Product Information
*Download our product information and color charts here (pdf)!
Because Land Ark is not merely a surface dressing, the resulting finish is highly resistant to scuffing and abrasion and is easily repaired simply by rubbing in more finish with an abrasive pad. DO NOT try to apply Land Ark over an already existing finish or stain from another company. It won't penetrate and you won't be happy. The nature of Land Ark finishes should also prevent problems with air bubbles, lap marks and dust. Apply wet-on-wet coats. Sanding between coats is not necessary; however, wet sanding with any of our products results in a furniture grade finish, as well as continous buffing with our either of our wax products.
Product Package Sizes: 1/4 pint cans, 1 pint cans, 1 quart cans, 1 gallon pails, 3.5 gallon pails, 5 gallon pails, 30 gallon steel drums, and 55 gallon steel drums.
Coverage = 300-500 square feet per gallon or 500-700 board feet per gallon (for the first coat; the second coat goes much further; rough sawn materials will tend to absorb more).
Liquid Interior Finish: Use with woodwork of any type. On logs and timbers, fill all checking with the product. Using a wet-on-wet technique, apply only as much finish as the wood will absorb in a day, or buff off excess as needed. May be top coated with more finish, concentrated finishing oil, or liquid wax. Wet sand or power buff for a furniture grade finish. Avoid application in sun or rain. May be thickened with the concentrated finishing oil or liquid wax if desired. Depending on the absorbency of your wood, you may need to use a product with more or less solvent. For instance, on rough sawn or very dry wood, our Concentrated Finishing Oil may offer better penetration than our liquid finish. Be sure to try our product on a smaller test surface first before committing your entire timber frame interior. Application.
Liquid Interior Finish with Mildewcide: Used just like the interior finish, this product reduces mold, mildew, and blue stain. Apply wet-on-wet coats allowing time for complete absorption between coats. Top coat with the liquid wax with mildewcide additive for the best possible protection. This additive is safe and does not discolor the wood. Developed for areas with high humidity or where condensation is a problem, or on a timber frame subject to rain before enclosure. It is also great for use on all woodwork in bathrooms.
Liquid Interior Finish with UVA: Our Interior Finish with a UVA added to help protect your wood from harmful UV rays. Apply wet-on-wet coats allowing time for complete absorption between coats. Top coat with the liquid wax with UVA additive for the best possible protection. This additive is safe and does not discolor the wood. This is useful if you are covering large areas of wood indoors exposed to an expanse of sunlight from large windows. Grays only in exterior application.
Liquid Exterior Finish: We add a chemical mildewcide and UVA (which both have safe environmental profiles) to our basic liquid finish. Before application, on some projects such as a log home, initial treatment with a borate salt solution should be considered for long term protection against mold, insects, and sap stain, giving the finish an optimum foundation, as well as "breaking" any mill glaze. Avoid rain & direct sun and apply 2 to 4 wet-on-wet coats. Re-apply the final coats in 3 to 4 months. Clean wood surface and re-apply in 2 to 5 years, or as needed. Treat both sides and all edges when possible. Can be re-applied without stripping existing finish. Application.
Non-Staining End Sealer/Liquid Wax: A superior non-staining joinery, end grain sealer and buffing wax. Use alone or as a finish coat on any woodwork for added sheen and protection. Also refurbishes dry, dull logs, timbers, or anything made of wood. Apply one of two ways: rub in as a polish and buff dry, or apply, let dry, and polish with a power buffer. This product is excellent for periodic maintenance and cleaning of timber frames. It may be thinned with liquid finish if desired. Mildewcide and UVA additives are available upon request. Liquefies instantly when applied. Application.
Exterior Non-Staining End Sealer/Liquid Wax: Same as the original product but with both the mildewcide and UVA additives for superior protection.
Hard Wax/Floor & Furniture Finish: We are still experimenting with this, so try before you buy! Use as a finishing coat on flooring, counters, tables, cabinetry or any woodwork for added sheen and protection. This new product has been developed primarily for the heavy demands of floors. It contains a higher rosin content with little solvent, to create a rich hard wax that creates a beautiful protective sheen when buffed into any surface. Additives and colors cannot be added to this finish. Hard Wax comes in 1/4 pint cans, pint cans, quart cans, and gallon pails only. Larger sizes only by request only. Application.
Concentrated Finishing Oil: Originally developed to satisfy air-shipping regulations since it contains only 25% solvent. This product makes a beautiful final coat and works well as a top coat in high moisture areas, countertops, and floors. Sanding between coats is not necessary, however, wet sanding and buffing produces a superb finish. It can also be used on very dry timber as the initial coat for a quicker, deeper hydration. Mildewcide and UVA additives are available upon request.Application.
Exterior Concentrated Finishing Oil: Same as the original product but with both the mildewcide and UVA additives for superior protection.
Pure Citrus Solvent: This is the purest form of citrus turpenes, and it is extracted only from the cold-pressed oil of the orange peel. It is totally biodegradable and fully responsible for the wonderful orange aroma in our products. This is the only solvent used in Land Ark finishes and is also sold separately for thinning any of our other products, or is also handy for other uses around your home and shop.
High Volume Rotary Hand Pumps for 30 & 55 gallon drums: For our high volume customers who order Land Ark by the drum, this is the tool for you. We retrofit these heavy duty pumps to work well with all of our finishes (except the wax). This pump is necessary to recirculate the drum of finish, as well as quickly and easily dispensing Land Ark into any container.
COMPOSITION:
Contains NO petroleum products or metallic drying agents whatsoever! Land Ark products (without the UVA or Mildewcide) are food safe.
Tung Oil: 100% pure with no additives. Our Tung oil is highest quality, dries harder and is more durable than linseed oil alone. Both oils used are drier-free and slightly heat treated or polymerized. Both Tung and Linseed Oil are FDA approved as food safe. Visit the FDA site.
Special Aged Linseed Oil: This oil is obtained from flaxseed grown in the Red River Valley of the U.S. and Canada. Purified and refined by natural oxidation and blowing, it dries as clear or clearer than tung oil, with none of the characteristic discoloration that is typical of hardware store varieties. No other finishing oil penetrates as deeply into wood.
Beeswax: Only filtered, chemical and bleach-free capping wax is used in Land Ark products. Beeswax adds visual depth of grain, smoothness, and elastic durability to the finish. Beeswax forms a skim coat that keeps the finish on the wood, slowing the evaporation of the solvent, and thus giving the oils more time for absorption. Food safe.
D-limonene: Food grade and 100% bio-based. This is the purest form of citrus turpenes, and it is extracted only from the cold-pressed oil of the orange peel. It is totally biodegradable and fully responsible for the wonderful orange aroma in our products. This is the only solvent used in Land Ark finishes and is also sold separately for thinning any of our other products, or is also handy for other uses around your home and shop.
Natural Rosin: Gum rosin extracted from the sap of the pine tree and separated from the turpentine and pine oil. This is the gum rosin found in heart pine, giving the wood its hardness and durability. We use only top grade, crystal free, water white rosin. No synthetic resins are ever used. Natural rosin is also food safe. Visit the FDA site.
UVA: This additive is by request only to be added to any of our products or is found together with the mildewcide in our Exterior Finish. Its broad UV absorbance into wood allows effective protection from harmful UV rays. The UVA we use is the highest quality we could find with a safe environmental profile. Any wood will fade to gray no matter what you put on it, but this additive can help slow that process.
Mildewcide: Additives by request only or are found together in our Exterior Finish. The additive we use is a non-metallic fungicide that offers long-term protection from mildew and fungi. This is the highest quality additive we could find that has a safe environmental profile.
Aniline Dyes and Pigmented Stains: Both are of the highest quality and available pre-mixed in the finish in a line of standard shades. Top coat with non-tinted liquid finish. The aniline dyes are usually used for interior purposes, while the pigmented stains (oxide colors) are used for exterior purposes. Please call when ordering colors. View color charts below:
DRYING TIMES: Because we use no metallic dryers (or any additive dryers at all), our products dry more slowly than other finishes that ‘flash’. This allows our oils to penetrate much more deeply, eliminates lap marks, and allows customers to just leave their wood after they have applied Land Ark. It can easily sit overnight and still be wiped off the next day if any remains on the surface. Most importantly, it eliminates exposure to heavy metals for us the manufacturers, builders, distributors, and customers and allows for maximum penetration of the oil over time. There is the ‘drying time’ and the ‘curing time’ to consider. The drying time, which means relatively dry to the touch, only takes a few days. The finish doesn’t actually cure, or harden for 4-6 weeks. Both linseed oils and tung oils penetrate into the wood fibers themselves and harden over time, providing stability in the wood and helping deter mildew growth and moisture accumulation as well. This is a good thing.
WHERE TO USE LAND ARK? People have used Land Ark on every type of woodwork imaginable. However, it needs to be solid wood – veneers don’t work too well (however, a surface finish like our Liquid Wax may work fine, but make sure you test it first!). The glue line is basically an impermeable layer, and 1/16” is just not enough wood for our finish. Remember, it’s meant to penetrate and vaneers are surface dressing. Use on timbers, logs, log sculpture, tongue and groove, board and batten, furniture, cabinetry, trim, floors – all have successfully had Land Ark applied. Floors respond best to multiple coats of the same finish; Interior, Concentrated Oil, or Liquid Wax (we’re still working on our Hard Wax). You can also use either Interior or Concentrated Oil and topcoat with the Liquid Wax or Hard Wax with lots of buffing. However, one must be certain that the base coat is dry (allow a week preferably), and once whatever topcoat is on, multiple buffings (preferably 3) are what really makes the floor respond. These are best done over a week. Our customer's are our best testing ground. If you have any question or ideas for new uses for Land Ark, get a sample from us and try it! Then let us know how it turns out!
DOES LAND ARK HAVE A SHELF LIFE? The shelf life of Land Ark is very long, and it endures extreme conditions well. We have customers who have had it for years, frozen it, had it in hot garages in summer, and generally kicked it around. It has functioned perfectly through and after all those treatments. On occasion, with the Liquid Wax in particular, you will get some solvent separation; just remix it. As noted above, there can also be some settling of denser particles (rosin in particular) over time, and again this just needs to be remixed. The short answer to shelf life questions is ‘it lasts and lasts’.
Of note, over time lids will suck down and could theoretically crack if allowed to continue. We have not seen this happen, but encourage you to relieve the pressure by opening the lid if you see this happening. Despite the fact that Land Ark in the pail or can will take freezing and hot temperatures well, it will not go on wood well in these conditions. That is another matter entirely. Only apply it above freezing if you can, preferably above 50 degrees (F) when possible. Cooler temperatures mean slower penetration and slower drying. Hot temperatures are fine, but direct sun is not; it causes the solvent to evaporate too quickly, resulting in stickiness and shallow penetration- often a gumming up of the surface, which is mainly the Tung Oil. If you do get this happening, you can simply buff those spots out with an old T-shirt or terry cloth towel. It does require some elbow grease to work it in, but your finish won't be ruined!
CLEAN UP: Use any solvent (like turpentine) to clean up any undesired oily spots on windows, tile, etc. We recommend using our Pure Citrus Solvent which is the food grade pure orange oil that we use in our products. It is much safer to use and any remaining on the surface will simply evaporate. The vapors from the solvent are non-hazardous. Do wear eye protection when using though! Lots of soap, water and elbow grease will work too!
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS: Wear eye protection and gloves when applying! The citrus solvent does not feel pleasant in the eyes! Combustible; harmful if ingested in large quantities. If swallowed do not induce vomiting. Call Poison Control Center, Chemtrec (1-800-424-9300) or a physician immediately. Drink small amounts of milk. In case of fire, extinguish with foam, CO2, or dry chemicals. Avoid prolonged breathing of vapors; use with adequate ventilation; do not heat product; keep away from children, pets, and other animals; use suitable OSHA safety equipment for breathing, skin, and eye contact around organic vapors; wash hands after use. Disposal of applicators and oily rags: Place outside until completely dry before disposal in trash receptacle. Do not try to clean in washing machine or dryer.