From time immemorial, craftsmen covered the wooden furniture with wax. Thus, the wood received protection from various external influences. At the same time, she retained her natural beauty and warmth. Our ancestors also knew about the water-repellent properties of this product.
To date, a fairly large number of options for processing wood are known. But wax for furniture maintains a leading position. It is often used to preserve and emphasize the natural beauty of a wooden surface.
Benefits of using
Wax, unlike other types of protective agents, completely penetrates the structure of the tree, and does not lie on the surface. Thus, the tree does not lose its texture and retains natural heat. Furniture covered with such a product perfectly withstands long-term loads. This tool has other advantages:
- Velvet material will remain, which is so lacking in polished furniture.
- Cabinets, chairs, tables and chests of drawers made of natural wood will become even more beautiful if they are covered with wax. Under the invisible coating of the protective layer, not only the texture appears, but also the surface color of the product becomes more expressive.
- Using the tinted look of the material, you can create furniture that fits perfectly into the desired interior.
- Wax for furniture is an excellent tool for restoration. The thick plastic mass fills any cracks, scratches and chips well, and helps to restore the original appearance of the headset.
A properly selected shade will not only restore household items, but also make them even more beautiful. Also an excellent restoration tool is a furniture polish with wax.
Varieties of wax
In the shops you can see a wide selection of different furniture wax options. The following types are distinguished:
- Soft wax for furniture. Experts recommend using it for interior woodwork. This type of polish is great for repairing surfaces and removing chips, cracks, scratches and dents. It is also used for work with both wooden and laminated surfaces. The wooden panels of cabinet furniture and interior doors covered with soft wax perfectly withstand a variety of physical activities. They maintain their integrity under the influence of high humidity and in the conditions of sharp temperature changes. Wax does not require prior mixing, it is immediately ready for use. The mixture is applied to the desired area using a special plastic spatula. Excesses are removed with the same tool. If a specific color background is required, waxes of different shades can be easily mixed.
- Hard wax for furniture can be used both for exterior and interior use. It perfectly lays on the wood, not only protecting it from negative external factors, but also restores the damaged surface, repairing chips, dents, scratches and cracks. Unlike its soft counterpart, this wax for furniture restoration has a denser structure. To work with a solid type of polish, you need a soldering iron. Wax is pre-melted using this device. And already melted mass is applied to the desired area. After a few seconds, he grabs a tree. Excess material is removed with a plastic or rubber spatula.
How to apply wax on furniture with your own hands?
Work on the processing of wooden surfaces with wax will not be difficult if you study some rules in advance:
- We prepare the surface correctly. For wax for furniture to be evenly absorbed into the structure of the tree, the pores of the latter must be open. If the furniture has just been assembled and its surface has not been treated with any paints and varnishes, preliminary preparation is not required. It is more difficult if the furniture is already varnished. In this case, before applying the wax polish, the surface must be treated with a solvent. It will be necessary to carry out such a procedure several times until all the varnish particles have been completely removed. After that, wooden surfaces are treated with sandpaper. Important: work is carried out only in the direction of the fibers. Ultimately, you should get a perfectly flat surface.
- Apply furniture wax correctly. The consistency that wax has is very important. Depending on its variety, some devices or tools may be needed in the work. The polishes are rubbed with a dense cloth using uniform movements in the direction of the wood fibers. In some cases, you can use a brush or brush. For a wax of a thicker consistency, use a rubber or plastic spatula. Important: regardless of what type of wax is used in the work, after processing the wood must be left for at least an hour. Then the excess is removed. If the product is applied in one layer, the surface will remain matte. To achieve a glossy shine, it must be applied a second time.
We create furniture wax with our own hands.
Some masters use in-house cooking. The recipe is quite simple. In order to cook it yourself, combine beeswax with turpentine. Consider the fact that the first component, as a rule, has saturated shades of yellow. Therefore, for light furniture should take clarified material.
The mixture is prepared in a water bath. Beeswax is ground with a knife and placed in a jar of turpentine. The last component will need two times less than the first. A saucepan with the contents is placed in a water bath. After our main ingredient has melted, the container is removed from the heat. A little remaining wax is added to the molten mass until a homogeneous thick mass is obtained.
Safety matters most
Do not forget to adhere to fire safety rules during operation. Do not leave turpentine for a long time on fire. It is highly flammable, which can lead to very sad consequences.
Evaluate the result
The quality of the obtained wax coating can be judged only after its complete cooling. If the mass seems very thick, the mixture is again placed in a water bath. And, adding turpentine, bring to the desired consistency. Keep cooked wax in a tightly closed container.