Every wooden object needs some kind of finish or it'll dry out, oxidise unevenly, and start to look tired. There are two main families of finish for a sculpture like ours: film finishes (lacquer, polyurethane, varnish) and penetrating finishes (mineral oil, tung oil, hardwax oil).
What a film finish does
Lacquer and polyurethane sit on top of the wood as a thin plastic-like coating. They're excellent at protecting against moisture and abrasion. They also produce a glossy or semi-gloss surface that reflects light uniformly — which is the "furniture store" look most people recognise from cheap wooden gifts.
The problem for a sculpture is that a film finish reads as artificial. The wood loses some of its visual depth — you're now looking at a plastic layer with wood behind it, not at the wood itself. And film finishes eventually crack, yellow, or peel with age. A ten-year-old lacquered piece often looks worse than an unfinished one.
What a penetrating finish does
Mineral oil, tung oil, and hardwax oil sink into the wood rather than sitting on top. They saturate the top few millimeters of the fibres, replacing the natural oils that walnut loses when it's kiln-dried. The wood ends up feeling soft, warm, and slightly waxy to the touch. The grain is still visible in full depth because you're seeing directly into the wood — there's no coating between you and it.
Penetrating finishes don't crack or peel, because there's no layer to crack or peel. They also don't need to be stripped and reapplied — you just add another coat when the wood starts to look thirsty (usually every 3-5 years for a piece kept indoors).
Why mineral oil specifically
Food-safe mineral oil is one of the mildest wood finishes available. It's inert, food-contact-safe (in case of an accidental scratch on a serving surface, though our sculptures aren't food-contact objects), and doesn't yellow with age. It brings out the natural walnut colour without adding a tint of its own.
We apply two coats: the first coat penetrates deeply, the second coat sits closer to the surface and adds a light satin sheen. Between coats, the piece rests overnight for the oil to fully saturate.
Care over time
Every 3-5 years, or when the piece starts to look a little dry or dull, wipe on a thin coat of food-safe mineral oil, let it rest 20 minutes, wipe off the excess. That's the entire maintenance protocol. See our care guide here for the full detail.