LIVOS finishes

Re: LIVOS finishes

Andrew F in Australia

>Hi Andy,

I've used them - they go on well and I'm tending to use them more often.

Best regards,

Andrew

Yes, Andy...

Conger � the Irish diaspora in Munich

>... I have used many LIVOS products.

I have used LIVOS-KUNOS and achieved excellent finishes... the best was on a teak table-top. There I used the oil 'wet-in-wet' (sanded the wet oil with a fine sandpaper). The finish was spectacular and (proven by many wine drinkers) water and stain proof.

I have also used a wax finish from LIVOS (name escapes me). I used this on pine 1/2 log bench which has sat in the open weather (sun, rain, snow) for 4 years and is still fine. I did apply many coats of wax, and worked them in well.

I have also used LIVOS-SVALOS solvent. This is my 'standard' solvent / thinners in my little workshop. It is great for removing difficult stains around the house... and is excellent for removing chewing-gum!

In general, good products... well described in tech. information sheets. The only issue is the price... but, it is probably justified!

-gerard-

Yes. Is there something specific you want to know?

David Barnett - SW Florida

>I've used the Kunos white and colorless sealers, the Kaldet white and colorless stains , the Bodios hydro-wax (probably what Conger used), and two of their paint lines. All work well enough but there are now many eco-friendly, hypo-allergenic and low-toxicity finishes competitive both in quality and price. The main advantage of using the sealer for me was its colorlessness (non-ambering stand oil), but I sure didn't mind not inhaling asthma-triggering volatiles while applying it.

more questions and thanks

VTAndy2

>Hi,

Thanks to all of you for writing about Livos.

I'm a bit overwhelmed by the product line. I'm looking for non-toxic (or low-toxic) natural finishes for household furniture, suitable for my family's generally eco-conscious lifestyle and of course the arrival of baby this summer. I'm not a "tree hugger" but I am trying to limit toxins in my household (we get enough poison from outside in various ways, I don't like the idea of bringing it into the house if it is possible to reduce it by making the right choices.)

To those of you who buy Livos in the U.S., where do you buy it?

If there are now some other, more locally made products (I'm in the U.S.), what are they? I'm thinking about the Tried-and-True danish oil but haven't tried it yet.

Thanks again,

-Andy

What is a colorless stain?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Does it turn the wood transparent?

Re: Yes. Is there something specific you want to k

VTAndy2

>Hi David,

Is the sealer something that you would apply after several coats of oil? What exactly is a "sealer"?

-Andy

LIVOS source and some toxicity issues *LINK*

David Barnett - SW Florida

>While I'm personally more concerned about application safety and toxicity of wood finishes than residual or long-term toxicity, it's certainly prudent to reduce unnecessary hazards and Livos has been at it longer than most. That said, I generally use Tried & True products where normal ambering isn't an issue. I'm especially fond of the Original Finish with the emulsified beeswax. Livos makes a linseed-beeswax mixture called 'Bivos' (are those some dumbass names, or what?), but the similarity stops there, in my opinion. The T&T version wins hands down.

If, as you said, you're mostly concerned with furniture gnawing pets and offspring, then anything using shellacs (or other food-safe resins) and unadulterated drying oils should work nicely and make for easy maintainence.

If you're also concerned with total living environment toxicity then you'll want to start fresh or replace large surface area exposures with friendlier products,too; wall and ceiling paints, floor finishes, and so on. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams now offer low-VOC and VOC-free lines with resin and color components that are far less deleterious than older paint chemistries. Previous paint with unsavory metallic components and contamination (nicotine, mold spores, and so on) can be sealed with pigmented shellac (Zinsser's B-I-N is superb) and even if you use a regular modern paint formulation you'll have improved your living space, in my opinion, although whether measurably so may be debated and could depend more on your genetics and life-style than one might imagine. Since your toddler will be your 'canary', so to speak, it's probably a good investment. Of course, snacking on paint chips was 'okay' for my generation, heh.

I have to admit, however, that I'll pick color over all other considerations, including safety (the dues for the Color Association forecasts are over a $1000 a year now!). My house and studio has long been a Who's-Who of toxic heavy metals, oxides, chemicals: lead, arsenic, mercury, strong acids and bases, collodial silica flours, and so on, but that just comes with the territory. I refuse to employ the 'dead' lead-free vitreous enamels (and uranium gives the best yellows ever), and I regularly cast 45% lead glass frit, so when I choose less than deadly finishes for wood it may be more to appease the Gods of Risk than an expression of innate sensibleness. My 'new' home/studio (I'm moving now through June) offers more working space, better task segregation, ventilation and storage features that should make it even easier to keep things clean and safe, though.

Two 'green' resource lists:

http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_paints.htm

http://www.greenexhibits.org/build/alt_4.shtml


Ocean Pacific International (LIVOS USA)

KUNOS sealer is a complete high-resin finish

David Barnett - SW Florida

>It's a penetrating oil for unfinished wood. First coats seal, of course. I think of this product as more for architectural components (beams, rafters, columns, moulding, panels), but it's fine for furniture, cabinets (not inside, though), and so on, but is proscribed for some sheet goods. You will want to sand more scrupulously and to finer grits (I go to 320-grit with cherry and walnut) and 220 for white oak, and I'd highly recommend thorough brushing and vacuuming. If you plane and scrape without sanding, I'd suggest a wet-sanded final coat (see Conger's reply). This is a very expensive finish but does go a long way, although IMO nowhere near the double coverage claimed in the literature. Good stuff, hard enough for floors, easy to maintain, but buy extra for long-term refinishing and touch-ups.

I meant to tell you...

David Barnett - SW Florida

>You can use this sealer over other compatible LIVOS stains (Kaldet), oils, primers, and so on, to add some hardness and scuff resistance, but I've mostly thought of it as a stand-alone because that's how I'd used it.

I'll send my skivvies in the morning mail, Bill...

David Barnett - SW Florida

>

That's exactly what it does.

David Barnett - SW Florida

>No, really, though... it's a finish unto itself. I was trying it over bleached ash, which I'm experimenting with right now (NaOH - H2O2 bleached wood presents special problems for non-filmy coatings, let me tell you). The literature says to first prime with Dubno, Meldos, or Ardvos, which sounds like the Ukranian Three Stooges to me, but that's just not the effect I'm after.

Whaht did you find Dave...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA

>A nice hospital to move into? I definatly need to see pics of the new shop. I'm putting plastic over the keyboard now!

Re: LIVOS source and some toxicity issues

VTAndy3

>Hi David,

Thanks for your thorough response.

Funny you mentioned the Sherwin-Williams paints. We're already in the process of re-painting all of our interior spaces with SW's "Harmony" line of no-VOC paints, and have been very pleased with them. The available colors are fantastic in my opinion. One thing I discovered, however, was that the Harmony primer has a small-print warning on it that it causes birth defects. I just about flew through the roof when I read it on the can, after a day of using it. We had carefully read the paint cans before -- no warnings of that type, and since the primer can looked the same we didn't read it carefully. Well, we had ventilated the room and my wife hadn't had too much contact with it. Still, I think it's ridiculous to have a non-toxic line of products under the Harmony name include a primer that causes birth defects. At the very least, the warning should be highlighted to a greater extent on the label.

The house is on the way to being less toxic: all windows are new, all window mouldings have been replaced; there is just some old moulding in the entrace hall. But the list of further projects is very long...

Which Tried-and-True or LIVOS product would you recommend for wood floors in a staircase? I'll need to re-finish our staircase after the painting is done. (Hm, wonder if I can justify buying a LN scraper plane in order to do that...)

I really appreciate these responses you've written -- it's all very helpful and is removing some of the intimidation factor for me (a total newbie).

Best regards,

Andy

Re: Yes, Andy...

kees

>conger did you ever use a livosfinish for maple? I am looking for a non-yellowing finish for a kitchen. I have a hotwax spraygun.