the second coat after 24 hours. (The finish will seem to puddle in places, but that will soak in after a while, if not then rub out with a towel or rag.) Then after about 3 months or so, you can put on a final coat for maximum protection. You can however, in 'average' circumstances, get two coats on in one day and may not even need a third coat. You may not need to re-apply for many years. Just monitor the condition of the wood. If it needs more, add it when it needs it- like lotion for your dry hands. The finish should dry to the touch in a day or two. It won't do it's final curing and hardening for 3-4 weeks, so try to plan ahead.

Q: What’s the difference between the different finishes?

A: Our Original Finish is the product we consider our base finish. It consists of our main 5 all-natural ingredients- you can use this on any wood surface and it’s very easy to apply. It was originally developed for timber frames and log homes or covering large areas of wood surfaces. The Exterior finish was developed by requests from customers who wanted extra protection from the elements, so we’ve added a non-hazardous UVA protectant and Mildewcide that is a nano Zinc Oxide.  You can also add the Zinc Oxide to any of our other finishes. The Concentrated Oil is thicker, with less solvent than the Exterior and Original Finishes and is very well suited to dry wood, or can be substituted in for either the Orginal or Exterior.  It can also be used to build up a very rich coat for counters or floors, and topped with our Liquid Wax.  The Liquid Wax (Non-staining End Sealer) was developed for timber and log ends as well as joinery, yet works very well as a top coat for a variety of woodwork, including floors, counters, furniture, cabinetry, etc.

Q: What should I topcoat with?

A: One of our thicker finishes, such as the Concentrated Oil or Liquid Wax (Non-staining End Sealer) with or without the Zinc Oxide or color additives depending on your preference. Again, this all depends on what you are after, and neither the Original nor Exterior finishes needs to be top coated.  If you want a finer finish with long lasting protection that provides a better moisture barrier, we definitely recommend doing a topcoat. Waxing floors for instance greatly increases it’s water resistance and wear in high traffic areas.

Q: Do your products seal the wood?

A: Yes and no; They allow the wood to breathe while preserving it, as a good penetrating oil should and they do leave a bit of surface coat as well.  While they are not 100% waterproof, our finishes do repel water, and a well-kept Land Ark finish will bead water, resist rings, etc., especially if you're using our Liquid Wax End Sealer as a topcoat. Breathabilty in a wood finish is very important. When you seal the top of wood with something like a Polyurethane, over time the finish cracks and moisture gets into the wood and can’t escape, thus creating rot situations or mold build up. Our finish soaks deeply into the wood and helps preserve it from surface all the way to the core, with no need to sand to 're-finish'.

Q: How often should I recoat?

A: That really depends.  Interior applications (unless we're talking about a heavily-used kitchen countertop) usually last a very long time.  We recently saw an oak frame (timber frame) that was coated 10 years ago with two coats of Orginal (Interior) Finish and it still looked brand new!!  Let the wood tell you.  For instance, a deck in Western Oregon where it's completely soaked for 4 months then baked during the summer should be re-coated with Exterior every 2-3 years or so, on the south side, probably each year- 1 coat.

Q: What do we do about repairing scuffs or scratches?

A: This is one of the easiest products on the market to repair.  Just rub a little more finish into the scuff and call it good.  If it is a scratch, sand it out until it's even with the surrounding wood and apply our finish to the newly sanded area.  There is no difficult blending process.  You can also take an abrasive pad, wet it with finish, and rub it in with that.  All of our products are compatible with each other, and can finish over one another. Don’t however, try to put Land Ark products over the top of other finishes. It’s just won’t work. Sand down to bare wood if there is any other surface dressing on it.

Q: How much is shipping and how soon will I get my product?

A: We have decent rates with FedEx Ground, and a typical charge for a 5-gallon pail would be around $20.00 to most of Montana from Oregon, and that is a package weighing about 45 lbs.  That order would usually be there in about 2-3 business days.  Prices to the East Coast or other parts of the country are a bit more, and only add a couple days to the transit time. It takes about 5 days to the Northeast. If you’re worried about rates, give us a call and we can calculate exactly the amount and travel time for your order.

Q: Do you take credit/debit cards?

A: Yes we do, and soon we'll have our online store up and running, so you can make your purchase securely online at your convenience.

Q: What are the ingredients?

A: The main five ingredients are: linseed and tung oils, beeswax, citrus solvent, and pine rosin (the hard component of pine pitch).  In our Exterior products (or in other products as single additives) we also offer a Zinc Oxide additive which works as both a UVA protector and mildewcide/fungistat. 

Q: What’s the difference between the Interior (Original) and Exterior Finish?

A: The Interior (Original) Finish is our most basic product made with Pure Tung Oil, Special Aged Linseed Oil, Beeswax, Pine Rosin, and Pure Citrus Oil. You can use this anywhere not just for interior surfaces. The Exterior Finish is the Original Finish, but with a non- chemical nano Zinc Oxide, UVA and Mildewcide added for extra protection in the elements. You can use the Exterior in the house as well. All Land Ark products are compatible with each other and can be used anywhere you see fit.

Q: Can I use the Concentrated Finishing Oil the same way as/ or instead of the Original Finish or Exterior Liquid Finish?

A: Yes, absolutely. The difference is the Concentrated Oil has less Citrus solvent and more oils. It is thicker and richer, but actually ideal if you are applying finish by hand. The Original and Exterior Liquid Finishes are formulated for easy spraying of large areas. Use the Concentrated Oil as you would the Original and Exterior Finishes- brush, rub or wipe on the Concentrated Oil (you can't spray it unless you have a professional paint sprayer), let sit overnight or a few days, then wipe off any pooled oil and recoat with Concentrated Oil or Liquid Wax End Sealer if desired. The Concentrated Oil does take a little longer to dry and should be applied in thinner coats, so allow a little extra time for that. The Concentrated Oil is a beautiful and durable finish and is also very useful as a furniture, counter, and cabinet finish as well.

Q: Does does Land Ark finishes fit into the LEED certification system?

A: Yes. We've had more and more building professionals asking us about this. There is a robust amount of information on the subject and you should go to the USGBC main website for more info. LEED is a very involved third-party certification program and is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. They assign points for things like Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, and Indoor Environmental Quality, among many others.  By following the LEED standards, you can get more and more points for your building, resulting in a higher LEED certification.  The certification levels are Leed Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Our finishes fit into the EQ Credit 4.2: Low-Emitting Materials: Paints & Coatings category, which allow for 350 g/L VOC content.  The VOC levels of our finishes follow.

Not all VOC's are created equal however.  The intent behind the indoor air quality question is to protect ourselves from breathing too many harmful compounds.  Many VOC's used in a variety of products are indeed quite harmful.  Others, such as the Citrus Solvent we use, are not (unless in regular and excessive exposure).  While it is a powerful compound, and needs to be respected as such, there are none of the complications normally associated with more traditional solvents such as Benzene or Formaldehyde. 

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Please call or email us anytime with any questions you have. We would love to hear from you!