With all the sprays,
polishes, oils, cleaners, and waxes
available today, its no wonder that this is
the most asked question by far. My response
is always the same; "Do you just want a
shine or do you want protection also"?
Spray-on polish and oils, "time savers",
give a quick temporary shine in just
minutes, but that's all you get. The reason
they "shine" is because they are WET. This
"wet look" may produce a nice shine but
offers little or no protection. These
products became popular in the late 1940s
and have increased in popularity ever
since. TV commercials showing a house wife
using product X on a dull table top,
followed by her smiling beautiful face in
the reflection gave proof of the effortless
shine their product would produce. Well,
that was nothing but a good marketing ploy
to boost product sales. What house wife,
even today, would not want to save a lot of
time and good old fashion elbow grease?
What they did not tell you, was that the
silicone oils and petroleum distillates in
their product would actually cause harm to
your finish over time. In the late 60s and
early 70s refinishing shops made a lot of
money refinishing hundreds of table tops
when their finish softened and turned into
a sticky, gooey mess. These products are
much improved today and can be good for the
occasional quickie just before guest
arrive, but prolonged use can still leave a
gooey mess and still no real protection.
It is easy to tell if a customer has been
using these kind of polishes. You can make
swirl marks in the wet oil with your
fingers, or lift a cloth place mat from the
table top to reveal a dull spot the same
shape of the mat (the oil was absorbed by
the mat). Because the surface is wet, it
will actually attract and hold more dust
and pollutants from the air.
Lets take a moment and consider just what a
finish is designed to do. First and
foremost it is to seal the wood.
Sealing the wood protects the wood from
moisture changes, spills, stains, and
surface abrasion. Second it is used to
enhance the beauty of the wood grain. Have
you ever heard someone tell how their
product "feeds" the wood. Unless your
furniture is unfinished, or the finish has
deteriorated, there is absolutely no way
any polish, oil or wax is going to get
through the finish to the wood. Another
common misconception is that wood furniture
is "alive" and needs to "breathe," so don't
seal the pores with wax. Wood furniture is
not "alive" it can not "breathe" nor does
it need to be "nourished" or "fed'' with
oily polishes. Just the very opposite is
the truth! Continual changes in humidity,
not the lack of "feeding", cause un-sealed
wood to crack, warp, swell, shrink and glue
joints to loosen.
Paste Wax
has been used for
centuries as a finishing material itself
and a finish protector. If used properly,
paste wax will provide a thin, hard,
lasting finish. Waxes dry hard so they do
not smear and attract dust and dirt. Paste
waxing typically lasts 3-5 years, depending on
how much the furniture is used and how many
coats are applied. Table tops and chair
arms are an exception, generally needing
to be waxed once a year, due to the extra
wear they receive. Many people, especially
antique lovers, prefer the soft sheen
provided by paste wax. Also, waxes do not
interfere with future refinishing like
silicone polishes most often do. Paste wax
is hard work. It will take 4-6 hours to
paste wax a dining room set and if done
properly will not need waxing again for
years. It requires effort, but you won't
obtain a more durable, beautiful protection
than paste wax. Remember, the wax protects
the finish, the finish protects the wood.
To dust or clean, just wipe with a soft
damp, lint free cloth.
Economy 101
A typical can of past wax
cost less then $15.00 and if the lid is put
back on properly after each use will last
the average home owner 20 years or so. Now
consider the advertisements that tell you
to dust every day with their $3.00 per can
spray polish. All right, now do the math.
One $3.00 can a month for next 20 years
($720.00) verses one can for 20 years at
$15.00. Next consider the time factor. Lets
say it takes 5 minutes once a week to use a
spray polish on your dinning room set. 5
minutes times 52 weeks times 4 years: that's
a little over 17 hours spent giving your
set a non-protective shine. With paste wax
it took 5 hours to wax the first time then
you spent 1 more hour per year doing the
table top and chair arms the next 3 years,
that's 8 hours spent giving your set a
protective coating that has extended the
life of the finish.
One more thing. Make sure you use a wax
designed for wood furniture. Some shoe and
car waxes can cause problems on some
finishes.
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Wax, Polish or Oil? by Steve Nearman, visit:
FurnitureRepair.net for more restoration articles. |
