Can I Use Lye Soap for Wood Finishing?

Yes, this is a traditional use of lye soap flakes. Simply grate up your lye soap (or order it from us already grated) and whip it into a lather.

Posted by DK Claus from Sydney Australia in the Woodworking Forums:

This is a well known practise in Denmark. You mix the pure soap flakes with a bit of water (distilled water to avoid calcium etc) in a bowl and beat it until you have a nice thick foam. You then simply cover the wood, say a table top, with 1 to 2 inch of the soap foam and leave it sitting for 24 hours after which you whipe the table off with a dry cloth. That's it. Depending on use, wear and tear you may repeat the process say every 6 months or so, initially. After a few years you are probably down to once a year. This practise or technique has been used for centuries and is especially suitable for open pored wood such as oak. It gives the wood a nice whitish colour.

As another option, you can buy a tin of our natural beeswax-based wood finish.