How Do You Wax Unpainted Wood Furniture?

Waxing unpainted wood furniture is quite a popular way of finishing the piece. If you are going to wax your latest purchase, you must first seal the wood to ensure that it doesn't remain permeable. If you fail to do this, the wood may absorb stains and dirt that will adversely affect its look over time. When you see ring marks from glasses or cups on a piece of furniture it means the owner didn't seal it right and they could be a nightmare to remove.

You can seal the bare wood with either a sanding sealer or some diluted varnish. You would use 80% varnish with 20% white spirit to get the right thickness.

Many sanding sealers are available in neutral colors so you do not need to worry about them tinting the wood. They will accentuate the grain but that is most likely a great thing! Don't make your life more difficult by using a low quality paint brush to apply the sealant as you will use tons of time plucking the bristles off the coat you have just applied. Get a brush with densely packed bristles and constantly flex it before using to weed out some loose strays.

It is little methods just like these that could make your life easier and lead to a better finish when working with your unpainted wood furniture. When the unit has totally dried apply the wax finish. Furniture wax is often created from beeswax as well as carnauba wax dissolved in turpentine. It gives wood a beautiful shine and is especially suited to hardwoods such as oak. You must apply two or 3 coats of wax. You can use transparent wax to achieve a shine or dyed wax if you would like shine with a touch of color.

Make sure to force the wax deep into the pores of the wood and let it harden before you polish off. I discovered that using a cotton sock to polish the unpainted wood furniture gave me the best shine and it also kept my hands dirt free.