In order to prevent the deterioration of wooden surfaces and furniture in moisture-prone areas, waterproofing is recommended.

If the washroom or vanity of your sink and dresser in your bathroom is made from wood, learning how to waterproof wood for bathroom is very crucial in order to prevent disintegration.

There are three ways you can waterproof wood for bathroom; applying a protective oil finish, using a sealant, or you can use a stain-sealant combo.

Before applying any method of waterproofing, ensure they are the right choice for your wood, as some are better suited for interior or exterior items or dark- or light-grained wood.

Related: How to clean bathroom floor stain

How to Waterproof Wood For Bathroom

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Waterproofing Wood Using Oil 

There are three different types of oil that can be used to waterproof wood for bathroom. You can use linseed oil, pecan oil, or tung oil to waterproof your wooden surfaces and maintain your bathroom’s stylistic theme keeping moisture damage at bay.

You would need to combine your oil of choice with either turpentine or apple juice vinegar and mix thoroughly. This is a totally optional step, and you can simply use the oil on its own.

Smoothen out uneven surfaces, edges and light scratch with sandpaper. This removes harsh surfaces that may become very noticeable after you apply the oil.  

Soak a firm but gentle fiber brush into the oil and apply it all around the perimeter of the wood, making sure to cover the entire surface and edges. 

Allow the oil to sit on the wood surface and edges for a while so it soaks up the oil; this also enables you to identify any untouched area of the wood surface. Reapply oil to those regions.

Allow the wood to absorb the oil for some time and wipe off excess oil residue with a spotless dry cloth. 

Allow the wood to dry for a while, and this could take several hours or even an entire day; this depends on the type of oil you are using. Oil blends dry quicker than single oils, but solitary oil dries the longest.

Allow the wood to dry completely before applying a second coat for further waterproofing effectiveness.

Waterproofing Wood Using Sealants

This is simply using sealants to waterproof wood surfaces, and it follows a simple procedure like that of oils. However, sealers do not need to be mixed with some other common or engineered synthetic compounds.

Start by wiping the wood surface dry, run through with sandpaper, then you can apply the sealant. You can either splash on the sealant or apply it with a brush.

Allow it to dry, and you can go ahead to apply two additional coats to the wood for better protection against water.

Read: Can you use vegetable oil on hardwood floors?

Waterproofing Wood With a Stain- Sealant Combo

This technique achieves the most effective result for waterproofing wood for bathroom. You can decide to only recolor the floor, or you can all out and do a ground-breaking stain-sealant combo.

When applied, these stains turn out translucent and are great for inside woods like your washroom. The application procedure for this method is quite similar to the other two above.

Wipe the wood dry with a clean rag before sanding it down lightly to smoothen the surface. Then apply the two stains and stain-sealant blends with a brush.

Allow to dry; before wiping up the residue with a clean, soft cloth, reapply a couple of coats for an intensive result.

Read: How to waterproof hardwood floors

Conclusion

The use of oil is one way to waterproof wood for bathroom; you can use linseed oil, pecan oil, or tung oil. You can also apply a sealant or a stain-sealant combo.

All of these methods follow a similar routine and effectively waterproofs your wood. Make sure to clean the wood surface and sand down any unevenness to help the product adhere and turn out better. You usually need two or more coatings of the stain or sealant for full coverage.