How do you wax unpainted wood furniture?

Waxing unpainted wood furniture is a very popular way of finishing the piece. If you are going to wax your recent purchase, you need to first seal the wood so that it doesn’t remain porous. If you fail to do this, the wood will soak up stains and dust which 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 properly and they can 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 correct consistency.

Most sanding sealers come in neutral colors so you do not need to worry about them tinting the wood. They will accentuate the grain but that is probably a good thing! Don’t make your life more difficult by using a cheap paint brush to apply the sealant as you will spend lots to time picking the bristles out of the coat you have just applied. Buy a brush with densely packed bristles and always flex it before using to weed out any loose strays.

It is little tricks like these that will make your life easier and result in a better finish. Once the unit has fully dried apply the wax finish. Furniture wax is usually made from beeswax and carnauba wax dissolved in turpentine. It gives wood a lovely sheen and is particularly suited to hardwoods such as oak. You should apply two or three coats of wax. You can use clear wax to achieve a shine or tinted wax if you want shine with a hint of color.

Always force the wax deep into the pores of the wood and allow it to harden before you polish off. I found using a cotton sock to polish the unpainted wood furniture gave me the best shine and it also kept my hands clean.