October 4, 2023
Although antique furniture increases in value over time, its value can also depreciate if it gets damaged or if you have repolished it incorrectly. So, you need to correctly polish or refinish it to protect it from damage and improve its appearance and condition.
Polishing antique furniture, however, entails a lot of work and is a lengthy process. Hence, you need to prepare well and know precisely how to repolish antique furniture.
You also need to get hold of the most recommended furniture polish or wax in the market today to ensure that the product you will use is the best for your furniture.
5 Most Recommended Waxes & Polishes For Antique Wood Furniture
Given the myriads of polish and wax products in the market today, you may get confused in the choosing process. Thus, to narrow down your search for the best polish and wax products, we have listed here the following top five polish and wax products in the market today:
Last update on 2024-11-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
1) Howard CS0014 Citrus Shield Paste Wax
If you are looking for an excellent multi-use paste wax, you should consider the Howard Citrus Shield. It carries in its formula the Brazilian Carnauba—a substance considered the hardest natural wax in the world. It can provide your furniture with superb protection and a remarkable sheen that lasts longer. Moreover, it comes with orange oil that lets the wax to penetrate deep into the grain to give the furniture a rich and deep finish.
The Howard Shield Wax is unique because it provides a UV shield to protect delicate furniture. UV lights, of course, can damage antique furniture. So, with this added feature, you can ensure that your furniture is safe from UV-ray damage.
It can recondition the weathered and dried wood grain without using toluene, silicone, and linseed oil ingredients. Moreover, it can buff your furniture’s surface to perfection.
The Howard Shield Wax comes in many shades. Hence, you got many options to zero in on the right shade for your antique furniture. You can also use this wood wax to protect concrete, metal, and marble.
Its carnauba wax ingredient provides an additional barrier for the furniture surface to make it almost impervious to water penetration. No doubt you will be satisfied with this wax as it gives your furniture a superb finish and extra protection.
Pros:
- It provides extra protection from moisture and water.
- It is free from damaging silicone and linseed oil that darkens the color of the wood.
- It buffs to perfection.
- You can use it over different wood surfaces.
Cons:
- You’ll find it hard to open its can.
2) Minwax 785004444 Paste Finishing Wax
It lets you achieve a desirable fantastic luster without the need for a topcoat (polyurethane). It bears a natural color that provides a clear coating for your furniture’s surface (light-medium tone). Moreover, it is highly recommended for polishing antiques, cabinets, doors, accessories, and many more.
The Minwax 785004444 distinguishes itself for its capability to highlight the wood’s natural grain with a superb finish that balances glossiness and protection. It will enable you to maintain your furniture’s integrity for a long time.
It comes in a can that offers enough quantity of paste for multiple projects. It will be best to apply one coat over painted surface and two coats over oil, stain, or raw wood. You can coat your furniture surface once annually to prevent scratches and maintain its luster. Besides, it offers sterling consistency, and it is easy to use and apply.
Pros:
- It offers a remarkable finish.
- It doesn’t drip.
- It dries rapidly.
Cons:
- It renders a slightly yellow or tan shading if you apply it over a white surface.
- It smells a bit.
3) Howard Products FW0016 Wood Polish & Conditioner
You can use Howard FW0016 Wood Polish & Conditioner to polish all types of wood to give it a soft luster and provide it with a protective coating. Its Beeswax and Carnauba Wax ingredients provide this protective coating. It also provides conditioning oils that go deep down into the wood and prevents it from fading or drying.
The result is an enhanced natural beauty characterized by a grain depth. You can use the Howard Products FW0016 for repolishing your antiques, kitchen cabinets, dining tables, wood doors, and many other furniture. You can reapply this paste every month or whenever you notice that the wood begins to dry.
Its wax, of course, had been derived from the Brazilian Carnauba Wax, which is known for being the world’s best wax quality. This wax is then mixed with orange and mineral oil for a more enhanced finish.
Pros:
It is easy to use and is very effective.
It comes with a citrus smell that can prevent animals from scratching the wood.
Cons
- It is somewhat oily, so you need to wear latex gloves when applying it.
- The caps may be a bit loose and tends to spill over during shipment.
4) RUST-OLEUM 67041 Natural Satin Finishing Wax
It’s another great choice when it comes to repolishing antique wooden furniture. It offers a reliable formula that offers great reliability and finishes. It is smooth to apply and is easy to use. Moreover, it comes in a large can with a weight of 2.3 pounds, enough to provide you with ample wax for repolishing all your interior wood furniture, providing them with a satin luster.
It offers a thin wax formula that provides a clear tone when you apply it. It leaves the surface of the wood with a clear and shiny tone while increasing the durability of the wood and making it resistant to water. Its clear tone is perfect for use over wood with white or lighter stains. It hides the scratches and provides the furniture with a soft and beautiful sheen.
The RUST-OLEUM 67041 Natural Satin Finishing Wax is easy to apply using a cloth or brush. Afterward, you can buff the wood to create that soft sheeny appearance. With regular applications, you can protect your furniture from harsh elements.
Pros:
- It is not expensive and is easy to apply.
- It provides a soft and satiny sheen for your furniture.
- It is non-sticky.
- It doesn’t alter the tone of your furniture.
Cons:
- It seems to leave a thin film even after drying.
- It smells a bit.
5) The Original Bee’s Wax Old World Formula Furniture Polish
This company has been continuously involved in enhancing its quality, and one of its products is the Original Bee’s Wax. This furniture polish can be used as laminate, leather, granite, and even a steel polisher.
To use this polish, you only need to shake its bottle. Afterward, you can spray it on the surface of the furniture. Let it dry out then and wipe it using a clean cloth.
It offers a hard finish similar to shellac, polyurethane, and varnish. The result is a glossy sheen that does not leave a waxy surface. Likewise, you can use it on your mirror to prevent fogging and transform the glass into something that appears invisible. It also leaves no fingerprints and needs no buffing.
Pros:
- You can use it for many polishing applications.
- It smells great.
- It lasts longer than expected.
Cons:
- It leaves a dull finish.
- The sprayers, according to some users, sometimes do not work well.
Factors to Consider When Buying an Antique Wood Furniture Wax & Polish
If you want to make a wise purchase, you need to be mindful of the essential factors to consider when buying a product. Similarly, when buying a polish or wax for your antique wood furniture, you need to consider the following important factors to consider:
Type of Wax
There are different types of wax that a polish can have. The most common one is beeswax, an edible material made by honeybees when producing honeycomb. It bears a protective quality, such as its remarkable resistance to dirt and water. Hence, it is ideal for providing natural protection to wood surfaces. Any wood wax formula that carries beeswax may appear to be a good option.
Another natural wax is the Carnauba wax. It is also called Brazil wax because it came from Copernicia prunifera, a plant that is native to northeastern Brazil. It is also called Queen of Waxes.
As an ingredient of a polish wax, it can bring in a glossy finish. Hence, it is an ingredient in automobile waxes, dental floss, shoe polishes, food products, furniture waxes, and many more.
Carnauba wax can protect surfaces from exposure to extreme heat. It can also extend the life of furniture and provides a scratch-resistant finish to furniture. So, when buying a furniture wax, you should look for these ingredients in the product’s formula.
Naturalness
Some waxes come with harmful chemicals that may be detrimental to your health. So, you should avoid these waxes that bear these toxic chemicals. It will help if you select a 100% natural wax product to ensure that your choice is safe to use.
Read carefully the labels of the product you will buy. Check if it contains harmful chemicals. Choose only those products that make use of 100% natural wax that are the best to buy.
Applications
The different polishes come with different types of wax. Hence, they also come with various applications. So, at the onset, you should determine your purpose when buying a wood wax. Moreover, you should determine the amount that you would need to cover your project. If you need to coat only a tiny part of the furniture, you should not buy a huge can of wax.
You should likewise determine the type of wood you will coat. Some types of waxes work well with certain types of wood. So, it will be helpful to check the brand that works well with the kind of furniture you have.
Packaging System
Wax products come in different packaging types. You can find polish products wrought in sprays, jars, bottles, and many other types of packaging. Of course, some types of packaging systems may best suit your purpose. If you intend to coat medium-size furniture, a spray product may be sufficient and more efficient to use.
Price
The polish and wax products vary in prices, and some are more expensive than the others, depending on the brands and the ingredients they contain. So, if you want high-grade products with a great formula, be prepared to pay more.
Other manufacturers may mix harmful chemicals with their products with the view in mind of lowering the prices of their products. So, if money isn’t an issue for you, it is best to go for quality products to ensure that your antique wood furniture is correctly refinished.
What Products Should You Avoid When Poslishing & WaxingYour Antique Furniture?
You may not think about it much, yet many popular furniture polishes may not be safe for your antique furniture. They may contain harmful chemicals that can potentially damage your antique wooden pieces. It will surely help if you know these damaging products:
Aerosol Polishes
Aerosol polishes are detrimental to your antique furniture because they can leave behind a film on the furniture’s surface to attract debris and dust to your furniture. This debris and dust may damage the surface of your furniture in the long run.
Products with Acidic Extracts or Juices
If you intend to clean furniture or something else, you will surely like a cleaning product with lemon ingredients. Yet, lemon polishes may not be suitable for refinishing antique wood pieces. These products may also leave an oil film that can attract debris, dust, and even intensify fingerprints.
Oil polishes
Oil polishes may ruin your wood furniture, for they can penetrate deep into the open grain and eventually oxidize, which creates a blackish color on the wood.
Steps on Using Wax to Polish Your Antique Furniture
If you opted for a wax polish and you are still at a loss as to where to start, you can follow the following simple steps in applying wax on antique furniture:
- First, clean the surface that you would coat to free it from debris and dust. You can use a soft bristle brush or a dry cloth for this purpose.
- Make sure that you spread a protective cloth underneath your furniture to ensure that the flooring or carpet is safe from drips and debris of wax.
- Once the surface is cleaned thoroughly; you can use a soft cloth to apply wax over the area that you want to coat. Start with a thin coat of wax, and apply it on the surface starting from the top to bottom.
- Use a circular motion along the grain direction until you thoroughly coat the area.
- Let the wax dry for an hour. If you can let it dry overnight, it will be better.
- Once dry, you can buff off any excess wax using a dry and clean cloth.
What Can You Expect from a Wax Polish?
If you repolish your antique furniture, you expect to see your furniture’s more enhanced natural beauty. Moreover, you expect to see a piece of furniture that has a new life, with enough moisture to prevent it from cracking and drying. You can also expect your furniture to have an additional protective layer from harsh elements and scratches.
You can expect the wax to protect your furniture for one or two years, depending on the type of wax the product has. If it has beeswax, then you can expect up to two years of protection for your furniture. Nevertheless, it will be best to repolish your furniture annually to ensure that it is appropriately protected. If your furniture is constantly in use, then you can repolish your furniture whenever you notice that it looks dry.
An adequately waxed furniture will indeed get protected. It will not incur marks even if you leave a cold cup on it. Wax, however, does not make your furniture heat resistant. So, if ever you place a hot coffee glass on your furniture, it may leave a mark on your furniture. To protect your furniture from scratches and markings due to heat, make sure you use tablecloths and coasters to keep it protected.
Conclusion
Some people only buy antique furniture. They may have their reasons for doing so, and some of these reasons may include better quality, uniqueness, and a value that increases over time. Compared to modern furniture, antique furniture can be considered as an asset instead of being consumable.
Nevertheless, your antique furniture may devaluate if you don’t give them the necessary protection and maintenance. But if you maintain them with polishes and waxes, you can assure yourself that your antique wood furniture will continue to remain an asset over time.
Jason is a 40-year-old woodworker, carpenter and author who have been involved in the woodworking and woodcraft industry with 17 years of experience. He is expertise in technical aspects, woodcraft and furniture building projects.