Traditional Soap Finish, with Christopher Schwarz

In this excerpt from "No-fear Chairmaking,” Christopher Schwarz shows you how to make and apply a traditional soap finish - it's easy, clean and safe. (The only catch is, it won't last forever...but it's easy to renew.) "No-fear Chairmaking" shows you start to finish how to build a simple but handsome chair; it's available at ShopWoodworking.com: bit.ly/2oEd8Pw

[@_J.F_]

I am from Denmark and to maintain our wooden (soap or oil finished) floors we wash them with a solution of soap flakes and water. The ratio of soap flakes to water is typically around 1 to 50, so it produces a wash rather than a finish. To achieve a slight whitening of the floor, without obscuring the wood grain, pipe clay can be added to the wash. Pipe clay also adds to the silky look and feel. After years and years of soap flake washing of floors, and the occasional adding of pipe clay, the result builds up to become a silky, smooth and superbly soft surface. As the finish, and the wash, is not particularly hard wearing you will need to wash your floor roughly once a week (depending on wear of course) and you immediately feel the silky softness return to the wood. In moderns days people can often not be bothered with the entire process and new wood floors are often treated with a white pigmented oil or varnish instead. However, the look, feel, and silky softness can only be achieved with the soap flake treatment and maintained with soap flake wash.

[@toodle171]

Thanks for the heads up.

[@ionutgur]

hy Jakob, from which shops do you buy this soap in Denmark, does it have like a name or maybe a brand? can you please explain pipe clay

[@yannkitson116]

Kan man anvende brun sæbe, det har jo næsten konsistensen allerede?

[@mikeimho]

ionut gur Use soap, chalk and water to get a white finish. In the 198x it was very popular for floors.

[@jtoth1234summer]

Michael Andersen what type of chalk?

[@alecwoolley]

Hey guys, I used the kirks soap bar referenced in the video and mixed it 4 parts water, 1 part soap. Initially it didn’t set and stayed as a liquid. I then put it in the fridge and it then set with a white, cream like texture just like the video. It just needs some help to induce a phase change.

[@SteifWood]

In my mountain cabin (in Norway) I have a 40 yr old trestle table made of solid and dense scots pine (Pinus silvestris). It has never been treated with anything else than liquid green soap which is a mix of potassium hydroxide (instead of sodium hydroxide) and vegetable oils. The table has a natural look and patina, and is as said, "soft" to the touch. Every time I leave the cabin I just pour 1/2 a cup of soap on the top, use a rug/sponge with near boiling water, wipe and let it dry. It even removes blueberry stains! Funny enough, historically this kind of soap was in fact green as the oil used was hemp oil. With the cannabis hysteria it's now yellowish as lin seed oil has replaced hemp. Hopefully it will turn green again ....

[@moderndaymarmee7652]

at what stage do you apply the lye before you soap it

[@SteifWood]

@@moderndaymarmee7652 The lye is part of the soap, ie “Green Soap” is referencing the tincture made from vegetable or palm kernel oil (here lin seed oil), potassium hydroxide, and glycerin.

[@teaCupkk]

Would you say applying the soap hot makes it connect better than wiping it on cold?

[@SteifWood]

@@teaCupkk I pour boiling hot water on the table. Then a stripe of green soap which I rub in/clean the table w a brite pad. I leave it wet and with a film of soap and leave the cabin...

[@mattgloss8580]

I was visiting Polish highlands in Tatra mountains my accommodation was in 200 years old log house. Inside walls where logs only and have been finished with soap. Every year before Easter they cleaned them with soap. They look beautiful.

[@davidclark9086]

"Hippie places" bring back tons of great memories. Thanks for the memories and, of course, a great video.

[@wmwalkerco]

You're one of my all-time favorite instructors! Great stuff! I've been leaning heavily on my beeswax/mineral oil finish but I'll have to try this one. Thanks!

[@fvids1603]

I will have to trust in the experts Mr Schwarz and the Danish on this. Thank you for the tips

[@FrankP117]

I used soap finish on a maple desktop that my son used daily before going off to college. He used it for nearly two years and it has help up great, still looks great, haven't yet had any maintenance. I mainly went with this as we wanted to maintain the light maple color and avoid any yellowing. We've been very happy with it and about to use it on another project here soon.

[@boozoochavis7506]

I was so surprised to see Mr. Schwarz using this soap finish. My wife came up with a DIY laundry soap recipe, the main ingredient is ...... you guessed it, castille bar soap! I have the lucky job of grating up the bar for each batch, and pilfer a bit after grating the soap. I have enough set aside to give this a shot, since I've been reading up on Scandinavia and their woodworking traditions, this seemed like a great idea. Thanks Chris, keep up the great work.

[@dovetailblues]

That’s a real funky intro 🎉 Idk what it is about Chris Schwartz descriptions, but I’m super excited to try a soap finish! I want to see how silky soft it feels 😊

[@ahikernamedgq]

That's a great looking finish. And, that's a beautiful chair!

[@adamoe]

Great video.. we’re Danish.. from Denmark.. not Dutch from the Netherlands lol. I just bought 6 wishbone chairs in Soap Oak finish from Hans Wagner for my new house.. started getting grease stains and dirty pretty quickly.. ordered the super expensive soap solution from Hans Wagner before I found your video. Definitely doing this next time.

[@404BOOMER]

Very interesting. I like that there is no toxicity. I will definitely try this. Good video too.

[@teddyt4989]

I have heard of a Soap Finish. Now I know what it is, how to make it and how to use it. Thank you. I will give it a try on some of my projects.

[@bighands69]

It works best when trying to achieve a natural look with the wood.

[@realrasher]

That exit shot is so groovy man. May the Roy be with you. ✌

[@ubwoodman915]

You're too funny Chris. I have used Kirks soap for years and I had no idea you make a finish out of it, can't wait to try it. Thanks!

[@frankclaus3775]

8:50 Sorry to disappoint you, but I do think it is typically Scandinavian. Being Dutch myself I never ever came across it before. Spring cleaning is something that was done up untill the 1960's, but even then my grandmother or mother wouldn't wipe soap on the furniture.

[@rerunreichertz]

I tried this finish on a bed frame I made out of ash. The bed worked out pretty well, I was excited to try this finish. I got pure Castile soap flakes and made the 4 to 1 mix. It set up nicely and went on beautifully. The weird and disappointing thing is that the finished wood now has a fairly strong odour. The raw ash doesn’t really smell and the soap has almost no smell, but the soap on the wood smells quite strong, so strong that I can’t sleep on the bed. I am going to have to remove the finish. I share this so others know it is a possibility. I also can’t understand why the combination of wood and soap finish smells while neither smells on their own. If anyone understands the chemistry involved, I would be interested to hear it.

[@Rambotoyboy]

Freshly cut Ash is known to have slight odor. That odor is the trees tannin and it probobly oxidizes and seals itself when exposed to air. Natural Soap is a base and usually contains antioxidants. This combination can probably ”preserve” or reactivate the woods natural protection . All wood contains tannins but they differ a lot. Ceder tannins smells great but is aslo very corrisve and will rust away normal nails for example.

[@livewiya]

I'm planning on making a Roorkhee in poplar, leaning more in the style of Kaare Klint's Safaristol. This seems to be a likely contender for finishing (I'm just debating if I treat the wood with oxalic acid or not first).

[@WiliamBennettwildarbennett]

As to my reply about being picky Having grown up in the Ozarks of Arkansas we made our own soap. If It were LYE SOAP we used Hog Lard and Woral Lye (old fashioned drain cleaner) and ashes from either Oak wood or Hickory. But if it was a bathing soap my Granny Snow, used Cotton Seed Oil. Bring it to a rolling boil in a cast iron wash pot, ( if remember correctly she used 1 gallon of oil ) then add ( Had to be) White Ash Wood ashes about 3-4 pounds. Then she added either lavender oil or rose water. Then we would ladle it into soap molds.

[@WoodworkingDaddy]

Interesting technique and a history lesson too. Thanks! I think I recognize that music from Love Boat reruns. ;)

[@woodnerdbill]

Awesome outfro.

[@slavkochepasov8134]

8:48 I remember same technique was used in my grandpa country house in central European part of Russia. The weather there was as cold as in Scandinavia and people were poor as well. So the driving factor for this soap finish is ether weather or money ;) It is very practical, but labor intense as requires regular maintenance.

[@Noold]

I really enjoy Chris. I’d love to take a class with him.

[@kacole34]

Great information. Thanks for sharing! In this method, would you recommend or discourage the use of liquid, unscented Castille soap? Thanks You

[@1959Berre]

This is the first time I hear about soap as a wood finish. I live in Flanders, Belgium (south of The Netherlands). I will try this on an old oak table top I am restoring right now. I already applied a white antique wax on the legs and aprons, but my wife complained about the very strong turpentine smell that remained in the house for more than a week. So I hope this soap will avoid that problem.

[@bighands69]

Soap finish is a type of oil finish.

[@markharris5771]

Great video, that’s created some great informative comments.

[@markmolloy8647]

This is by far the most beautiful finish of all for wood, esp on pine and Oak. I am trying it on teak next weekend. you forgot to mention some other properties that are great - the smell. Soaped wood smells amazing. When the sun shines on it, the whole house smells clean but not in an artifical way. also, soap has a natural anti bacterial action. Basically, bacteria hates soap, because it attacks the membranes. The entire top floor of our house is soaped.

[@davidhaas8821]

Orthodontists have used Ivory Snow Flakes for more than 70 years to "soap" plaster models of teeth. It produces a long lasting finish with a mild sheen. Never tried it on wood but your video shows it to be feasible.

[@Dutchess1979]

Hi Chris, thanks for the video...very interesting! I’m wondering whether this process lightens the timber? I’d like to lighten some vic ash by a few shades, and was curious about whether I’d need to add pipe clay to the mix, and if so, how much? Have you tried this? Thanks

[@cloptonhouse]

All though it takes time to grate, the dissolving of the soap was instantaneous. No Stir. I used Dr. Bronner's unscented soap. Has anyone used this on dark grained woods like black walnut?

[@miklosbeems2608]

I've tried this on douglas floorboards. Didn't go well, the lye in the soap reacted with the wood resulting in a yellowing of the wood. I've tried it with a white pigment added to it, to no avail however. It could be the case that this was due to the fact that the floorboards weren't freshly sawn, and exposure to daylight for a couple of weeks made it more susceptible to reacting with the lye. Luckily I first had it tested on 2 boards before applying it to a whole floor. But perhaps this is less likely to happen with hardwood, this I can't say

[@storjoel]

I'm so gonna try this!! Thank you =)

[@alexpettigrew8971]

Hate to be picky but the fatty acid comes from the oil / fat, not from the wood ashes. The alkali used to make soap can be obtained from wood ashes. Interesting finishing technique. Thanks for sharing.

[@WiliamBennettwildarbennett]

Having grown up in the Ozarks of Arkansas we made our own soap. If It were LYE SOAP we used Hog Lard and Woral Lye (old fashioned drain cleaner) and ashes from either Oak wood or Hickory. But if it was a bathing soap my Granny Snow, used Cotton Seed Oil. Bring it to a rolling boil in a cast iron wash pot, ( if remember correctly she used 1 gallon of oil ) then add ( Had to be) White Ash Wood ashes about 3-4 pounds. Then she added either lavender oil or rose water. Then we would ladle it into soap molds.

[@robertbrunston5406]

Something different! Thank you.

[@hectorgerco2963]

Hi love your work. I make a work table on plywood and want to ask if after the soap mixture There is a way to make it last longer. Im Héctor from Argentina Thank you

[@daviddenny4777]

Hi, great video thank you. Could this be applied to mid century oak veneer? Thank you.

[@rickwylie2472]

What is the very best way to remove oily/greasy finger prints, food stains and also water stains from soaped wood table top? It's new and I'd like to try to get it right the first time. Enjoyed the video. Thanks

[@philipmalaby8172]

I love finishes that don’t kill you.

[@StavrosGakos]

nice alternative, thanks!

[@Deuce_Luminox.]

How would this differ from a basic oil and wax finish, other than being water soluble?

[@davidgraf1909]

Hey Chris my question is where can I get my hands on a nifty VisionWare sauce pan like you have there?

[@Fredwitrave]

funny how u seem to suggest that in parts of Europe every family uses this tecnique. every year after we've done our loundry wash in the river! interesting vid though, so thanx. greets from Belgium

[@zoravar.k7904]

Tradional soapmakers in Europe still sell Castille soap in a gel like consistency for these kinds of applications. So it's not as rare as you might think.

[@keithrefior6990]

What about using this over milk paint?

[@jessicag630]

Can soap finished furniture be wiped with damp cloth? Or should you reapply the soap after every cleaning?

[@hermannstraub3743]

I like to use a brush to apply this soap, so my hands don´t get too clean. ;-) Else i like to apply it hot (kind of) so it soaks better in.

[@thebigdipper]

1:20 "pot smoking natural needs" LOL

[@ForeverDIYorDIE]

His look and behavior is actually how you would imagine that a person who has "pot smoking natural needs" would look like. LOL

[@ddt0889]

DIYorDIE!!! Trifun He looks, acts, dresses, and talks exactly like my step dad, who is also a woodworker and has a lot of pot smoking natural needs lmao.

[@marie-evedrolet3242]

priceless

[@rifleman154]

I love this guys personality, nice to see a traditional woodworker that's not overly serious.

[@sveinerikwestby2321]

Barry Manil

[@bradleymasson1777]

I can't believe I've never heard of this finish before.

[@danthechippie4439]

Hi, I really like your bench. Did you make it yourself ?

[@johnmarkhatfield]

This is fantastic. I sort of wonder about different oils going rancid. I would love to make lye from hardwood ashes and get my fat from sheepsmilk. I wonder also if a small amount of beeswax would be helpful in water protection. Wonderful video!

[@bighands69]

Danish oil and Linseed oil look great and are relatively healthy. Shellac is another amazing finish that is natural and has been used for thousands of years.

[@trackie1957]

I imagine that fat from grass-fed animals will work better than olive oil because it will harden somewhat. If you make your own soap, canola or flax (linseed) oil will be good because they are drying oils. The finish should be more durable.

[@treygibson9359]

Dumb question maybe, but can you use pure goats milk instead of castile or does it have to be a vegetable oil based soap like castile?

[@johnawhiting]

When was used, Period, time, date? Where did it originate?

[@barbarapalangi9651]

What ratio of soap to water do you use? I'm redoing an oak pew that has a dark laquar finish that I'm going to take off first.

[@joefagan9335]

Great information. Thank you. Can I use this on new on chopping boards I have made - one is pine and one is rubber wood - or will it make the food taste soapy? If soap is not a good finish what do you recommend that is food safe?

[@lotmom]

I use mineral oil. Food safe and gives a great finish.

[@gdogbert001]

Chris ain't no jive turkey. That's a great-looking and simple finish!

[@TheFalconJetDriver]

PBO? Pittsboro, NC? I lived in Sanford for several years.

[@beep200]

Would this be ok for outdoor but undercover furniture use?

[@poorcousinsdiy5672]

LOL came back to this video to watch it again and noticed at 3:46 that he pulls out a piece of wood to put the hot pot on. Question, is he protecting the surface of the workbench from the hot pot out of habit, or is he protecting the surface of the pot from any residue of the workbench ;p . Great video, very much worth watching again.

[@makhoe1]

Is the finish food friendly?

[@bradleymasson1777]

Can wax be added to the recipe?

[@haroldedmund]

Oi, can you use it when it hasn't coagulated just yet? I made it last night and its still very translucent. Thanks for the video.

[@AlexandrDarius]

Hi guys! I have two questions, if I may: 1. Usually olive based soaps are green, because unrefined olive oil is green, how come this one is white? 2. How does the soap finish compare to an oil finish, like safflower oil? In terms of coloring.

[@pieczarkicebulka7461]

Oh, it’s so soft :))

[@ma.ysabelleung7739]

thank you!!!!

[@davestinyworkshop]

very interesting!

[@WiliamBennettwildarbennett]

I've got one question. Could you use this as high speed burnishing compound to really bring it a glossy finish?

[@bighands69]

If you want to make the finish glossy do not go with soap finish which is a type of oil finish. Go instead with clear Shellac and then buff that up a few times but not too many times or you end up with french polishing. The purpose of the soap finish is to make it look as natural as possible.

[@monkeybitbash8906]

How well would this work when used on woods that have had an oil applied to it? Would the soap cut through the oil soaked into the woods surface?

[@Carlsimpso1952]

This organic soap used to be called "lye soap." It's potassium hydroxide, from burnt wood ashes + lard. Vegetable oils will not work as well because they are not saturated fatty acids. Lye soap was pulled off the market because it also dissolves your skin! Soap form micelles. These are clusters of fat soluble + water soluble spheres that makes soap work. The foam you see on top of the water are the hydrophobic (oil soluble + water "fearing") heads getting away from the water. But the latter are what dissolves oil. The water dissolves the dirt. Since the writer asks if you can apply this to an oiled wood, the answer is YES.

[@javalavva]

Interesting -- learned something new. I would imagine it gets very slick when wet... using on a floor seems dangerous.

[@amiddled]

It dries completely. Scandinavian countries use it a lot on floors without problems

[@ArtMechanicsLosAngeles]

Andy Midd what if your feet are wet or there's a spill? Would it be hard to walk on?

[@alaskankare]

is that where the term "spring cleaning" came from? the Dutch washing their furniture down with soap in the spring? :) great info, thank you!

[@StCreed]

No, no they don't. In The Netherlands the spring cleaning is mostly cleaning the house, airing it, etc. and in the old days they would redo the walls and ceilings to remove the soot. Soaping the furniture is unknown where I live. Maybe he was confusing us with the Danes?

[@fvids1603]

Hello all, I read something on one of the sites where you can purchase this soap and it stated that prolonged use of the product could cause drying and fraying o natural fibers such as wool and wood.

[@macmcatee611]

I would think Ivory Flakes soap, usually in most supermarkets in the US would do quite nicely. Cheep and Ivory soap is 99.99% pure soap.

[@TristanJCumpole]

Lava soap? I'm sure that glowing molten pumice would be interesting on some level.

[@HeroOfTime303]

What about olive oil soap?

[@richardray8280]

Will this work as an end sealer for wood stock to allow curing?

[@popularwoodworking]

Hmmmm - I doubt it. I don't think it would do much to slow down the moisture exchange rate. But I'll ask Bob Flexner and report back.

[@AMTunLimited]

Would water just destroy it?

[@RKampfe]

Christopher, I have tried your formula but my solution is still a liquid! I live in San Francisco and we have very soft water, could that be the issue? Many thanks- Richard

[@waldvogelreview7755]

Have you ever experimented tinting the soap finish with a couple drops of Mixol or something? Or a couple drops of acrylic paint?

[@bighands69]

That would defeat the purpose of the finish. Soap finish is a type of oil finish that gives a natural look to the wood.

[@forestbirdoriginals4917]

@@bighands69 that wasn’t the question. I didn’t ask how to get a natural finish. I asked if I can add tinting to give an less natural look.

[@bighands69]

@@forestbirdoriginals4917 Let me put it to you another way imagine getting a beautiful stone wall built in your home and then getting that wall covered in plasterboard or getting a lovely leather couch and completely covering it in black plastic. What I am trying to get across to you is if you apply anything on top of the soap finish it will destroy the look and feel of it or if you try and mix it with anything it will destroy the look. So any color you try to adapt will ruin the natural look that the soap finish produces.

[@PipReads]

I have a project using 3mm quality ply. Would this soap finish work or is the ply too thin?

[@popularwoodworking]

The soap finish would be fine. Any surface finish (as the name implies) doesn't penetrate into the wood very much at all, so the thickness of the outer ply layer would be more than adequate to the task.

[@PipReads]

@@popularwoodworking I've been using it and the project looks and smells great. Thanks for the instructions!

[@timkirkpatrick9155]

Kirks Castile is coconut oil not olive oil. It is a lovely finish.

[@tonyfinck8024]

Will this type of finish work on softwood as well

[@bighands69]

Any type of wood just do a few experiments to see if you like the look.

[@dunkhooper]

interesting I have never seen this . is this a food safe finish that I could use in turned bowls and chopping boards ? thanks

[@popularwoodworking]

I wouldn't use it on utensils/food prep surfaces. Those get washed regularly, and washing with soap and water will remove the soap and water finish.

[@thenotsoguitarguy9429]

To my understanding, every film finish, given time for proper, full curing, is food safe. Just ask Bob Flexner.

[@sethwarner2540]

So, I am guessing that you should not use this finish on food surfaces(bowls, spoons, etc.)

[@steve6139]

How does this differ from other oil finishes? The soap after all is nothing more than an oil based product.

[@0dtp1]

Just stumbled on this and if anyone is still listening... Can this be applied over wood that has been dyed with aniline dye, such as TransTint?

[@shewearswoolsocks2883]

Not sure about the aniline dye, but I have used this on my pine floors which have a diluted water based paint on them. Maybe just try a small spot ? Good luck!

[@mh5783]

I would like to use this recipe, but in the 1:1 ratio, i.e. 1 cup soap flakes to 1 cup water, to soap a newly-sanded floor. Has anyone done this? I would also like to mix in a bit of titanium dioxide to whiten the floors a bit. Thank you!

[@shewearswoolsocks2883]

Yes, and no... lol mine are new and sanded with diluted water based paint on them. Bet yours would look great with a bit of titanium dioxide added. Have you tried this out yet? would love to hear how they turned out! Cheers!

[@mh5783]

@@shewearswoolsocks2883 I have to say, beautiful. I've learned that this works best with the lighter woods. I tried it on a teak bath vanity and no good. The light of the titanium dioxide can't fight the darkness of the teak...but on pine, oh it's beautiful. Almost my entire house is decked out in this, except for food surfaces.

[@shewearswoolsocks2883]

@@mh5783 wow sounds fantastic! I might try that in the future with titanium dioxide as my floors are pine too. Thanks for advising about the darker wood , good to know! Cheers!

[@zenmaster1979]

I just made a knife with apple wood handles and am looking for a unique finish would this work?

[@popularwoodworking]

Is this a kitchen knife? If so, I probably wouldn't use a soap finish, given that it will get wet often. The soap finish provides only a little protection, and does have to be renewed from time to time - washing it would mean renewing it quite often,

[@haroldedmund]

mineral oil is a finish you might be after.

[@reforzar]

Next time on Cooking with Chris, soap meringue.

[@ronbroyer4203]

It doesn't set i put 4x1 water to Castile soap over night and didn't set i put in the and still nothing

[@claudettegaravaglia2712]

Can this be put over a water base stain?

[@shewearswoolsocks2883]

What is your stain on? I have put this over top of water based paints, I use diluted paint on pine boards for my stain. Then I follow up with soap. I'm just working on my living room floors which are on my channel shewearswoolsocks. Just about to do the soap one next. Cheers!

[@leighbartlett8539]

Soooo, I couldn’t get soap flakes or Castile soap so I tried making my own soap with lye and coconut oil... I think I under lye’d it... 100g coconut oil, 13g lye and 31g water.... I’m guessing the soap you were using was made with tallow or palm oil? I hope this turns out ok!

[@leighbartlett8539]

This recipe turned out perfect! Now I’m trying bacon grease and lye :) for those interested there are Lye calculators online :D

[@cajunfid]

For a second I thought this was a delayed April Fools joke. Fascinating!

[@CancerConquering]

I've literally watched this twice and googled soap finishes because I'm still fearful this is a joke.

[@dennisgoesfishing]

Look for a hippy store. This man speaks my language.

[@JeanClaudePeeters]

Savon de Marseille... is what we call it here.

[@pinkiewerewolf]

Was that Jeff Lynne at the end?

[@Thejgomez]

"Scandinavian countries where they use this, Netherlands, Dutch and everything" hahahaha good one 😄😁😃

[@woodywood1951]

why it's a good one? Can you explain? Thanks.

[@chuckd2483]

It's geography.

[@emielfull]

the netherlands isn't a scandinavian also ducht is the language they speak its not a country

[@theoldtimeywoodworker2488]

Greetings from the Dutch carpenter from The Netherlands in Western Europe to the South West of Scandinavia. 😉

[@user-wq6hr9xi2n]

@@emielfull as well as the language spoken in Netherlands, 'Dutch' is also name for the people of the Netherlands. Like someone of British citizenship is called British.

[@j.c.3800]

My German Uncle Henry always had shiny pant's seats.

[@mutabrev]

What if I get it in my eyes again, aaaah!

[@bjornmundt5801]

It is soap, solved in water. No huge danger. Take plenty of water and rinse your eyes.

[@JeanClaudePeeters]

What if you get Poly Urethane in your eyes? AAAAHHHHHHHHH ?

[@jamesnichols7583]

I make Castile soap at home

[@deezynar]

Why? How does this protect the wood? At least linseed oil, and wax block a little moisture. I don't see soap doing even that.

[@CafeenMan]

*finds pot, smokes it, forgot why I'm here*