How to solve the behandla problem -- removing or avoiding sticky oil residue

Question

I bought (gerton top taple) from IKEA and the instructions require to apply the (behandla treatment oil) "Apply a thin coat of BEHANDLA wood treatment oil. Leave the oil to penetrate the wood for about 2 hours. Wipe off surplus oil with a cloth or kitchen paper. During the first week of use the table top should be treated every second day and after that every third day until the surface is saturated (after about 2 months).

I applied it 4 days then I stopped because the wood became a little bit sticky so I left it for few days the I decided to sand it with a sand paper and it's still the same like it's need more sanding. I don't know how to solve this. Please help me

Answer 1

The surface should not have become sticky, which may be due to not wiping off all the surplus oil as the instructions say to do. You have to be very thorough doing this with any oil or "oil finish" because no oil should remain on the surface. Any oil that is left will either remain liquid or turn gummy/sticky. None will ever properly harden.

Now that you have the issue this is one of those things where there's no clear course of action, you have a number of options all of which are a bit messy and take a bit of time but don't worry, you will be able to salvage the tabletop.

Sanding to remove the sticky residue on the surface is one way to rectify the problem, although it can use quite a bit of paper because the oil and wood dust can clog it very quickly. Scraping with a suitable tool is a much better approach if someone already has experience in using a scraper on wood.

If you don't mind the smell and the mess it may not be too late to remove excess partially-dried oil with mineral spirits (UK: white spirit) or if you prefer, turpentine. You'll need to use plenty of cloths or paper towels soaked in the solvent to work away at the surface until all trace of the oil has been removed.

Unless you have a suitable respirator it would be best to do this outdoors, if you must work indoors do it beside an open window or outside door if possible.

Safety note: these wiping cloths represent a potential fire hazard so to be on the safe side either leave them flat on the ground outside to dry off after use, or stuff them into a glass jar partially filled with water and close the lid.

When you think you've done enough leave the wood to dry off for about 15 minutes to an hour and then run your fingers over it looking for gummy patches. If none remain you've successfully cleaned off all the excess oil from the surface and can resume finishing.

Assuming you want to continue to use the Behandla the instructions in this previous Answer should be of help in achieving a better result.

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My advice to Ikea purchasers would be first not to buy the Behandla oil just because you're in Ikea and they sell something that can be used on wood.

Look at what you actually want in your finish for colour, level of protection, odour, drying time etc. then decide based on that what to use. This could be anything, including leaving the wood bare, a soap finish, waxing, oiling, shellac, "Danish oil", a waterbased finish, varnish, even a pour-on epoxy if you want a super-tough glassy surface (these are listed roughly in ascending order of protection).

Answer 2

I need to re-coat my IKEA kitchen worktop with Behandla as it has gone very dull. But where we had put a small draw unit and a marble stand on the worktop, which have never been moved until now, I found that the surface where they had been was very sticky. I used a Scotch Brite pan Scourer - the green ones, dipped in warm water, and it removed the stickiness without sanding the wood. This has worked for me; maybe it may help someone else.

Answer 3

I have just spent two hours removing Behandla oil with a steel wool! I tried using sandpaper, but as mentioned in another comment above the 'beads' of oil clogged the sandpaper. I also found that I could only run the sander in one direction!! If i went back over what I had just sanded, without wiping the beads away, I noticed it would kinda push the oil into the wood making the bench tops turn brown/ grey in that area, and making the sanding process longer and more painful!! Hence I restored to steel wool.
I could tell when I'd removed all the oil, it comes off in little balls.
I then had to go over it with the sander again, quite a few more time, to remove the scratches I'd created from the steel wool!!! I was still, changing the sandpaper regularly as it was still picking up beads of oil, but nowhere near as much as before. Eventually, I was able to remove all the scratches and oil. Wood comes off as little dust particles when sanded and the oil was coming off as little balls.
This all happened, because yes, one time I got lazy, I put too much oil on, and didn't wipe it properly!! A lot of hard work for something that could have been prevented, had I wiped the oil off and done the job properly in the first place! Prior to that, I've had the bench top for about 5 years, and I loved the Behandla. I thought it was a great product and worked really well. Never had a sicky bench it all, but the one time I didn't do it properly, that's what happened. This is my personal experience with Behandla, hope it helps someone.