This guide will be very useful if you want to remove wax from wooden furniture and you don’t know how to do it, as if what you want is to renew the shine of the tarpaulin. Recover your furniture by giving it back its charm or give it a second chance by following these steps.
The wax finish is one of the most common in the restoration of wooden furniture since the nourishes and protects without closing the pore (in this link you will find other types of finishes). This particularity favors the natural movements of the wood due to changes in temperature, preventing cracks from forming on its surface.
On the other hand, waxing provides a very natural satin sheen and, if we also play with colored waxes, we will achieve effects and patinas that will give the furniture character.
However, the wax finish has its drawbacks:
- Like any other open pore product, requires maintenance and renovation on a regular basis (usually once a year).
- The wax has a healing process which can last several weeks, so it is not advisable to use the furniture immediately after waxing to avoid stains, as well as use it carefully for a few days until the wax hardens.
- Even after healing the wax does not completely insulate the wood, For this reason, liquids must be cleaned immediately to prevent them from leaking and ending up staining the furniture.
How to know if a piece of furniture has a wax finish?
Sometimes we do not know the finish of the furniture, especially if it has been found or bought at a flea market. To know if it has a wax finish we must follow the following steps:
1st.- It is essential to clean the furniture with a soapy solution. Whether you want to remove the finish or renew it, cleaning the furniture is essential as it ensures a more reliable result when determining the finish. It will also increase the effectiveness of the product that we use to remove the wax from the furniture, since it will act directly on it and not on the dirt.
To clean the furniture we will use a damp cloth in a mixture of liquid dishwasher detergent (better neutral PH), diluted in water. We will rub the surface without pressing too much and following the grain of the wood. Finally we will pass a dry cloth.
In the case of punctual or persistent stains, 0000 grade zero wool can be used, making gentle movements in the direction of the grain.
2º.- After having cleaned the furniture, moisten a cloth or cotton disc in pure turpentine or oil of turpentine and it will be rubbed on an inconspicuous part. If it is stained, it means that the furniture is finished with wax or varnish, how can you tell them apart? A fairly effective trick is to pass a very fine grain sandpaper, if the grains are stained, the finish is wax, while the varnish leaves a dust. In the following image you can see:
How to remove wax from furniture?
Once you have identified the wax finish you can proceed to remove it. In the past, pure turpentine or turpentine essence was used to make it, but it was observed that over time the wood dried out. For this reason, one of the most effective solutions when it comes to removing wax from furniture without damaging the wood is to use a dewaxing product. To do this you must follow the following steps:
- Apply the wax remover with a trowel, then rub the wood with #0 (coarse) steel wool following the direction of the grain.
- You have to change the steel wool end as it gets dirty.
- Then remove the excess product with kitchen paper, clean the furniture with alcohol and wait for it to dry.
- Moisten a cloth in wax remover and rub over a small area of the furniture. If it continues to stain, the operation will have to be repeated until the wood is completely free of wax.
- Always finish by cleaning the furniture with alcohol to remove any remaining product and let it dry before applying a new finish (better if 24 hours have elapsed).
Another alternative solution is to remove the wax using a concentrated grease remover, although it is a remedy that has its detractors since it can harm the wood as it has a fairly high PH. I would not particularly recommend it for furniture with character and great economic or sentimental value.
When is it advisable to remove wax from wood?
Overlay layers of wax to restore shine? Paint or varnish over wax? These are some of the questions that usually arise when you want to renew or polish a piece of furniture with a wax finish. The solution in both cases is dewax the furniture before adding more layers or applying another type of finish.
On the one hand, when layers of wax are superimposed, the wood becomes saturated and begins to darken, showing a dull appearance. For this reason, before giving a new layer, the previous one must be removed, so that it can be applied directly to the wood.
If what you want is to paint or varnish a waxed piece of furniture, you must first bear in mind that if the wax is not cured, it will prevent the adhesion of the varnish or paint. For this reason, when we do not like the result after waxing a piece of furniture, we must remove the wax before applying another type of finish.
On the other hand, if the furniture has been waxed for a long time, theoretically, it can be primed and painted or varnished directly on it. In my opinion, the most appropriate solution is still to remove the wax beforehand, since we avoid adding more layers of products and we make sure to remove the stains and dirt that the furniture may have accumulated over time.
Finally, when re-waxing a piece of furniture, I recommend that you follow the step-by-step instructions that you will find at this link.
Summarizing…
So that everything is clear, here is a very brief summary of the steps to follow:
- clean the furniture
- Identify the type of finish
- If it is a wax finish, use a wax remover product
- Apply a new layer of wax to wax again or apply another type of finish
I hope this guide has been helpful to you. remove wax from wooden furniture. I followed these same steps to unwax my dining room table and now I have it ready to apply a new finish, which I will talk about soon, don’t miss it!
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