Hi,
I am using Briwax Antique Pine on a new unfinished pine interior door. I have never used this stuff before and am having trouble with it leaving splotches on the wood. I used 220 grit sand paper to sand and used an air tool to blow all the dust off. I am using a shop towel to apply and buff the wax. I called briwax and they suggested I was using too much wax but it doesn’t matter how little I apply it is still leaving dark splotches. Anybody else experience this or have a suggestion on how to fix this? Should I use the sealer? Thanks in advance!
Replies
Looks to me like the " splotches" are either surface defects or grain characteristics of the wood. A sealer might help, but will change the look. Testing is a good idea before diving in. Check the solvents in the briwax (tolulene?) And choose a sealer that will not dissolve under the wax.
First, try buffing with something softer like a soft cotton or a sheepskin cover on a sander to see if you can rub out the deposits. A shop towel is a bit stiff for polishing if it is what I'm picturing.
Pine is prone to blotching, no matter what finish is used. Some finishes are better than others. The best approach is to use thinned varnish or shellac as a sealer, then stain.
Can I ask why you are attempting wax on raw pine? It will offer very little protection.
Thank you for the tips. It has been quite the debate between my husband and I about stain or poly vs wax. I wanted to go with a stain or poly finish since I have used those many times with no problem. But my husband insisted on using wax since they are bedroom doors and he thinks our sons will scuff and nick the doors so a wax finish would be easier to repolish where a stain or poly he thinks we would have to strip the whole door and restain and poly. 🤷♀️ I think we should go with a stain and poly finish
Have you thought about doing both and using a product like Osmo or Rubio monocoat? There are also many spot repairable finish choices including Tung oil, Danish oil, Tried & True, etc... They would all seem to meet our needs.
Using the wax as your finish makes you subject to the carrier (solvent) and how it will react to the material you apply it to. From their website:
"For best results and to prevent a blotchy appearance timber should always be previously sealed with Briwax Danish Oil or Shellac Sanding Sealer."
W-momma, you're speaking of stain and poly as if they were both "finishes". Stain by itself, is a coloring agent, not a protective finish. I would stain it to the color you want and then use a poly varnish. Wax is more of an appearance thing for furniture, not any protection on a door from nicks scratches and dings. Kind of like on a car.
for nicks and scuffs on wood finished with poly, you can easily touch up with a wipe-on product like Howards Restor-a-Finish. You dont need to strip and refinish a whole door every time you get a scuff.
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