Applying wax to furniture is now more popular than ever before. Wax is a lot easier to apply than varnish to seal and protect your painted furniture. Wax can also be used to change the color of a piece and you can use it to create different patinas thus making your piece unique. That is why furniture wax is so popular!
However, before you decide that you want to wax your piece, let me give you some information about that enticing can of wax first so that you can be sure that wax really is for you instead of varnish.
Once a piece is waxed then you cannot use any other product on top, so if you decide that you want to repaint the piece or instead of wax you want to varnish it you will need to remove all the wax first by sanding the piece down to the paint.
I speak from experience, I had painted a bed in chalk paint and then I waxed it. However the piece did not sell and I wanted to change the style of the bed by painting on stripes so I had to sand off all the wax which took me quite a while and a lot of elbow grease! Luckily the bed was not ornate so it was fairly easy to sand off the wax. Then I gave the paint a good clean and I repainted the piece which I waxed again as I loved the soft, sheen of wax on the bed.
The protective quality of clear wax does not compare to water based varnishes.
If you are working on a high traffic furniture piece such as a dining table, coffee table, kitchen cupboards etc, you will need durability and you will get a durable top coat with a polyacrylic or polyurethane varnish (which I talked about in my previous article which you can read here if you missed it). Polyacrylic and polyurethane varnishes protect the paint as the varnish sits on top of it, whereas furniture wax will not be as durable since it absorbs into the paint which means you will need to re-wax after every 6 months or so.
If your furniture piece is an accent piece that you want a certain look for, wax may be your only option. Antique, aged or matte buffed finishes require wax to achieve the look
So, here I will list the different types of waxes available on the market:
- Clear wax:
Clear wax is necessary to use when you want to seal your painted furniture with wax, it creates a barrier coat which seals the paint and makes it waterproof thus protecting it from spills, dirt and scratches. However in my opinion clear wax is best used in low use areas. So if that little table you just painted is to be used as a coffee table, then sealing it with wax may not be enough, your hot cup of coffee could melt the wax creating an uneven finish. Of course the answer to that is to have a good supply of coasters available!
Clear wax will change the color of your paint slightly, but the color will be richer. Keep in mind that wax absorbs into matte paint, so to keep your furniture water-proof you will need to re-apply your wax.
- How to apply clear furniture wax correctly:
1. Clean the surface to be waxed:
Make sure the piece is totally clean before you apply your wax. Use a damp cloth and wipe the piece down thoroughly and allow to dry.
2. Apply the wax with a wax brush or a cloth:
I use a wax brush and I also use old t-shirts to apply and to buff the wax. T-shirts are perfect as they do not have fibers which may stick to the wax. I usually apply using a circular motion but you can apply wax in any direction, even across the grain.
3. Apply Thin Coats
I usually apply clear furniture wax in two thin coats. I apply the first coat and wait for it to dry and be absorbed into the paint, this can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to dry depending on the weather and room conditions then I apply the second coat. The wax will have a slightly hazy look when dry. A thick coat of wax takes ages to cure and will feel sticky for longer. If you have applied too much wax, you can wipe the excess off with a cloth. If the piece to be waxed is large you can wax and buff in sections at a time.
4. Buff the wax
Once the second coat of wax has dried take a clean cloth and buff the wax until you get that gorgeous sheen that only wax will give you. The longer the wax stays on, the harder the wax gets, wax is like paint, it cures and hardens with time.
**Important - Before using the other types of waxes that I mention below you should first seal your piece with clear wax!
- White Wax:
White wax can create a gorgeous white washed or beachy effect on wood or paint or you can use it to highlight ornate parts of the piece and special areas or the edges of the piece that you want to stand out. Be careful though, white wax is not a protective coating for your furniture, it’s an aging wax so be sure to seal your piece first with clear wax.
- Dark wax:
Dark wax is used to age the piece. With the correct application dark wax can make the item look old, antique or weathered and gives depth to the piece. Dark wax also looks great on black paint. Dark wax can be applied anywhere that dirt can gather over the years. There are various shades of dark wax; brown wax, black wax and antiquing wax. A word of warning, use dark waxes carefully, it can make your piece look dirty instead of giving you that antique aged effect that you so desire, make sure you have first sealed your piece with clear wax.
- Tinted waxes:
Tinted waxes are absolutely gorgeous for highlighting areas of your piece and they can really give your item that wow factor. A great way to create more depth to the paint that you used is to use a tinted wax in the same tone of paint that you used. Make sure that you have sealed your piece first with clear wax.
So now it’s up to you. Happy waxing!
You can see the full range of waxes that we supply here Waxes
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