Murdoch’s

Sutherland Welles Ltd.^® Murdoch’s line was developed at the request of a furniture company looking for an outstanding, user-friendly, “bombproof” finish. Murdoch’s is our hybrid Polymerized Tung Oil and resin system that combines the benefits and beauty of tung oil with the extra protection of a resin. Murdoch’s contains a remarkably durable urethane-alkyd resin with minimal yellowing or ambering tendencies and an amazing clarity that’s more like Tung Oil than urethanes and does not have the plastic appearance of many polyurethanes.

The product is formulated with our Botanical Polymerized Tung Oil that makes application easy and offers flexibility to the finish, so it adheres to the wood regardless of seasonal expansion. Murdoch’s contains our citrus solvent, Di-Citrusol and our VOC exempt mineral spirits. The completed formulation meets the 350 g/l guidelines set forth by the Green Building Council for low- emitting coatings in an oil-based Varnish criteria.

Sutherland Welles Ltd.^® Murdoch’s line is an outstanding finish for floors, table tops, countertops and any project that will be subject to high use or where the finisher is looking for the beauty and benefits of tung oil and the protection of a resin.

Unlike traditional polyurethanes, the combination of tung oil and resin in Murdoch’s means it will not fail over time, it will wear. Murdoch’s applied properly will not crack, peel or alligator like a polyurethane and is easy to repair and re-coat. You can spot-repair Murdoch’s finish by scuffing and re-coating sections and when the finish wears over time, you do not need to sand your project down to the bare as you would with polyurethane finishes, just scuff your Murdoch’s finish and re-coat.

Murdoch’s Hard Sealer
$15.00 – $139.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Murdoch’s Hard Oil
$15.00 – $146.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish Matte
$15.00 – $171.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish Satin
$15.00 – $168.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish Gloss
$15.00 – $166.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Murdoch’s Table Top Satin
$58.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Murdoch’s Table Top Gloss
$56.95 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Murdoch’s Hard Sealer is our most versatile finish. It’s used as a primer for our Murdoch’s Table Top and Uralkyd 500 Finish or as a stand-alone finish with sheens ranging from satin to gloss. The combination of urethane alkyd and the Botanical Polymerized Tung Oil Sealer enhances grain definition in the wood and offers a durable finish.

Murdoch’s Hard Sealer can be used as a standalone finish for a variety of projects. The Hard Sealer penetrates deep in the wood pore to deliver the Botanical Polymerized Tung Oil which provides beautiful grain definition and fills the wood pore. It has the flexibility of being used as a brush-on surface finish or can be hand-wiped to lower the sheen.

Murdoch’s Hard Oil is used as wiping topcoat over our Murdoch’s Hard Sealer. Murdoch’s Hard Sealer contains a higher percentage of resin than our Hard Sealer and offers more protection and durability. For most projects, the process starts with the Murdoch’s Hard Sealer as the base coats followed by two coats of the Murdoch’s Hard Oil and the entire process can be applied via a wiping technique which keeps the sheen lower and is perfect when finishing in a very dusty environment. The higher resin content in the Murdoch’s Hard Oil topcoat will provide more protection to the surface than if using the Murdoch’s Hard Sealer alone.

The higher resin content of our Murdoch’s Hard Oil makes it suitable as a wiping topcoat and keeps the grain appearance as minimal as possible for processes such as pickling. Pickling wood requires some degree of grain blocking to minimize the tone of the wood coming through the white pickling agent, Murdoch’s Hard Oil doesn’t create too much of a barrier to be able to deposit the pickling material into the wood pore.

Commonly used for table tops and bar tops. It’s perfect for commercial applications too.

Murdoch’s Table Top is the perfect brush-on varnish that creates a protective barrier on projects such as dining table and coffee tables and bar tops both residential and commercial. Murdoch’s Table Top finish contains a high percentage of urethane-alkyd resin making it one of our most protective coatings against moisture and wear. The addition of Polymerized Botanical Tung Oil Sealer in the mixture keeps the clarity of the finish extremely clear and the viscosity minimizes the heavy thick build of most varnishes.

The finishing process begins with two coats of the Murdoch’s Hard Sealer to provide all the beautiful grain definition and pore filling followed by brushed on coats of the Table Top. The combination of solvents gives ample application time, especially for a brush on process. Murdoch Table Top Satin gives a smooth low to medium sheen finish.

Murdoch’s Table Top is available in Satin and Gloss. The Gloss level is brilliant and is a favorite coating for the piano finishing industry as well as instrument makers.

DO NOT decant Murdoch’s products into ENAMEL lined cans. Resin will react to the enamel and cause the finish to cloud up in the can. Storage Tips found HERE or use Stop Loss Bags.

Murdoch’s U500 Products

Sutherland Welles Ltd.^® Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish is our most durable and protective topcoat finish. Containing the highest percentage of urethane alkyd resin in our Murdoch’s line, Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish is part of our polymerized tung oil-resin hybrid system. Paired with our Murdoch’s Hard Sealer as a primer coat, The Tung Oil in the Murdoch’s Hard Sealer will enhance the grain definition of your wood, while maintaining a timeless, beautiful natural look with the added protection of our extremely durable urethane alkyd resin in the Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish.

The formulation of Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish is urethane-alkyd resin and solvent with no added Tung Oil. The cured finish is scuff and scratch resistant, and the VOC exempt solvent offers a long set-up time making application with either brush or synthetic pad very workable, especially in large areas. The absence of Tung Oil also allows for a range of sheen levels that include Matte, Satin and Gloss.

While we call Murdoch’s Uralkyd-500 a Floor Finish and its formulation was intended for floors, many use this product on tables and bar tops and other high use projects because of its durability and range of sheens.

The finishing process begins with application of two coats of the Murdoch’s Hard Sealer which provides beautiful grain definition and pore-filling nurturing of our Polymerized Tung Oil with the addition of a small amount of the Uralkyd-500 resin creating the strong bond to the topcoats of Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish. The third and fourth coats of Murdoch’s Uralkyd 500 Floor Finish builds on the surface and provides the required protection. This product is ideal for kitchen and bathroom floors, countertops and where high traffic is anticipated.

If using MATTE, a sealed based provides a consistent topcoat.

Murdoch’s MATTE sheen can streak, haze or have other finish anomalies with OPEN grain wood species. Here is how to insure a great outcome:

Sealed base: A sealed base means the Hard Sealer adequately fills the open grain, often requiring extra coats to close the open pore areas. The whole surface should have a slight sheen (when dry) before building the Uralkyd 500 Matte finish. Open grained wood can be filled by making a slurry of Hard Sealer using 400 grit paper when applying, then wipe off.

How to resolve if it occurs: Sand evenly through the finish to remove the haze layer, apply Hard Sealer until the area is sealed, then topcoat. Spot sanding can create a patchwork appearance, but successful feathering can be spot coated. A polishing buffing pad on a car buffer using Tung Oil Polish may hide hazing, although will not be permanent.

Open grain wood species include, but are not limited to: Walnut, Oak, Mahogany, Hickory, Ash, Cypress. The streaking, hazing or other finish anomalies does not occur with Satin or Gloss.