Learn how to rejuvenate and moisturise your timber furniture with Restorers Choice! Read how to apply our waxes to your furniture, no experience required!
Your furniture and antiques may look like they need a full restoration, but sometime all it takes is quick polish to bring it back to life. The amazing abilities of furniture wax are often underestimated, but when used properly the results can be astonishing. Scratches, water marks and general wear and tear can all be fixed with Furniture Wax.
By following this guide, you can learn how to correctly restore, rejuvenate, and protect your furniture using furniture wax, with tips, tricks, and techniques to maximise results with minimum effort.
Choosing the right Wax
There are 2 main wax types that are commonly used for furniture polishing, Beeswax and Microcrystalline Wax
Beeswax is the more traditional option and has been used for thousands of years. It is commonly used by purists that intent to keep antiques in perfect original condition, using only traditional techniques and materials. Beeswax offers a Medium-high shine but takes a bit of elbow grease to apply.
Microcrystalline Wax is a more modern alternative. It can be applied much easier than beeswax as it is a lot softer and smoother. It is a lot easier to buff, and fingerprints can be easily rubbed away. Microcrystalline is often used by museums as its low PH will not ‘yellow’ furniture and artwork over time, overall giving a better result than beeswax
Existing timber finish
Furniture wax can be used on bare timber or on pre-varnished surfaces such as lacquer and Shellac, but we always recommend starting on an inconspicuous area of the furniture, just to be safe.
Application
A soft Cotton Polishing Cloth or Super Fine Steel Wool can be used to apply the first coat, depending on the condition of the furniture that needs polishing. If the existing varnish/shellac/lacquer is in fair condition, the cotton cloth can be used. If the surface is more damaged and rougher to the touch, the Steel wool will be required, this is because the steel wool will rub back the existing surface, creating a smoother, flatter surface for the wax to work its magic. You can smooth the soiled timber with some dry Steel Wool before using wax.
Apply a small amount of wax to the application material by using 2 fingers to gently wipe over the wax tin. In circular motions, firmly rub over the furniture’s surface. Be sure to only apply a very thin layer as too much wax will be very difficult to buff and polish. If done correctly, the surface will now be matt, with little to no shine and will feel sticky to touch. The thin layer of wax will work much better if left to dry. After waiting for up to an hour, the surface won’t feel as sticky and will therefore be much easier to buff and polish
Buffing/polishing
Using a clean piece of Cotton Polishing Cloth, aggressively buff the surface with medium pressure. the surface will immediately begin to shine, continue buffing until the entire surface has been cleaned of all waxy residue. Scratches, water marks and fading will all be massively reduced, revealing a new surface with a fantastic new shine. You can repeat the application and buffing process for maximum results, but the process usually only needs to be done once.
About our waxes
We offer a wide variety of waxes for all your furniture restoration needs. Our beeswax tins are hand made in NSW using Aussie beeswax and other Australian ingredients, each batch is made with quality and care, ensuring the best results every time.
Have a browse at our beeswax products below, all products can be purchased online and shipped Australia wide
Our Donation to help the bees!
It has never been more important to protect our delicate ecosystems, that’s why a $2 donation is made with every purchase of Beeswax Furniture Polish or Spray wax to the Wheen Bee Foundation. Sustainability is a huge goal for us, so its important to help when nature needs us.
Here’s some quick info about why our help is important:
Ensuring our food security
Bees are so important to our livelihood as they help to pollinate most of the crops we eat and many that feed farm livestock. In fact, nearly two-thirds of Australia’s agricultural production benefits from bee pollination. But bee populations are under threat. Destruction of their natural habitat, intensive farming practices, and pests and diseases are just some of the complex reasons driving a decline in both the number and diversity of bees. Honey bees are the most widespread managed pollinator having co-evolved with our food
production systems.
Without bees, our food security is at risk. That’s why food security needs bee security.
Bolstering Ecosystem Health
Bees are keystone species. They play a vital role in preserving biodiversity and ecosystem health and without them, many ecosystems would be altered or cease to exist altogether. There are over 20,000 species of bee that exist globally and Australia is home to around 2,000 species of native bee. These bees have co-evolved with our unique native flora over thousands of years.