What Is Furniture Wax and Why Should You Use It?

Every cabinetmaker knows any piece of wooden furniture isn’t finished until it’s … finished. Whether a wood finish sinks into the pores and hardens or forms a film on the surface, it protects the wood from moisture, impacts and color fading.

But even the best wood finish also needs protection to last long and look its best. That’s the job of furniture wax.

Furniture refinishing was my portal into the construction trades. I learned the ropes in two Canadian shops, then ran my own shop for three years until I diversified into carpentry. Next, learn how to refinish a table.

Although I applied all kinds of finishes, my favorite was nitrocellulose lacquer. It’s a film that’s thin enough to allow the wood grain to retain its texture. With a layer of wax, it’s one of the finest-looking finishes out there.

Furniture wax can enhance any finish, whether it’s a relatively heavy film coating like polyurethane or a penetrating wood oil. Sometimes, all you need to do to restore an old table or desk is give it a good cleaning and a coat of wax. If there’s furniture restoration in your future, here’s a chance to learn the basics about using wax to protect it.

What Is Furniture Wax?

Let’s start with what furniture wax isn’t: a wood finish. If you apply it to bare wood, it will simply sink into the pores, providing no protection and creating a barrier that prevents any other finish from adhering.

Like floor wax, furniture wax protects a pre-finished surface. Some floor wax products even make great furniture wax.

Although liquid furniture wax products are available, most of the best ones are pastes. There’s a reason for that. When you spread a paste with a soft cloth or with fine steel wool (as I do), it’s easy to get a really thin coating. That’s what you’re after.

Thick wax coatings tend to yellow, or collect dust from the air and turn dull. They’re also more likely to turn sticky and gooey.

Types of Furniture Wax

The most common furniture waxes are carnauba — a vegetable wax derived from the carnauba palm — and bee’s wax.

Two more types of petroleum-based waxes are also available. One, paraffin, is great for making candles, but it’s generally too soft to provide much more than moisture protection for wood. The other, microcrystalline wax, is harder. And because it’s also flexible and easy to apply, some woodworkers prefer it to the common wax varieties.

Wax must be suspended in a solvent — in most cases, mineral spirits, which has a strong odor. Food-safe waxes for cutting boards are generally suspended in olive oil or a similar food-grade solvent. Some manufacturers supply low-VOC waxes with a water– or citrus-based solvent.

Wax comes in three colors: dark, clear and white. People use white wax for “liming” woodwork, giving it a whitewashed look.

When and Why To Use Furniture Wax

The main reason I use furniture wax on new furniture is to “finish the finish,” which means smoothing out all the bumps and streaks that remain when the finish dries and sets.

Most film finishes, including lacquer, have a plastic-like glare. Wax replaces that with a luxuriously subtle sheen that can be restored again and again with a little buffing.

Wax really comes into its own when you apply it over a penetrating oil finish. Oils preserve the natural wood texture, which can feel a little rough and uneven. Wax smooths out the texture and makes the wood shine.

You can also use wax to restore an old finish that’s still in good shape but turned dull. Give the finish a good cleaning with mineral spirits or a similarly weak solvent (soap and water also works), then apply the wax and buff it up. You’ll turn the dull finish into one that shines.

How To Apply Furniture Wax

There’s no secret here: Rub on the wax straight out of the can, then buff it up to make it shine. Most people apply wax with a soft cloth, but I like to use very fine steel wool instead, because it knocks down imperfections in the existing finish for an even shinier finish.

For buffing, you can do it by hand with another lint-free cloth, or attach a lambswool buffer to your drill and use that.

When Not To Use Furniture Wax

Never use furniture wax on unfinished wood. It won’t look good, and you’ll have to remove it before you can apply a finish.

Similarly, avoid applying wax to a finish that’s cracked, chipped or in otherwise poor condition. Always complete the repair before reaching for the wax.

Wax is great for horizontal surfaces like table tops and countertops, but not on utility surfaces that frequently get wet. Wax offers water protection to a degree, but it won’t hold up if you’re constantly rubbing it with a wet cloth. Similarly, it won’t hold up on surfaces where you place hot pots and pans.