About Paste Wax



About Paste Wax and Caring for Wood Furniture:
For centuries, wax has been recognized for its natural protective qualities. Used throughout history by craftsmen, wax provides surface protection and enhances the inherent beauty of wood. Paste wax should never be considered a protective finish, but rather as a protective barrier, providing added wax protection to a finish or substrate from such things as moisture, dust and airborne pollutants. We have all seen water bead up on the hood of a car. Paste Wax on furniture does the same thing. However, if water is left to stand on a waxed surface, it will eventually penetrate the paste wax and possibly affect the finish and wood. Remember, paste wax is not a protective finish but a barrier coat that will allow
you a little more time to clean up a spill. Paste wax also provides scratch resistance and protection from dust, in that it creates a barrier between the finish and the dust cloth. As you dust, the cloth is charged with dust particles, which can scratch and dull the finish. This will eventually obscure the natural beauty of the wood. Paste wax provides protection but also adds depth to wood and imparts an overall healthier look to furniture as well as adding scent to a room. Wax is a very stable material and if properly maintained, will protect a finish indefinitely.

How Often Should You Apply Paste Wax?
When to apply a fresh coat of paste wax is determined by how often the surface is used and cleaned. A paste wax surface that is used frequently gets cleaned and dusted more frequently. Every time a paste waxed surface is “wiped”, minute amounts of wax are removed. Eventually, there is not enough paste wax on the surface to buff to a shine. This is when a fresh coat of paste wax should be applied. Maintaining a paste waxed surface is easy and only needs to be dusted with a soft cloth. Do not use solvent base furniture spray polishes to dust or maintain a paste wax finish. In order for a spray polish to atomize sufficiently, manufactures are forced to dilute the wax and/or oil with excessive amounts of solvent. Spraying a solvent base furniture polish on a paste wax surface will strip the paste wax finish and remove any protection that it offers. The absolute "Best" product for maintaining a paste wax finish is The Furniture Butler "Patina Protector". Patina Protector is safe for all finishes and will NOT remove
any paste wax, in fact, it will increase the performance of all paste waxes.

How to Apply Paste Wax:
Paste Wax is easy to apply and maintain. Here are a few helpful hints:
Before applying a furniture paste wax, wipe the surface clean with a moist, not wet, cloth. This will remove the water-soluble dirt. The thinner in the paste wax makes it an excellent cleaner for removing grease and oil-based dirt. A common mistake when applying furniture paste wax, is applying too much wax. Wax is tenacious about sticking to other things, but it does not stick well to itself. If you put a whole can of paste wax on a tabletop and buff it out, you will be left with the small amount that you should have put on in the first place. The only difference is that you have just wasted an entire can of paste wax and spent the day trying to get it off. So, with a soft, clean, cotton cloth, apply the furniture paste wax by first dipping the cloth into the can of wax. Now, rub the wax in a circular motion over the wood surface, ending in a motion that follows the grain of the wood. Be sure to spread the paste wax thinly. If
you are applying the paste wax over a previously waxed surface, the application and buffing should be easy. However, if the wood surface is new or particularly dry, it may be slightly more difficult. This is
because of the tenacity of the wax, which is accentuated when applied to a dry, new or freshly cleaned surface. To circumvent this challenge you will need to apply an addition coat of paste wax. Applying 2-3 coats of paste wax is always recommended on a surface that has not been previously waxed. The reason is that it is nearly impossible, even for a professional, to apply a single coat of wax evenly and without missing a single spot. Doing so will also insure complete wax protection and improve the performance of the paste wax. The second and subsequent coats of wax will always be easier to apply and buff. The first coat of wax will reduce the surface tension between the substrate and following coats of wax, and allow easier application and buffing.

Buffing Paste Wax:
The next step is buffing the paste wax, but when should you do that? This is one of the great mysteries about waxing. Not really, it’s simple. You are waiting for the solvents in the furniture paste wax to evaporate. What determines that is what kind of solvent was used in the paste wax. Was it a fast or slow evaporating solvent? And what is the environment like that you are waxing in; hot, cold, humid…. etc., all of these things will effect the drying time and how the paste wax buffs. The point is that
there is no exact time to begin buffing the paste wax. It could be five minutes, twenty minutes or more. Most of the time it’s about ten or fifteen minutes, if all the conditions are right and the proper amount of
paste wax is applied. You will know the wax is ready to buff when it looks dry or hazed over. When the wax is ready, take another clean cloth and buff the surface. Buffing lightly will produce a satin sheen; while more buffing can produce a higher sheen or even a gloss. If you try and buff the wax too soon, before the solvent has fully evaporated, you will effectively be stripping the paste wax from the surface. This is the reason a poorly paste waxed surface appears to have shiny and dull areas. If the solvent in the paste wax has not fully evaporated the buffing cloth will pick up the solvent and use it like a wax stripper, removing any dry paste wax as you attempt to buff the surface. If the paste wax is left on
too long, it simply is harder to buff out. In any case, one should not be alarmed; this can easily be corrected in either instance by simply applying another coat of paste wax.

The importance of caring for your furniture, particularly historic furniture, cannot be over stated. The wonderful furniture that surrounds us is dependent on our support and interest for care and preservation. Maintaining your furniture’s condition and taking measures to prevent
damage will ensure many years of use and enjoyment.

The Furniture Butler would like to think TheFurnitureConnoisseur.com for permission to use portions from their website article "About Paste Wax" for this article.