There are several possibilities for finishing wooden furniture. Many know that to get a lasting finish on furniture you need to coat with a protective insulation material such as polyurethane, but for an even more beautiful and durable look, you can go further and wax your wood furniture. Applying a coat of wax will prevent the carefully applied finish layer from scratching and staining, and can also give the wood a shiny sheen. Learning to wax furniture requires only a few simple tools and a short time.
Steps
Step 1. First of all waterproof the wooden furniture
Wax is not very suitable for use as a finish layer, but rather as an additional layer on top of an existing finish - make sure your wooden furniture already has a finish coat of polyurethane, varnish, lacquer or shellac.
Step 2. Clean the cabinet by removing the dust
Before applying the wax, rub the wooden cabinet with a clean cloth to remove any traces of dust or debris: if not removed, the dust can mix with the wax and ruin the final appearance of the cabinet.
Step 3. Put some wax on a clean microfiber cloth
The type of wax used to finish wood furniture is called "polishing wax" or "finishing wax" and can be purchased at most hardware stores. It is best applied using a clean microfiber cloth, onto which it can be added directly from the container.
- The only serious mistake you could make when applying the wax is spreading it too thick - it won't dry evenly and will create a mottled or mottled surface. For this reason, apply only a little wax to the cloth at a time.
- For better control over the amount of wax you apply, you can wrap a cheesecloth around a small piece of sealing wax by making a ball: the slow seeping of the wax through the cheesecloth will prevent you from putting in too much.
Step 4. Apply the wax to the wooden cabinet:
make the polishing wax naturally adhere to the wooden surface by applying it with a cloth using soft, circular movements. Go from one end of the furniture to the other and try to spread a thin, even layer. You don't have to apply wax depending on the grain of the wood.
Step 5. Let the polish wax dry
After application, the wax should take about 20 minutes to dry, or a little longer in cold or poorly ventilated spaces. You can test if it is dry by touching the wax on a part of the furniture that is not too visible: it should no longer be sticky.
Step 6. Polish the wax finish with a clean cloth
Once the wax is dry, it will need to be polished: this process will give a shiny sheen to the wood. To polish the wax, use a soft, clean cloth and rub the entire surface of the cabinet with gentle circular movements.
- The softer the cloth you use for polishing, the more shine you will get in the final look. Scraps from an old shirt are fine for waxing.
- You will be able to stop polishing when the furniture no longer shines as you scrub.
