Product Information
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.
For information regarding how we work with the LEED green building rating system, click here.
Product Package Sizes: 4 oz., 1 quart , 1 gallon pails, 3.5 gallon pails, 5 gallon pails and 55 gallon steel drums.
Coverage = 300-500 square feet per gallon or 500-700 board feet per gallon Original, Exterior, & Concentreated Oil (for the first coat; the second coat goes much further; rough sawn materials will tend to absorb more). 800 square feet per gallon for Liquid Wax End Sealer.
Original 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 End Sealer. Wet sand or power buff for a furniture grade finish. Avoid application in sun or rain. 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 Original Finish. Be sure to try our product on a smaller test surface first before committing your entire timber frame interior. Application.
Primer/Base Coat: An optional base coat for dense wood with stubborn absorption. Comprised of 30% Original Finish and 70% Pure Citrus Solvent for faster absorption on extremely green or dense species, or in high production situations. A 4/1, 3/1, or 2/1 ratio are also available, or you buy our Pure Citrus Solvent for your own custom blend. Apply like the other Original or Exterior Finishes.
Exterior Finish:* We now have 3 options for our Exterior Finish. We have been trying to transition away from using a chemical UVA and Mildewcide and have taken on using a new nano Zinc Oxide which works as both, however the Zinc Oxide turns out to have a very short shelf life once mixed into our finish. So, we have our previous formulation as well as two options for using the nano Zinc Oxide. Here are the options with their pros and cons... Application.
Liquid Wax End Sealer: 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, tool handles 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. Zinc Oxide additive is available upon request. Liquefies instantly when applied. 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. Also makes a wonder Earthen Floor Finish. .Application.
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 during the juicing process. 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.
Pure Tung Oil & Pure Special Aged Linseed Oil - We also offer these traditional drying oils for purchase in their purest form. You can thin the oils out if you desire with Pure Citrus Solvent or use as is.
High Volume Rotary Hand Pumps for 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 Liquid Wax End Sealer). 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 white 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 Pine 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.
*Zinc Oxide (ZnO) - Added by request only. A nano particle small enough not to leave your wood surface white, but big enough to keep out harmful UV rays. It's also a known fungistat/mildewcide. This one non-chemical additive can take the place of our previous two UVA and mildewcide additives. Will still be compatible with our old formulation. It looks more opaque and milky in the pail but will dry clear and if you get it pre-mixed in the finish has a short shelf life of 1-2 months (Pssst. you can order it on the side and mix it as you go!).
*Chemical UVA and Mildewcide - Added by request only. Both chemcials are on the GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe List) list and offer extra protection against harmful UV rays and mildew without the short shelf life of the zinc oxide. Order them as an additive indivually or both if desired. Contact us for the MSDS if you'd like.
*Aniline Dyes and Pigmented Stains: By request only. 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 or interior 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 for up to a week in many cases and still be wiped off 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 to a week. 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, and now even Earthen Floors. Wood floors respond best to multiple coats of the same finish; Original Concentrated Oil, or Liquid Wax End Sealer. You can also use either Original or Concentrated Oil and topcoat with the Liquid Wax End Sealer 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 or more. 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!
LONG TERM LAND ARK CARE: (view pdf)
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.
MADE IN OREGON, USA!