ᐅ Laminated beech wood boards show very different results after oiling.

Hello, I’m a bit confused... About four weeks ago, I bought laminated beech boards for the shelves of our room divider at the hardware store. At first, I only bought five pieces, because the rest had some defects. The boards were properly sanded and then treated several times with linseed oil. The result was perfect... wonderful color and surface.

This week, I picked up more laminated beech boards from the same hardware store (same manufacturer, again beech). I followed exactly the same steps as with the first boards. But the result... a disaster... what is this??? The boards now look completely different!! I didn’t even know that beech could darken this much... see the result for yourself. What should I make of this? Is this normal??? Best regards, Steffi33

Here is another picture for reference...
At the top, the first boards are laid horizontally... below (standing) are the new boards.

Show the pot of oil.
I suspect the pot was not stirred properly and now the darker substances in the oil are being used.
Or did you use a new pot of oil that is just similar? Not the same batch?

But I can also see now that the boards are different. The spacing of the battens varies, and so does the width. It’s a completely different batch of boards.

Hello Yvonne, yes, it’s a different batch.. I also noticed the different number of rods, even though it’s the same manufacturer and the same product. Still, I am surprised by the extreme variations. I don’t really like it in such a dark brown. Untreated, it wasn’t noticeable at all :-( I will probably return the remaining boards and try my luck at a different home improvement store... sigh..

It certainly isn’t the oil’s fault.. It was a rather thin flax semi-oil (practically transparent). While applying it with the sponge, the can was also constantly turned upside down and automatically shaken.

Regards, Steffi

Steffi33 schrieb:
When applying it to the sponge, the can was also constantly turned upside down and shaken automatically.

Then my assumption is wrong.
How old is the oil? Could it have darkened over time?