The wood wax is another excellent wood treatment solution in woodworking and along with the oils , are some of the most amazing protection methods you can use , for your wooden projects .
The wax we use for our wood treatment is considering as a natural treatment for the wood , if the wax is 100% pure and comes from the bees .
The 100% purity wood wax we use in woodworking is an inactive – malleable with high plasticity , soft ( in room temperature ) , greasy element , mostly from esters and over of 250+ more elements , which is produced from the 4 kerogen glands of the bees and it’s insoluble in water , but solute to organic solvents .
See some of the best wood wax choices to supply from the markets , in HERE .
What are the Ingredients in wood wax ?
The 100% pure beeswax which is the only 100& natural , contains esters mostly and close to 300 more ingredients to its structure , while the manufactured waxes may contain many other chemical organic or not factors , filters , other type of waxes , oils as thinners , et.c .
What does wood wax , do ?
The main “mission” and job of the wood wax , is to create a protecting film – layer above a wooden surface and block anything that will attempt to penetrate inside the wood’s mass .
The wood wax is the ultimate last layer – coating of our finishing process and above it , we never apply anything extra . The wood wax is sealing the wood .
Secondary it makes it more solid generally , because it has a level of small penetration into wood , as you apply it and emphasize the grain . You may warm it a little to make it more soft and go a little deeper , but not a big deal .
The wood wax is a great natural or not ( if you use a mixture ) sealer of wood .
Does wax protects , Raw wood ?
Yes , it protects any type of wood and in whatever condition the wood exists , being a great protection for raw wood , making it stronger and more solid , especially if this wood has “health” issues .
You can seal it and protect it from more damage .
Is wood wax a Sealer ?
Yes , it’s a first class wood sealer for all the external factors which trying to “invade” wood , except the organic solvents , because the wax is solute to them .
The wood wax blocks even the air from the wood’s mass and fibers .
How do you Seal wood , after waxing ?
The wood wax is the final stage of the woodworking finishing and it doesn’t need anything more above it as a sealer , because it’s a very capable natural sealer for any wood type and project .
If you want to “exxagerate” and you want to cover it with an extra element , you can use a laquer spray , to make an extra glossy and crust layer above your wax , but again , it’s too much .
Be aware , that if you want to use extra coating layer above your wax surface – and you have every right , you can do whatever you desire – these several different coatings will react very “strange” between them .
Different and many coating layers the one above the other , different reactions , to heat – cold – pressure – friction , different flexibilities , et.c and all these , affect wood .
But if you like a laquer spray , can be cool .
Does waxing wood , Waterproof it ?
Yes , it makes the wood waterproof , because the wax is insoluble to water .
Will beeswax , waterproof wood ?
Yes , certainly it will make it waterproof and it’s a first class natural sealer for your indoor and outdoor wood , with a very long lasting results .
Can you seal wood , with just beeswax ?
Yes , certainly you can and the results will be very stong , stable and long lasting , especially to water and other non organic solvents .
Does wax makes wood , Darker ?
No , it doesn’t darken it , even if it emphasize its fibers – grain and give a very nice looks to it .
Does beeswax , Changes the color of wood ?
No , it doesn’t affect on the wood’s color , even if it emphasizes the texture of it and gives a very nice appearance to the waxed wood in general .
Does wood wax , Harden ?
Yes , it does and after sometime of your applying and as lower the temperature the wax “lives” , the harder it becomes . Cold makes wax , very solid and hard .
What wax , is best for wood ?
Undoubtedly , the beeswax is the best natural wax solution and sealer of your wood , but in our modern times , you can find waxes mixed with other elements , for specialized woodworking “mission” , which are very effective .
Is Paraffin wax food safe ?
No , the paraffin wax isn’t food safe because it’s an industrial made wax from petroleum and other mineral materials . Never use it for your kitchen’s equipment and stuff .
For kitchen use we use only the appropriate products , which have all the appropriate licences and approvals .
Does the wood wax need Rub off ?
Yes , after the complete wax drying , you should rub off the excess of the wax in order to make the wooden surface smooth in the grade you want and like , but this isn’t an unbroken “law” .
If you make a good job , while applying the wax and you don’t have many quatities to protrude , you may leave it as it is , or with a very light rubbing with the lighest – smoothest sandpaper .
Some of the best sandpapers and other abrasives to buy for wood in HERE .
How many coats of wax , on wood ?
This depends of the wooden surface , the type of wood and its open or close pores and the type of wax material , you’ll use for the wax treatment .
If you have a very damaged or a piece of raw wood , which has big gaps and holes , in it , you’ll need more wax layers , to fill it in the level you want .
The open pore wood pieces , are consuming more wax quantities than a more close and tight density’s wood piece .
There are many varieties of wood wax you can apply to your wood and accordingly to how liquid or hard its mass is , you may need more quantity – material , to fill the surface you have .
How do you Apply wax , to wood ?
Usually we use a soft cloth to apply the wax above the wooden surface and maybe if you have a very “strange” and difficult design , you may need to use a medium to hard hair brush , in order to reach these tough areas .
How do you Apply wax , to furniture ?
You apply wax on furniture with a cloth as all the other wood pieces or a small brush for the difficult areas , but you should be aware and careful to use may thin layers of wax , many times , than big quantities for just one coating .
In that way , you’ll avoid the over excess – exxageration of wax and you’ll have better uniformity to your wood furniture .
See and check some of the most classical brushes to buy for this job , in HERE .
Does furniture wax , Wear off ?
Yes , of course it does and it needs re – applying accordingly to the needs and conditions , of the place the furniture “lives” .
What wax is best , for furniture ?
I think that a good mixture of several types of waxes , including the so capable carnauba wax , would be ideal for any type of furniture and for the majority of the weather and other conditions .
Of course always the 100% pure beeswax , is a top choice .
Why is my furniture wax , still sticky ?
If you aren’t living in an extreme hot – water and moisture weather conditions place in the globe which prevents – slower the complete drying of the wax , the posibility to have used many more wax than it’s needed , is the answer .
In Thailand wax dries way slower than Germany .
How often , do you need to wax furniture ?
This always depends from the type of the wood your furniture are made , the type of wax you’ve used , the general weather conditions and if they have often contact , with organic solvents which cause big wear – damage to the wax on them .
Make constant inspections and i suppose every couple of years , you’ll need re-applying .
Can Candle wax , be used on Furniture ?
Yes , you can use if you like , but be aware that if the candle isn’t made from 100% pure beeswax , which is very rare , the wax will contain paraffin and other non 100% natural ingredients .
I have used myself to finish my personal small desk along with pure linseed oil , mixing them boiling them together , as you can see in the below video of mine .
Can i use Turtle wax on furniture ?
The wax you see and it has a turtle in the markets , is focused for the cars and stuff like that mostly , you can use it on your wood , but i don’t suggest you do that .
Waxes that are made for other elements than wood , may contain dangerous factors inside them , which are good for cars , metal , et.c , but they can cause problems on wood .
Can you use Vaseline , on furniture wax ?
Vaseline is a petroleum product and it’s extracted with several processes from petroleum and other mineral stuff . I don’t suggest you do that for your wood .
Use only products that are appropriate and suitable for wood each element generally .
Can i use Microbiber cloth , to apply furniture wax ?
Yes , certainly you can and some microfibers are designed to be so soft and elegant , that make them very good for your wax applying .
How Long does wax last on wood ?
This depends from the type of wood you have , the general weather conditions of the place the wood exists , the type of wax you’ve used , the contacts it has with organic solvents which damage it big and its generic hard or not treatment .
I have wood wax on my personal wooden furniture i’ve made for my daily indoor needs , from more than a decate .
I think that a couple of years for the indoors is a realistic situation and 2 or 3 for the outdoors , except the near the sea conditions .
The salty conditions need more care .
Is it better to Oil or Wax wood ?
There are different processes and if you combine them , you ‘ll have amazing protection and beautiness results to your precious wood .
The oils are penetrating way deeper than the wax into the wood’s mass , acting as fillers – grain fillers – sealers – restorers , et.c , while the main job of the wax is to block – seal the surface in a very high level .
See in HERE some top natural finishing combinations , you can use to your wood .
Is beeswax , better than Varnish ?
1) If you have a crust making varnish and not an impregnation one , you may say that they do the same job , with the wax . Both they block the wooden surface from the external factors .
Of course in here , the big question is when the crust varnish will start to make small – tiny cracks , leaving the wood unprotected ?
Have no doubt , there is no crust varnish or other material which is immortal to time . All , eventually will crack , leaving small areas of wood unprotected and this is their big disadvantage .
The wax is flexible , doesn’t crack , they just need re-applying , to refresh their coating .
2) If you compare the impregantion varnish with a wood wax , there are totally different elements .
The impregnation varnish does deep , while the wood wax makes a blocking film above the surface , penetrating very little , inside wood .
The wax blocks better the wooden surface .
Can you oil wood , After waxing ?
It’s not forbitten but it’s useless , because the wax is the final coating on the wooden surface and it doesn’t allow anything to penetrate it and go inside the wood’s mass .
Can you varnish , Over wax ?
It’s not forbitten , but it’s useless concerning the protection and finishing of the wood . If you want to varnish to protect the wax from wear , it’s ok you can do it .
But above the wax , we don’t use anything else , because it cannot penetrate the wax film and interact with wood .
Can you use Car wax , to wax wood ?
You can use it but it’s not recommended , because the additives of this wax , are targeting – focused metal and not wood and may cause serious themes , if you use them to a totally different element which is wood .
Every product isn’t the same because it says wax , or whatever else .
Can i use wax , on Exterior wood ?
Yes , certainly you can , but have in mind that the outdoor circumstances will “torture” your wood and wax more than an inside wood piece .
You’ll need more often to refresh and re-apply the wax to your wood creation .
The wax along with the oils are basic columns to any woodworking approach you’ll choose and you cannot avoid them totally for your coatings .
Always choose the appropriate ones , use their instructions , but also make “countless” experiments , in order to create your ideal wood finishing .
Keep woodworking and “wax your happiness” to protect it from any “danger” .