Tripod member linart89 asks:
We put a picket fence around our yard about a year ago and my father-in-law put linseed oil on it as he said that it would seal the wood and make the paint adhere better. Then we were told that it would make the paint peel and crack if we put paint over it. Now we are a year later and don't know if we can paint the fence or stain it as it doesn't appear the linseed oil has worn off yet.

Handy Girl Karen suggests:
Okay, the deal is, oil and water do not generally mix. While it is not ALWAYS true that you can't use water-based products over oil-based ones, in this case, a latex or acrylic paint would peel and crack. Linseed oil is the stuff that pigment is mixed into to make many oil-based paints, so oil paint, alkyd varnish or oil-based urethanes can all be used over it. Linseed-oiled wood can also be waxed, but I hope your father-in-law didn't decide to step into that realm. That may complicate the painting project.

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